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Open Mike 15/02/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 15th, 2016 - 86 comments
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86 comments on “Open Mike 15/02/2016 ”

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  1. Paul 1
    15 February 2016 at 7:00 am

    Listening to RNZ yesterday afternoon after the Christchurch earthquake, it struck me that there were several callers who expressed more of a fear of insurance companies inaction than fear of the actual earthquake.
    5 years on, there were people ringing who were still in houses not dealt with by the EQC . Two callers in particular named AIG as an appalling insurer.
    Yet they have enough money to splash their corporate logo all over the All Blacks shirt.
    I really hope John Campbell reopened this can of worms.

    • dv 1.1
      15 February 2016 at 7:45 am

      Yes
      I heard that damage claims have to be in in 3 months
      Shame that there is not a 3 month pay out time..

      • vto 1.1.1
        15 February 2016 at 9:58 am

        All claim settlements need to include a ‘use-of-money’ component, back-dated to the date of the event.

        You know, like the government and IRD does with us.

        goose and gander and all that…..

        yes?
        no?

        • Lanthanide 1.1.1.1
          15 February 2016 at 2:28 pm

          Yeah, there’d definitely be a financial incentive not to drag the chain if that were to be in place.

          The whole thing is really a big clusterfuck though, with the whole “handover from EQC” seeming to be handled really poorly for everyone.

          After EQC is done with it, your insurance company has to start *from scratch*.

    • Chch_chiquita 1.2
      15 February 2016 at 9:58 am

      There is nothing one can do about the earthquake. It’s simply something you learn to live with when choosing to live here in Christchurch. As opposed to that, the insurance shamble is man-made and can be avoided. Insurance companies drag everything as much as possible so that more and more people will give up and take a cash settlement.

  2. Sabine 2
    15 February 2016 at 9:02 am

    One of my customer is building a commercial kitchen for one of our local church. He was surprised to find out that the reason he is building this kitchen is that the church is feeding a 100+ people a day. We had a bit of a chat about the situation here in AKL where it now is more and more the norm for low income people and people on benefits to be depended on charities to eat, they may earn enough money to pay the bills, but then have no money for food or they may get enough benefits to cover the rent but not electricity or food.
    I asked him how much his pay had increased over the last 5 – 7 years vs the increases in his living costs, and he agreed with me that yes, for people on a fixed income, benefit or the min wage life has not gotten better but in fact much worse.

    Slowly but surely the the mask of feel good, and pretend to be good and happy at all times is slipping, and the raising poverty and misery is coming more and more to the light for all to see.

    • Manuka AOR 2.1
      15 February 2016 at 9:51 am

      Yes. And there’s another cold winter on the horizon.
      Food? or warmth? Stark choices that have to be made by many.

  3. Manuka AOR 3
    15 February 2016 at 9:40 am

    Who will replace Scalia on the US Supreme Court..
    Possibly Kamala Harris:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris

    This would help ring in the changes that the world so desperately needs.

      • alwyn 3.1.1
        15 February 2016 at 1:45 pm

        Impressive, isn’t he? They might be able to get him through the Senate, which I think would be a problem with Harris.

    • Gabby 3.2
      15 February 2016 at 9:55 am

      You see the Senate going for an Obama nominee do you?

      • Andre 3.2.1
        15 February 2016 at 10:11 am

        McConnell (Senate Majority Leader) has already said any Obama appointment isn’t gonna happen. Since he controls what issues come before the Senate, he may be able to block the Senate from even voting on an Obama appointment.

        Looking at the current crop of Republican senators, McCain looks the only one with enough sense of duty to vote for a reasonable Obama choice, and four Republican votes are needed (there’s currently 54 Republicans, 2 independents, 44 Democrats).

        On the other hand, if Sanders wins in November and the Democrats regain a majority in the Senate, then there might be a sudden rush of final business before the new people are sworn in in January.

      • joe90 3.2.2
        15 February 2016 at 10:13 am

        He could nominate the risen Yeshua and they’d block because black man…..

        Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2005: ‘The President, and the President alone, nominates judges’

        […]

        “[T]he Republican conference intends to restore the principle that, regardless of party, any President’s judicial nominees, after full debate, deserve a simple up-or-down vote. I know that some of our colleagues wish that restoration of this principle were not required. But it is a measured step that my friends on the other side of the aisle have unfortunately made necessary. For the first time in 214 years, they have changed the Senate’s ‘advise and consent’ responsibilities to ‘advise and obstruct.'”

        http://m.dailykos.com/stories/1484831

        • Visubversa 3.2.2.1
          15 February 2016 at 10:33 am

          The GOP blocks because they block anything the Democrats try to achieve. Since they were taken over by the Tea Party it is total war. The “black man” bit helps energise their racist base but they will do the same with any Democrat in office.

    • Gosman 3.3
      15 February 2016 at 11:03 am

      What changes could the Supreme court ring in that the world desperately needs?

      • Andre 3.3.1
        15 February 2016 at 11:09 am

        Affirmation that the President has the right and obligation to control the emission of harmful greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

      • joe90 3.3.2
        15 February 2016 at 11:48 am

        What changes could the Supreme court ring in that the world desperately needs?

        An end to the claptrap Scalia and his ilk champion[ed].

        Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia gives comfort to creationists while speaking at his granddaughter’s commencement ceremony.

        Giving the commencement address at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda where his granddaughter Megan graduated, Scalia opined:

        Class of 2015, you should not leave Stone Ridge High School thinking that you face challenges that are at all, in any important sense, unprecedented. Humanity has been around for at least some 5,000 years or so, and I doubt that the basic challenges as confronted are any worse now, or alas even much different, from what they ever were.

        The reference to “5,000 years” is an allusion to the claims made by Young Earth Creationists who take a “Biblical view” of science and reject biological evolution.

        […]

        The following is an excerpt of the dissent in Edwards vs. Aguillard written by Scalia:

        The body of scientific evidence supporting creation science is as strong as that supporting evolution. In fact, it may be stronger…. The evidence for evolution is far less compelling than we have been led to believe. Evolution is not a scientific “fact,” since it cannot actually be observed in a laboratory. Rather, evolution is merely a scientific theory or “guess.”… It is a very bad guess at that. The scientific problems with evolution are so serious that it could accurately be termed a “myth.”…

        Creation science is educationally valuable…

        http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2015/06/scalia-commencement-speech-supports-young-earth-creationism/

        • Gosman 3.3.2.1
          15 February 2016 at 12:04 pm

          Even though there hasn’t been any cases that I am aware of recently that involves creationism and the Supreme Court of the US why would this impact the entire world even if there was?

          • joe90 3.3.2.1.1
            15 February 2016 at 12:32 pm

            Anti-science loons impact the entire world.

            • Gosman 3.3.2.1.1.1
              15 February 2016 at 12:38 pm

              Yes indeed. People who are anti-vaccines and GMO’s are a major problem.

              • Tricledrown …
                15 February 2016 at 1:28 pm

                Gosman the clone who proves you can’t vaccinate for gullibility.
                The supreme court is anti democracy.

                • weka …
                  15 February 2016 at 4:21 pm

                  I’ve had the measles, as did all my siblings. I think it’s an indictment on society and the medical profession and the health systems and the Science is God people that that woman had to go to a closed internet group for advice about her baby when my mother’s generation all knew as a matter of course how to care for a sick child at home.

                  • chris73 …
                    15 February 2016 at 6:14 pm

                    I read that as she’d rather use her close-minded group on Facebook then go to a doctor

                    • weka …
                      15 February 2016 at 6:30 pm

                      Nevertheless, my point above stands.

                      Doctor and FB groups are going to give completely different sets of advice. And she says in the article that she is going to take her son to the doctors, which IMO is a good way to spread the measles esp to vulnerable kids. Better that people have the skills to manage at home and the knowledge to know when they need to get medical help.

              • One Two …
                15 February 2016 at 2:44 pm

                Pretending to understand enough to make another blanket statement

                Informed choice, freedom to choose and the precautionary principle

                • McFlock …
                  15 February 2016 at 2:52 pm

                  You need to work harder at pretending.

                  • One Two …
                    15 February 2016 at 3:09 pm

                    Reading through your contributions, I would say you’re projecting, wildly

                    There is a distinct sneering tone, which reeks of fear such as the asinine remark you made above

                    What, if any is your issue with the three tenets I listed ?

                    • McFlock …
                      15 February 2016 at 3:33 pm

                      I have little time for idiots who endanger others as well as their children.

                      1: “informed choice” does not equal “shit some moron told me in a youtube video must be more reliable than ‘big pharma'”

                      2: “freedom to choose” is not the same as “freedom to endanger the lives of others”

                      3: The precautionary principle:

                      states that if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm to the public or to the environment, in the absence of scientific consensus that the action or policy is not harmful, the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those taking an action.

                      [my italics]
                      We know the level of harm of vaccines: fuck all compared to the level of harm of the diseases they represent (see my opening sentence).

                      so yeah, I have very little time for people whose idiocy results in outbreaks of Dickensian illnesses in first-world nations. Frankly, I view anti-vaxxers as public health menaces.

                    • alwyn …
                      15 February 2016 at 3:40 pm

                      @McFlock.
                      Jeez, sometimes you do say something sensible.
                      This is one of those times.

                  • One Two …
                    15 February 2016 at 4:08 pm

                    Such a complete lack of understanding , ignorance and arrogance

                    That you don’t can’t or won’t describe simple concepts without using derogatory language, let alone comprehend them adequately , is your problem to work through

                    Good luck with the journey

                • UncookedSelachimorpha …
                  16 February 2016 at 12:18 am

                  Not that I like siding with right wingers.

                  But I’m afraid being anti-vax fails on all three counts:

                  Informed choice: There is plenty of information on vaccination vs disease – it is a no-brainer that vaccination saves millions of lives / severe illnesses, with the negative effects of vaccination real but minuscule in comparison to the disease

                  freedom to choose: Unfortunately you are not only choosing for yourself / your children. Unvaccinated people pass disease to others and can destroy herd immunity. Oddly, this same “freedom” argument is advanced by RWNJ for their economic and social views (‘I should be free to choose whether I contribute to the education / healthcare of others etc). We should do some things collectively for the good of society.

                  Precautionary principle: The balance of risk is overwhelmingly in favour of vaccination. Not vaccinating fails the precautionary test.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    16 February 2016 at 12:33 am

                    You have to be fucking kidding me.

                    You state “informed choice” as one of your major arguments.

                    Then make it clear you don’t believe in a patient’s informed choice at all, you believe in your choice and your conclusions, to be applied to everyone else, and then applying a thin veneer of your version of “informed choice” over the top of it.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    16 February 2016 at 12:40 am

                    Let’s run with your bullshit one step further:

                    1) Informed choice: there is plenty of evidence that Labour gets consistently better results for both adults and children than National does. Yes Labour Governments sometimes cause bad things, but those bad things are miniscule in comparison to the benefits that they deliver, especially compared to National.

                    2) Freedom to choose: National voters are not just choosing a government for themselves/their own children. Unfortunately, their choice is also damaging other people and can destroy the common good.

                    3) Precautionary principle: the balance of risk is greatly in favour of a Labour led government. Voting National and not voting Labour fails the test of the precautionary principle.

                    Conclusion – people who vote National are both socially and personally irresponsible, and the ability to democratically choose to vote for National shall be banned, in the name of the public good.

                    • McFlock …
                      16 February 2016 at 10:24 am

                      did you include lab4 in that equation? Because that seriously skews your math

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      16 February 2016 at 10:27 am

                      Of course I included Lab4 into the equation.

                      Has Lab4 somehow been exorcised from Labour’s history and performance?

                      MPs from that time who voted for Rogernomics are still in the caucus.

                      Or should I do the drug company statistics thing and simply exclude entire datasets and time periods which prove inconvenient?

                    • McFlock …
                      16 February 2016 at 10:40 am

                      So basically the idea that Labour “consistently” does better is correct only 4/5 of the time. I reckon you might be lacking “scientific consensus” that your statement is correct.

                      A better example would be the policy of denazification of post-WWII Germany. Participants in a clearly bad government were banned from office, but the actual impact was minimal. So even if the thing is bad, the intervention needs to be better than the status quo. Voting interventions aren’t. Vaccinations clearly are.

  4. vto 4
    15 February 2016 at 11:24 am

    This tourism driving is getting seriously out of hand on the main tourist roads of the south island – west coast, otago especially.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/76883987/frustrated-truck-driver-throws-tourists-car-keys-over-fence-near-queenstown

    Drove some long distance recently and saw incidents all the time – swerving badly across the road, driving onto one lane bridge with us already on it, random stopping in the middle of the road…. probably couple of incidents per morning on average…..

    it is a very real threat, with locals driving like nanas now

    chaos and carnage

    • Molly 4.1
      15 February 2016 at 1:49 pm

      My sister was catching a commuter flight from Wellington, and saw a driver (passenger in back seat) having difficulty at the car park entrance. When she enquired if they needed a handed, the driver said she was looking for the car rental place to drop off the car, and needed to do so quickly as they were late to check in for a flight.

      My sister offered to direct them there and jumped in the passenger seat. During the short drive, the driver drove extremely badly, before ending up at the car rental. During somewhat strained conversation it appears that the driver had never driven a car before and driving on the NZ roads was the first time. She had driven from Rotorua to Wellington, on our somewhat unforgiving of driver error roads.

      • Chooky 4.1.1
        15 February 2016 at 2:47 pm

        @ vto and Molly ….in the meantime young New Zealanders can’t get licenses….!!!! ( too expensive….too hard!…too much testing….too many failed because of simple tiny errors)

        ….this is jonkey’s banana republic…persecute and make it very hard for New Zealand youth to get ahead …and make it a free for all for the overseas hoons and irresponsible and wealthy

        • vto 4.1.1.1
          15 February 2016 at 10:16 pm

          Here is some backup to my call above – exactly what is going through EVERYBODY’s minds who lives in these parts and has to drive.

          http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/76839291/fiordland-residents-fearful-of-driving-alongside-visitors.html

          It is ridiculous.

          I suggest heavy, near extreme, measures are required.

          URGENTLY.

          There simply has to be a hard core practical test before any rental car can be taken out by a non-NZ driver.

          If it costs – tough. It will save NZ lives.
          If they fail and can’t drive – tough. It will save NZ lives.
          If tourists leave – tough. It will save NZ lives.

          This is now an everyday occurrence. Starting to make me very cross.

          THE TOURISTS ARE MORE DANGEROUS THAN DRINK DRIVING…..

          AAAAAARRGGGHHHHHH…!!!!!!

    • weka 4.2
      16 February 2016 at 7:26 am

      What’s a few deaths and maimings when we’re making all those tourism dollars?

  5. travellerev 5
    15 February 2016 at 12:02 pm

    Most people don’t understand about derivatives or other financial products. In Holland, Pension funds are going down to their exposure to these toxic instruments, in the US pensions funds are collapsing and the funds are being looted by banks and governmental institutions to cover debts and in New Zealand we hear nothing about the Cullen fund which supposedly has about $19 billion in investments so I thought I’d link to some articles I have been writing in as early as 2012 about the fund that was supposed to be able to support our pension system for a long time to come:

    https://aotearoaawiderperspective.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/the-serious-fraud-squad-should-investigate-john-key-and-merrill-lynchs-involvement-with-the-cullen-fund/

    https://aotearoaawiderperspective.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/breaking-did-merrill-lynch-set-up-the-cullen-fund-meet-ira-bing/

    • Gosman 5.1
      15 February 2016 at 12:08 pm

      Most people would include you it seems. Care to explain why Futures products are in anyway dangerous?

      • travellerev 5.1.1
        15 February 2016 at 12:13 pm

        How about I leave that to an expert, cowboy hat boy!

        • Gosman 5.1.1.1
          15 February 2016 at 12:40 pm

          So you agree that you yourself don’t understand them and rely of linking to clips of other people who you think can explain them do you?

          • pat 5.1.1.1.1
            15 February 2016 at 1:08 pm

            so you wont ‘t be cashing in your hybrid bank bonds then Gosman?….oh wait you can’t…..I wonder if you can find someone to purchase them off you…..at a greatly reduced value of course…

          • travellerev 5.1.1.1.2
            15 February 2016 at 1:28 pm

            Gosman you’re a boring little dick with a penchant for time wasting. Have a nice day!

          • Tricledrown 5.1.1.1.3
            15 February 2016 at 1:42 pm

            Goldman Sachs man Gooseman.futures in their basic form were originally designed to create a smoothing of market prices for growers and manufacturers to stabilize markets.
            Today’s futures are far from that.
            The wall St futures of today are a corruption .
            Futures of today are ponzi schemes bought and sold by corrupt bankers who know when the tide goes out they are worth nothing.
            Unless the company selling these ponzi schemes is in bed with the large govts is The US and EU where Goldman Sachs bankers are the finance ministers.
            They will turn around and get enough money printed to save their arses.

          • Tricledrown 5.1.1.1.4
            15 February 2016 at 4:01 pm

            Gooseman another failure.
            When are you going to produce some evidence you know something about futures.
            Many times I have seen futures trading suspended because they can’t meet their obligations.
            Then trillions of dollars in bailouts .
            Welfare for criminal ponzi schemers.
            Greek govt being lent $100’s of billions by bankers who knew they couldn’t pay it back.
            Predatory loan sharks.
            is John Key Merrill Lynch.
            Gooseman your a gullible govt grovelar

  7. fender 7
    15 February 2016 at 12:23 pm

    Can’t access the mobile version for some reason lprent. Been that way since at least saturday.

  8. Draco T Bastard 8
    15 February 2016 at 2:47 pm

    Garbage in, garbage out

    A review of the modelling of the benefits of the TPPA

    In a document that was recently released under the OIA, Treasury put the present value of the benefits at $13.3 billion. This assessment was based on the NZMOD benefit numbers. If we scale this back by our assessment of the annual benefits then the net present value of the benefits is $665 million. Treasury’s assessment of the net present value of the costs is $800 million (not including biologic costs)

    And that doesn’t even take into account our loss of sovereignty. So, for us, the TPPA is a lose-lose.

  9. Sabine 9
    15 February 2016 at 5:35 pm

    but all is well, a real estate agent told me that the asian buyers (yep a realtor said the word asian) finally all received their IRD Numbers and House Sales will go up into the stratosphere in AKL again.
    so who needs exports, n stuff ….not us not us

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/76821748/Rod-Oram-Economic-reality-is-hitting-home

    Quote: “Yet despite all this stimulus, growth is anaemic and deflation becoming entrenched in many countries. Increasingly, central banks are turning to negative interest rates as a last resort. Japan recently joined the ECB, Denmark Sweden and Switzerland.

    What happens next could be startling. For example, the UK should start to consider ending all cash transactions to enable banks to levy negative interest rates on their customers, Andrew Haldane, chief economist of the Bank of England, argued in a speech last September, available here.

    This is only one of the range of radical new tools central banks must devise to cope with the next recession, Martin Wolf, chief economics columnist of the Financial Times, wrote recently, available here.

    Our Reserve Banks has been remarkably reticent on all these issues, even though it has missed every inflation forecast it has made in the past four years. With deflation looking ever more likely than inflation, it should take the opportunity of its March 10 Monetary Policy Statement to begin to engage business and the wider public on this fundamental challenge.

    Reality is hitting home in may other ways, such as the forecast by DairyNZ that 85 per cent of dairy farmers will run at a loss this season.

    Yet in Parliament on Tuesday, Key’s passing gesture to the real world was this:

    “…weaker dairy prices, along with other factors, are contributing to slower growth in the nominal economy, which is expected to be around $17 billion lower over the next five years than was expected in last year’s Budget. This flows through to slightly less tax revenue, slightly lower operating balances and slightly higher debt, compared to Budget forecasts.” Quote End.

    • vto 9.1
      15 February 2016 at 5:51 pm

      I wonder if people realise what the Bank of England nut bar is saying here? ……….

      “For example, the UK should start to consider ending all cash transactions to enable banks to levy negative interest rates on their customers, Andrew Haldane, chief economist of the Bank of England, argued in a speech last September”

      It is fucked completely.

      He is saying – lets charge people to conduct transactions in order to save the banks.

      It may take a while for this to seep in – especially to right wing brains…

      • sabine 9.1.1
        15 February 2016 at 6:08 pm

        its already happening in sweden, and in the US people on a benefit can only take $ 25 out a day, and they are charged for each transaction.

        and not much discussed in our own sweet aotearoa

        http://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/79845/bernard-hickey-suggests-removing-cash-and-adopting-blockchain-type-system-transactions

        Quote: A cashless society could help us combat crime and tax avoidance by making it much harder to trade illegally and in an untraced way. It would also avoid the problem of cash hoarding if interest rates were ever cut to 0%, or even negative rates. It would make it much easier to have negative interest rates that gave the Reserve Bank the power to stimulate the economy by charging savers to look after their money. A move to a digital currency could also allow us to do without banks for transactions and save an awful lot of money in processing and conversion fees.

        So why don’t we do it? Now that most people have smart phones and almost all retailers are connected to a payments network, it would seem a simple step to remove cash from the system. After all, many of us use EFTPOS and contactless Visa and Master cards to pay for things. Why not switch completely and remove all the cost and danger of storing, transporting and handling cash?

        Yet it’s proving much harder than many thought, and it’s not just a New Zealand problem. Despite all the gadgets and terminals, there is actually much more cash in circulation than there’s ever been. The Reserve Bank reports there was NZ$4.96 billion worth of notes ands coin sitting in wallets and vaults and under mattresses as at March of last year. That’s up 61.6% from the NZ$3.07 billion in circulation just 10 years earlier. Quote end.

        i do like how its always to combat crime, are we not just a bunch o suckers in their eyes.

        • pat 9.1.1.1
          15 February 2016 at 8:17 pm

          yes we could do it….and it would aid in tax evasion…..unfortunately it will also aid in bail ins for the banks and right at the moment that is a very real risk…I .dont think anyone would be very happy about losing a significant portion of their savings,….except perhaps the bankers who have skimmed off obscene bonuses for providing the “service”….quarter (or whatever figure they determine) of an obscene unwarranted amount is still not a bad scam.

        • One Two 9.1.1.2
          15 February 2016 at 11:59 pm

          Watch , listen and follow very closely the chorus of cashless society shills. They are lining up, they are many , and they have local chapters in every corner of the globe

          There are a small number of issues which will grab the attention of a huge percentage of the western world. This is one of the few

          The more those few issues are openly pushed, greater numbers of people will begin to look more deeply into the lies behind them, rebel, or look for alternatives

    • miravox 9.2
      15 February 2016 at 8:27 pm

      weaker dairy prices, along with other factors, are contributing to slower growth in the nominal economy

      What is this “nominal economy” and how is he getting away avoiding the impact of weaker dairy prices and other factors the real economy that real people operate in?

      • sabine 9.2.1
        15 February 2016 at 8:43 pm

        he does not live in the same economy than you and me. That is how he avoids the consequence of the selling of our country. When he is done he’ll bugger off.

    • Jones 9.3
      16 February 2016 at 9:57 pm

      Everything’s ok… TPPA will deliver us the missing growth. That light at the end of the tunnel is the Brighter Future. You read it here first.

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    4 days ago

  • Power bill changes bring fairness to charges
    A key recommendation of an independent panel to make electricity charges fairer across all households will be put in place, the Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods has announced. “Phasing out the regulations on ‘low-use’ electricity plans will create a fairer playing field for all New Zealanders and encourage a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • NZ economy’s strong momentum will support rebound from Delta outbreak; COVID fund replenished
    The economy showed strong momentum in the period leading up to the recent Delta COVID-19 outbreak, which bodes well for a solid economic rebound, Grant Robertson said. GDP rose 2.8 percent in the June quarter, following on from a 1.4 percent increase in the previous March quarter. This was a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Projects create benefits into the future
    Making a well-known lake swimmable and helping to halt the decline of the endangered hoiho/yellow-eyed penguins are among a suite of new projects being supported by the Government’s Jobs for Nature programme across the southern South Island, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “It’s no secret that many of our most ...
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    5 days ago

  • Opening statement for Whāriki Indigenous Small Business Roundtable
      Kei ngā tōpito e wha o te āo e rere ana te mihi maioha ki a koutou nō tawhiti, nō tata mai e tāpiri ana ki tēnei taumata kōrero mo te ao hokohoko arā mā ngā pākihi mo ngā iwi taketake Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa – Pai Mārire.  ...
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    5 days ago

  • New members appointed to Kāpuia
    The Government is adding four additional members to Kāpuia, the Ministerial Advisory Group on the Government’s Response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch mosques. “I’m looking forward to having Pamela MacNeill, Huia Bramley, Melani Anae and Katherine Dedo  join Kāpuia and contribute to this group’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Timeline confirmed for Emissions Reductions Plan
    Cabinet has agreed to begin consulting on the Emissions Reduction Plan in early October and require that the final plan be released by the end of May next year in line with the 2022 Budget, the Minister of Climate Change, James Shaw confirmed today. “Cabinet’s decision allows organisations and communities ...
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    5 days ago

  • Pay parity pathway for early learning teachers confirmed
    Pay parity conditions and higher funding rates for education and care services will come into force on 1 January, 2022, Minister of Education Chris Hipkins confirmed today. The Government signalled this work in Budget 2021. “From 1 January, 2022, centres opting into the scheme will receive government funding and be ...
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    5 days ago

  • Speech to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Conference 2021
    Kia Ora tatau katoa.   Ka tuku mihi ki nga nēhi, He pou Hauora o Aotearoa, E ora ai tatou.   Whakatau mai  I runga i te kaupapa o te ra Te NZNO conference.   Tena koutou tena koutou Tena tatou katoa   Good morning, and thank you inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government investment in farmer-led catchment groups sweeps past 150 mark
    171 catchment groups have now been invested in by the Government 31 catchment groups in the Lower North Island are receiving new support More than 5,000 farmers are focussed on restoring freshwater within a generation through involvement in catchment groups  Government investment in on-the-ground efforts by farmers to improve land ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Fight to protect kauri on track
    The Government is pitching in to help vital work to protect nationally significant kauri forests in Auckland, Minister of Conservation Kiri Allan says. “Ensuring the survival of these iconic trees for future generations means doing everything we can to prevent the potential spread of kauri dieback disease,” Kiri Allan said. ...
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    7 days ago

  • Joint statement of Mr Bernard Monk; Hon Andrew Little, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry,...
    [Note: The Parties have agreed on terms to fully and finally settle the proceeding and will jointly issue the below statement.] At the heart of this litigation are the lives of the 29 men tragically lost at the Pike River mine on 19 November 2010 and to whom we pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • More financial support for businesses
    Today’s decision to keep Auckland in a higher COVID Alert Level triggers a third round of the Wage Subsidy Scheme which will open for applications at 9am this Friday. “The revenue test period for this payment will be the 14th to the 27th of September. A reminder that this is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Aotearoa New Zealand provides further humanitarian support for Afghanistan
    Aotearoa New Zealand is providing a further $3 million in humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today.  “There is significant humanitarian need in Afghanistan, with the crisis disproportionately affecting women and girls,” said Nanaia Mahuta. The UN has estimated that 80% of the quarter of a million ...
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    1 week ago

  • Innovative te reo prediction tool announced in Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori
    A new Māori language prediction tool will play a key role in tracking our te reo Māori revitalisation efforts, Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson announced today. He Ara Poutama mō te reo Māori (He Ara Poutama) can forecast the number of conversational and fluent speakers of te reo Māori ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Further Government support for people to access food and essential items
    The Government is responding to need for support in Auckland and has committed a further $10 million to help people access ongoing food and other essential items, Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni announced today. This latest tranche is targeted at the Auckland region, helping providers and organisations to distribute ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Half a million Pfizer vaccines from Denmark
    The Government has secured an extra half a million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines from Denmark that will start arriving in New Zealand within days, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “This is the second and larger agreement the Government has entered into to purchase additional vaccines to meet the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Inland Revenue providing essential COVID support for businesses
    Inland Revenue is seeing increased demand for Resurgence Support Payments and other assistance schemes that it administers, but is processing applications quickly, Revenue Minister David Parker said today. David Parker said the Resurgence Support Payment, the Small Business Cashflow (loan) Scheme and the Wage Subsidy are available at the same ...
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    1 week ago

  • New Zealand marks 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks
    New Zealand is expressing unity with all victims, families and loved ones affected by the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks, and all terrorist attacks around the world since, including in New Zealand. “Saturday marks twenty years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, which killed nearly 3,000 people ...
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    1 week ago

  • Speech to SPREP Environment Ministers
    Talofa Honourable Ulu of Tokelau Faipule Kelihiano Kalolo Tēnā koutou katoa and warm Pacific greetings from Aotearoa to your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. The new science released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on 8 August paints an alarming picture of the projected impacts of climate change on the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Additional Resurgence Support Payments to support business
    Businesses affected by higher Alert Levels will be able to apply for further Resurgence Support Payments (RSP). “The Government’s RSP was initially intended as a one-off payment to help businesses with their fixed costs, such as rent. Ministers have agreed to provide additional payments to recognise the effects of an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • More Dawn Raids scholarships announced
    Details of the ‘Manaaki New Zealand Short Term Training Scholarships’, a goodwill gesture that follows the Government’s apology for the Dawn Raids of the 1970s, were released today by Pacific Peoples Minister Aupito William Sio. “These scholarships that are targeted to the Pacific will support the kaupapa of the Dawn Raids’ ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • One-way quarantine-free travel for RSE workers starting in October
      One-way quarantine-free travel for Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers from Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu starts in October New requirement for RSE workers to have received their first vaccination pre-departure, undertake Day 0 and Day 5 tests, and complete a self-isolation period of seven days, pending a negative Day 5 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Govt boosts Pacific suicide prevention support
    Applications have opened for the Pacific Suicide Prevention Community Fund as the Government acts to boost support amid the COVID delta outbreak. “We know strong and connected families and communities are the most important protective factor against suicide and this $900,000 fund will help to support this work,” Health Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Govt parks the expiry of licenses, WoFs and regos
    As a result of the Delta outbreak, driver licences, Warrants of Fitness (WoFs), Certificates of Fitness (CoFs), vehicle licences (‘regos’) and licence endorsements that expired on or after 21 July 2021 will be valid until 30 November 2021, Transport Minister Michael Wood has announced today. “While this extension won’t officially ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • COVID-19 community fund to provide support for vulnerable women and girls
    Minister for Women Jan Tinetti today announced a $2 million community fund that will provide support for women and girls adversely affected by COVID-19. “We know that women, particularly those who are already vulnerable, are disproportionally affected by the kind of economic disruption caused by COVID-19,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Next phase of support for Fiji’s COVID-19 response announced
    A further NZ$12 million of support for Fiji’s COVID-19 response has been announced by Foreign Minister Hon Nanaia Mahuta today. The package builds on previous tranches of assistance Aotearoa New Zealand has provided to Fiji, totalling over NZ$50 million. “Fiji remains in a very challenging position in their response to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Robotic asparagus harvester aimed at addressing industry challenges
    The Government is backing a $5 million project to develop a commercial-scale autonomous robotic asparagus harvester, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. The Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (SFF Futures) is contributing $2.6 million to the project. Project partner Robotics Plus Limited (RPL) will build on a prototype asparagus ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Additional Pfizer vaccines to arrive tomorrow
    More than a quarter of a million additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine are on their way from Spain to New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. The additional doses will arrive in Auckland on Friday morning to help meet the current surge in demand for vaccination. “It’s been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Young people to have their voices heard in Youth Parliament 2022
    The dates and details for Youth Parliament 2022 have been announced today by Minister for Youth Priyanca Radhakrishnan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Youth Parliament is an opportunity for 141 young people from across Aotearoa New Zealand to experience the political process and learn how government works. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Boosting support for tertiary students affected by COVID-19
    Students facing a hard time as a result of COVID-19 restrictions will continue to be supported,” Education Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. The Government is putting a further $20 million into the Hardship Fund for Learners, which will help around 15,000 students to stay connected to their studies and learning. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • COVID-19: Immediate relief available for Māori and iwi organisations
    The Government has reprioritised up to $5 million to provide immediate relief to vulnerable whānau Māori and communities during the current COVID-19 outbreak Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson announced today. The COVID-19 2021 Whānau Recovery Fund will support community-driven, local responses to gaps in access and provision of critical ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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