Open mike 17/10/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 17th, 2010 - 34 comments
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34 comments on “Open mike 17/10/2010 ”

  1. Carol 1

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/16/france-airport-running-out-of-fuel-protests-pensions

    Shades of ’68! I don’t really agree with the criticisms of raising the pension age. I think the movement should be focusing on other, or broader issues of the ways neoliberal austerity measures are unfair on workers. However, are we looking at the beginnings of an international people’s movement against attacks on welfare states and/or neoliberal austerity measures?

    There’s rumblings from the peoples here in NZ, too. I will be joining my union for the rally this Wednesday (20th Oct). I believe it will be part of a national CTU action.

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00257/fairness-rallies-the-start-more-to-come.htm

  2. Lanthanide 2

    Election 2011 is hotting up? On this backdrop, if Key did call a significantly early election, may it backfire on him with a public seeing it as a grab at power?

    “JOHN KEY is one of the country’s most popular prime ministers of all time, crossing the political divide, but sources within his National Party say there are concerns the public is beginning to perceive the party as a one-man band.”

    “He’s been photographed with builders, bedmakers, butchers, businessmen and even tarantula spiders, leaving some people wondering if the prime minister might have more important things he could – and should – be doing.

    One National MP, who asked not to be named, said there were concerns within parliament that the party had been reduced to The John Key Show.”

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4241690/Is-John-Key-a-lone-ranger

    • The Voice of Reason 2.1

      And then there’s this quote:

      “There is a bit of a concern that there is John, and thank goodness for that, but not too much below him. I mean, it’s hard to know how many people could actually name the deputy prime minster,” the MP said.

      Not too much below him. Perfectly describes both the state of Key’s caucus and his own morality.

    • comedy 2.2

      Wot wot someone’s clicked about how elections are won and lost in NZ ?

      A very large number vote on the basis of who they don’t/do want as PM and little else.

      I’m all for Colin as the next PM.

    • Blue Boy 2.3

      You missed out the bit where it said ” But the MP also said Labour had encountered a similar problem under former Prime Minister Helen Clark. “They have their own problems with Phil Goff taking over from Helen. They are making no headway”

      • The Voice of Reason 2.3.1

        A National MP saying Goff is doing it tough is no surprise, but to bag his or her own caucus as being non existent, a liability even, is definitely news. Obviously, I don’t know when the comment was made, but it appears the ‘no headway’ statement doesn’t take into account the Roy Morgan poll, which suggest Labour and the Greens are on the cusp of the numbers they need to win the next election. Not a bad place for Goff to be going into a party conference, eh?

    • Armchair Critic 2.4

      You also missed the bit where Matthew Hooton says:
      “John Key is by far National’s greatest political asset…” My emphasis.
      Normally I don’t agree with Hooton, but he is absolutely correct with this comment. And this comment is worse than faint praise for the rest of the National team.
      My favourite bit is where Johnny says:
      “Being prime minister means serving, and being answerable to, the people of New Zealand.”
      So we can expect him to be showing up for more media interviews. Got the courage to show up on morning report Johnny?

      • Dan 2.4.1

        Key would not cope with domineering interviewing such as Espiner gave Goff this morning on Q&A. Goff handled it well but still has room for improvement!
        But then Espiner always gives Key patsy questions and does not rock the boat.

    • gobsmacked 2.5

      Party leaders usually have a base, i.e. the support of a strong faction within the caucus. Don Brash and Helen Clark had die-hard followers, based on their track record and fostering good relationships over many years.

      John Key has no base at all. He just has opinion polls. There are no “Key-ites” (and if you doubt this, name them).

      So when the end comes (after the next election) it will be swift and brutal.

      • Armchair Critic 2.5.1

        “John Key has no base at all.”
        I’m not convinced, GS. Key must (as in “it is compulsory” sense of the word) have the full support of the whole caucus, because without him they are toast. I’ll re-quote Matthew Hooton:
        “John Key is by far National’s greatest political asset…” My emphasis. There is no one to replace him.
        Labour haven’t got far to date by attacking Key personally. IMO they won’t get far in the future attacking Key, either. What they need to do is attack his ministers and their policies. Discredit National’s brand, rather than their leader.
        We will be able to see how successful they are, if they choose to do this, by looking at the polls as we get closer to the election. National’s party rating will drop, but Key’s popularity will remain high.
        If Labour can form a government in 2011 they will have a good chance at six years because the in-fighting in National after Key departs will make ACT’s little battles look like kids squabbling over lollipops. Big if, though; I’m still rating Labour a 50/50 chance in 2011.

    • Vicky32 2.6

      ““He’s been photographed with builders, bedmakers, butchers, businessmen and even tarantula spiders”
      Not forgetting that he turned up for no good reason, at the All Whites vs Paraguay match in Welly on 12th October.
      I asked my son and myself “Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!”
      Deb

  3. Lazy Susan 3

    So the same elites that so “efficiently” bundled up CDOs and caused the GFC are now “efficiently” foreclosing on millions of people homes.

    People have a threshold of how much crap they can take and throughout Europe and USA that threshold is coming very close to being breached.

    Before much longer the next shoe will fall in the slow motion train wreck that is the meltdown of the global financial system. With millions of people without homes, jobs, or a future and a sense that they have been dealt a huge injustice, Europe and USA are increasingly looking like a tinderbox.

  4. Every argument about our collective futures, regardless of which group of despots we have at the top starts with future energy supply’s
    http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/ParlSupport/ResearchPapers/4/6/a/00PLEco10041-The-next-oil-shock.htm
    If we are lucky we will get a group of people who can think like Fidel Castro, or Hugo Chavez rather than Kim Jong Il,
    Korea and Cuba hit the point we are heading for in 2012 back in 1990, with the collapse of the soviet union, there oil supplies plunged by up to 80% (about the same as we import) if we go down the National/Labour track we will look like Korea inside of 10 years, if we are bloody lucky and have some thinking people running the show, we could look like Cuba. There are only those 2 choices ……………. sitting here doing nothing now = North Korea
    Knowing and understanding people (as my 10 year quest has taught me) leads me to believe that we will end up somewhere between Zimbabwe and North Korea, with the government controlling the people via the food supply…. giving the term ‘working for families’ a whole new meaning.
    And the fact that we will not discuss this also confirms my fears.

    • comedy 4.1

      “And the fact that we will not discuss this also confirms my fears.”

      Nah just take it as confirmation that most who read your comments think they’re in danger of conversing with an attention whore/troll.

      http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Troll

      • Robert Atack 4.1.1

        Here is another troll for ya

        One day conference in San Fransisco, happening now http://www.earthatrisk.net/

        Derrick Jensen
        Opening Remarks for Earth At Risk

        What is the problem?

        There’s a sense—a very real and overwhelmingly devastating sense—in which you could say that the problem is that this culture is killing the planet. One hundred and twenty species were driven extinct today. Another 120 will be driven extinct tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after. Ninety-seven percent of native forests are gone. Ninety-nine percent of native grasslands. Amphibian populations are collapsing, migratory songbird populations are collapsing, mollusk populations are collapsing, fish populations are collapsing, and so on. Nearly all rivers in the US (and world) are dammed. Dams are the death of rivers. There are two million dams in the United States alone: with 60,000 dams over 13 feet tall and 70,000 dams over 6 and a half feet tall. If we took out one of those 70,000 dams every day it would take two hundred years to remove those dams. And the salmon don’t have that time. Sturgeon don’t have that time. Ninety percent of the large fish in the oceans are gone. There is six to ten times as much plastic as phytoplankton in much of the oceans. The oceans are being acidified. The oceans are being murdered. Big cats are going. Great apes are going. Vertebrate evolution has effectively been ended by this culture. The world is being poisoned: there is dioxin (and many other carcinogens) in every (human and nonhuman) mother’s breast milk. More than half of the fish in many rivers are changing genders because of endocrine disrupting chemicals put out by this culture. And of course humans have grotesquely overshot carrying capacity, and are committing unparalleled drawdown.

        • prism 4.1.1.1

          Help. Just locally there is a desperate attempt to keep a proposed dam venture going in the Hurunui I think. Need $1 million dollars. Going to irrigate huge areas for agriculture. With seasonal droughts and uncertain weather patterns this would seem sensible and practical. But this type of thinking helps to change our environment so its part of the problem isn’t it? Just more of the same.

          • millsy 4.1.1.1.1

            Personally I am not opposed to water storage and irrigation schemes in Canterbury, but they must be PUBLICLY OWNED, with the PEOPLE having some sort of say in how they are run. What’s more, they should be non profit – any revenue they generate go back into the enviroment.

            But somehow I dont think that this will happen.

            • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1.1.1.1

              Canterbury already has more cows than it’s environment can handle. The proposed Hurunui dam is a proposal to double that number putting more filth and pollution into the ground and rivers.

    • KJT 4.2

      Copy of my comment on Frogblog on energy.

      http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/09/23/dams-sustainable-and-permanent/#comment-159237

      “We have so many good options in NZ or renewable power that compared to most countries we are spoiled for choice.

      Unless we are invaded for energy, food and living space which would be a strong possibility. I do not see the people who happily murder just to become richer sitting put and starving while countries like NZ and Australia are available.

      I agree with Kevin. Apart from bigger schemes that work on already degraded areas like Stockton. Reducing demand with green buildings, energy efficient transport and lower energy technology is one strand.
      Renewable energy. Distributive generation, bio-mass solar water heating, wind, geothermal, solar tidal and run of the river hydro are the other.

      I gave an example above of how the timber industry. (To build Green houses) can produce all its own renewable energy from the waste stream.

      These are only very approximate numbers to get the idea. I have some, but do not have the time to wade through all my papers at the moment. Orders of magnitude are close enough to show the theory. Changes in technology may mean more or less contribution. Bio fuels from sewerage are now looking more promising than first thought. Especially for farming which produces lots of it. 🙂 . Those tractors will be run on bio-methane produced on site.

      Electric urban transport. (Trains and cars). Reduce transport fossil fuel demand by 50%. 100 PJ saved. Green buildings in California reduce demand by 15% 20 PJ saved.
      All houses with solar heating. 40 PJ saved.
      Ships and trains for long distance transport another 50 PJ saved.

      Distributed generation by households on a smart grid. 50 PJ.
      Council woody waste 4PJ. Bio-mass (Sewage plants) 10 PJ.
      Forestry waste stream. 9 PJ short term. Up to 20 medium term.

      It will require a lot of work and commitment, but I do not see why we cannot be 100% renewable in electricity and 50% in transport fuels by 2020 if we started now. Good for employment too.

      Get the idea. New Zealanders are well placed to have a good life style with our current resources and technology.

      There will likely even be some surplus for exports to pay for things which it is not sensible to produce locally. The French and Russians will sell us all the weapons we may need.

      The caveats are. We need to start NOW.
      WE NEED TO CHANGE TO AN ECONOMY WHICH SUPPORTS A DECREASING USE OF RESOURCES”.

      We cannot afford to wait until politicians, who have too much invested in the current system, do something.

      Carrying on as we are is not an option. Niether is a reversal to some agrarian horse drawn utopia.

      This requires a change from the bottom up. Real democracy.

  5. prism 5

    RadioNZ this morning –
    10:06 John Anderson – The Contiki Journey
    Kiwi John Anderson founded of one of the biggest tour companies in the world – Contiki. Then the sharemarket crashed in 1987 and a couple of years later, he was penniless and homeless. He tells Chris about the company he formed in the ‘60’s on the back of a scribbled note and a lot of nerve, its demise, and his new directions.
    John Anderson’s book ‘Only Two Seats Left’ is published by Messenger Publishing

    John A has so much interesting to say. Roller coaster of the rise of a business where he advertised for people to take a proposed trip round Europe before he had a van with something like 25 pounds in his pocket. To where the 1987 crash and an Ansett strike hit the new venture in Whitsunday Is and the company had to be sold.
    He is interesting on entrepreneurship and an example of how to build a brand that delivers what people want. The comment on how much bureaucracy there is for business in the USA. 300,000 Kiwi travellers and about 3 million from the world later, plus a lot of marriages amongst passengers, Contiki goes on under different ownership.
    An exciting story, business is exciting, a thriller, and let’s get knowledgable and supportive of good business with the enthusiasm spent now on sports teams. Perhaps we could start fan clubs for good NZ businesses or a Facebook page talking about the sort of businesses we are keen on and what they are up to (the things that are not commercially sensitive).

  6. millsy 6

    Paul Henry’s fellow hatemonger, Mr L(h)aws defending hate in all its forms:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/opinion/4241293/Henrys-exit-is-an-assault-on-our-freedoms

    Personally I think Laws is more threatening to this country than Henry – Henry merely has the mentality of a 5th former behind the bike sheds, while Laws is deliberately nasty to those he sees as inferior. He thinks, talks and acts like a Southern governer from the 1920’s. With open ties to the KKK. (His orders to WDC contractors to take down ‘Whanganui’ signs from SH3 reminded me of George Wallace standing in the doorway of Alabama schools to stop black students from entering them),

    What is ironic that he left the National party in the early 1990’s when Richardson chopped benefits, now he is making a living calling for DPB mothers to be sterilised.

    • M 6.1

      ‘The point is that viewership of the Breakfast show is not compulsory. If you don’t like hearing such sentiments, don’t tune in.’

      Yeah, ‘spose many people in Germany thought the same in the 30s but were eventually caught up in the Nazi juggernaut by which time it was too late to speak out, that is, if one wanted to avoid the death camps.

      This guy is just a wanker – like you say millsy, harsh to his perceived inferiors like DPB mothers (don’t forget Laws there are DPB dads too) but wants all the sympathy in the world ’cause his precious little Lucy has cancer. Don’t even get me started on the pictures of him striking a supposed sexy stance in the black shirt – sick bowl please!

  7. Sorry to harp on … but if the latest report regarding oil, (that has been ignored by the government and Labour) is correct, and we are going to be facing oil shortages from 2012 onwards http://oilcrash.com/articles/wake_up2.htm With the opening line >Oil is “the lifeblood of modern civilisation < .
    The fact that oil and natural gas help make up about 90% of our industrial food production http://oilcrash.com/articles/eating.htm . You have to ask what chance has any child got ?
    John Key Il is ignoring the issue, just as much as Labour

    This is a samples of the correspondence some of us have had with Labour.

    Letter to David Parker http://oilcrash.com/articles/monro_02.htm

    Letter from Hodgson http://oilcrash.com/articles/hodgson.htm note 'peak oil' 2030 , in a recent email Pete said he wouldn't sign off that letter today.

    Letters to/from Hodgson
    http://oilcrash.com/articles/hodgson2.htm
    http://oilcrash.com/articles/moore_03.htm
    http://oilcrash.com/articles/monro_01.htm

    Letter to Mallard http://oilcrash.com/articles/moore_04.htm

    Letter to Clark http://oilcrash.com/articles/clark_01.htm

    Letter From Duynhoven (mayor of NP now) http://oilcrash.com/articles/duynhovn.htm

    And as far as Labour helping children. What did they do while in power last time?
    I know they ignored the opportunity to start preparing children for what the pore buggers are going to have to try and live through.

    http://oilcrash.com/articles/concernd.htm

    [lprent: Moved to OpenMike. This is only peripherally connected to the topic of where it was posted. It is just a thread-jack / link-whore and the system properly picked it as spam. If I don’t see some improvement in your behaviour then you’ll go into auto-moderation until I do see some (or I get tired of releasing them and just ban you for wasting my time). ]

  8. Draco T Bastard 8

    Rapist: ‘Send me back to jail’

    Canterbury University criminology professor Greg Newbold said the case was unusual. “Although it’s often said convicts like being in prison, that’s rarely the case – most people can’t wait to get out,” Newbold said.

    “What is more common is that ex-prisoners sometimes find the stresses of outside life unbearable,” he said. “In prison there’s no bills to be paid and no problems finding food.” That was why some view prison as a “form of sanctuary”.

    “To me, this sounds more like a cry for help, or that he’s trying to convey a message that his life’s been made miserable.

    Why we need better rehabilitation which NACT went round cutting.

  9. Draco T Bastard 9

    Statisticians attack Treasury plan to switch inflation measure

    It said the CPI failed to reflect the spending patterns of pensioners and people on benefits and the rising costs they faced.

    The society, which represents the UK’s leading statisticians, said the CPI measure of inflation was also a poor reflection of costs for workers and should not be used as the inflation index for wage bargaining.

    Now, we call our measure of inflation the CPI but I’m not sure if it’s using the same calculation. Still it does call into question the accuracy of the CPI and if it can be made more accurate.

  10. Draco T Bastard 10

    Well, I read Phil Goff’s speech and all I can say is that he still don’t get it.

    We will force would-be buyers of New Zealand rural land to invest in New Zealand and our people by bringing jobs, transferring technology, increasing exports or bringing other benefits for New Zealand.

    These rules will apply to sales of rural land over 5 hectares.

    And the young couple looking for their fist home still have to compete with the rich older couple from England looking for a nice place to retire. I’m pretty certain that being a retirement village isn’t a step up from being a bunch of ignorant farmers.

    We will also introduce new rules around investment in monopoly infrastructure to guarantee these crucial assets, such as airports, seaports and water services remain in New Zealand hands.

    All monopolies should be government owned. No ifs, buts or maybes. You’d need to identify what a monopoly is in statute. It would have to be a realistic definition with a lot of reasons why. Here’s a couple of examples for you:
    Telecommunications: This is a monopoly because it’s damned inefficient and costly to have more than one network. On top of that, we absolutely need the communications for the betterment of our democracy.
    Electricity: Again, having more than one network, which thankfully we don’t as the polys seem to have woken up a little after giving Telecom away, is inefficient. The generators need to work together so that the best supply is available at the right time rather than trying to compete which drives prices up (due to bureaucratic duplication). And, again, it’s an essential service to our people providing heating in the winter, refrigerators to keep food and other essential public services.

    But other foreign direct investment is and we encourage it.

    Wrong again. Direct foreign investment is bad for us the “wealth” that we produce will be off shored propping up another economy rather than ours. If we need access to foreign knowledge and research, which is the only thing that I can think we may need, then the government can buy or lease it direct and make it available for any NZer to use.

    Labour is going to make some tough calls to make sure our exporting businesses are competitive; some big calls.

    Good call but you missed the important bit. We need to ban the export of raw materials so that our local industry is encouraged to develop.

    • just saying 10.1

      Yeah, it could have gone a lot further, but I was heartened by Goff’s speech, there is real progress there if they carry through with their promises.

      I know it’s easy to say, and may be just hollow words, but I was glad to hear him say that Labour was going to make sure there is a “place at the table for every New Zealander”.

      Now that’s Labour.

      • Carol 10.1.1

        Interesting that the MSM seems to be mostly concentrating on the restrictions on overseas investments in Goff’s speech. IMO, the main theme of the speech was being critical of the “two New Zealands” and the wealth gap, and saying Labour will be doing stuff to make life fairer for the less well off. I haven’t seen any of the MSM mention that. There was loads of other stuff in that speech eg references to repealing the 90 day employment rule, and stuff about education and health care.

    • millsy 10.2

      He probably has to be mindful of the reaction in the right-wing media.

      This was a good speech, but the newspapers, right wing commentators, and the government are going to show him no mercy.

      The Herald for example, supports the RBA and the sale of this country to the highest bidder, and is going to defend it to the death (To be perfectly honest, I dont think the NZ Herald has any right to have ‘New Zealand’ in its name, given its hostileness to any form of patriotism).

      • Draco T Bastard 10.2.1

        (To be perfectly honest, I dont think the NZ Herald has any right to have ‘New Zealand’ in its name, given its hostileness to any form of patriotism).

        And the fact that it’s owned by APN.

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    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    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
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    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
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    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
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    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
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 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
    9 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
    10 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
    24 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
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  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
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  • 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 ...
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  • 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 ...
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  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
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  • 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. ...
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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  • 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 ...
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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