Open mike 22/09/2020

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 22nd, 2020 - 87 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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

Step up to the mike …

87 comments on “Open mike 22/09/2020 ”

  1. adam 1

    Thank God for the ICIJ and the ABC. As dirty money is still rolling around the globe.

    https://www.icij.org/investigations/fincen-files/

    Video for those who want a quick introduction.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnYv9rcU–I&ab_channel=ABCNews%28Australia%29

    • Adrian Thornton 1.1

      Yes as usual there is very little coverage of news that really matters diseminated by pretty much all msm outlets in NZ…I see RNZ and the Guardian managed to make this story all about RUSSIA and PUTIN yesterday…sort of like fake news really.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.2

      When making a profit is the prime objective then corruption is sure to follow. Why do it the hard way when its more profitable to do it the easy way?

    • Cinny 1.3

      Informative clip, thanks for posting yes

  2. Ad 2

    It would be an excellent moment for Labour to announce a cash bonus to enable office workers to work from home, rather than use either the car or public transport.

    Both car use and public transport for commuting are massive sunk costs in public capital, and private productive time, and public transport is now a public health risk as well.

    At minimum it has the potential to lower the fragility of the Auckland network and delay costly infrastructure spend.

    At best it could permanently shift society to rely less on cars.

    And of course it would be a little redemptive policy goodness to come out of the pandemic.

  3. millsy 3

    Jacinda needs to put in a good performance at the first debate tonight. She cannot afford a "show me the money" moment. Collins will have few tricks so she needs to be careful.

    Going to be a long few weeks.

    • Robert Guyton 3.1

      Show me the money?

      Jacinda has 4 billion quips to choose from if challenged.

      I think Judith will be quite reluctant to talk about money.

  4. Dennis Frank 4

    Solidarity amongst splitters? Paradox – but at least they were having a go at it: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/22-09-2020/what-the-conspiracy-theorist-parties-believe-and-why-it-matters/

    Debate moderator Mark Thompson also had an unusual role, in that he was also highlighted consensus positions.

    The cool thing about editors becoming irrelevant is that journos can liberate themselves by being ungrammatical in public. So they do.

    I went along out of a desire to understand where these parties – the New Conservatives, Advance NZ, the Outdoors Party and the One Party – were coming from, not to grab the most outrageous or shocking soundbites.

    Alex Braae went to Nelson to encounter our political fringe, but he's also a zealot in his disregard of journalistic convention. Outrage & shock sells, so the funding stream of the media pays his wage, eh? Biting the hand that feeds him is brave.

    Each party on stage was forged out of a sense of betrayal.

    Like the New Labour Party and NZ First, he failed to add. Too young to connect those dots, unfortunately, as it would strengthen his thesis if he did.

    At a candidate meeting in Martinborough last week, MP Kieran McAnulty increasingly directed his barbs against the Advance NZ candidate and associated hecklers in the crowd, rather than against his actual rivals for the seat from National and NZ First.

    Near the end, he earned the biggest cheer of the night from everyone else by thundering that the government’s Covid-19 response was built on “listening to the experts, not reading conspiracy theories on Facebook”.

    Sheeple everwhere will be thrilled! Obedience good, rebellion bad. A future Labour leader, who knows which button to push.

    Outdoors Party co-leader Sue Grey… is a lawyer, and is an intelligent enough person to have won legal battles against highly resourced opponents.

    But intelligence tends to become relative to context in which it gets used, eh? So when the public divides into those captivated by the official narrative and those into the meta-narrative, who's really clever is an opaque question. So here's the bottom line:

    everyone who is considered to be media literate has an instinctive understanding that they’re being lied to in some shape or form all the time, and continues broadly trusting those sources.

    We use both/and logic during media consumption. We trust media to give us something currently relevant worth considering, while knowing it's as likely as not to be a lie.

    • Gabby 4.1

      So, there was a meeting, and the report had a grammatical error.

      • Dennis Frank 4.1.1

        You forgot to mention that the sun rose this morning. Political commentary looks better to readers if elementary facts get factored into the big picture.

  5. ScottGN 5

    It was good to hear the PM on Morning Report this morning insist that a future 3rd harbour crossing in Auckland absolutely had to have a rail component. In fact she refused to confirm if further traffic lanes were in the mix at all. Let’s just hope it’s a Labour led government that gets the job of planning this rather than National cos we know how that would work out.

  6. tc 6

    Collins fronting the National ad I saw last night had a very deja vu quality to it.

    I thought I started seeing Muldoon's smirk one side of the mouth at times as the similarities struck a chord. Not a pleasant old tune that one btw.

    • greywarshark 6.1

      About Muldoon expression, I'd noticed that too.

      • Dennis Frank 6.1.1

        Ah, so she's channelling Muldoon, that explains it. The threatening part of his style is coming through rather wimpish, though, eh? Perhaps up there on cloud nine he's been well & truly lectured at by do-gooder angels explaining that good vibes work better than bad on the earthly plane (as in heaven).

        Since he likely rolled his eyes at them persistently for the first few years, they would have had to shift gear up to indoctrination level 2. Reincarnational karma would have come as quite a shock to the old turk. Long enough mulling it over, now to try being nice, through that nice young(ish) pretend Nat leader…

  7. ScottGN 7

    Poor old Corin on Morning Report just now. He’s vox popping some punters from around the country about the change to level 1 and desperately trying to generate some anger and conflict and drama out of them but they’re all sweet as!

  8. Dennis Frank 8

    Subtle, nuanced solidarity on the airwaves:

    Hosking: "No you are being too linear. It's not a matter of a perfect model or a non-perfect model, it's about nuance and subtlety."

    Ardern: "Mike, if you're saying you're now a person of nuance and subtlety, bless.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12366679

    • greywarshark 8.1

      Oh thanks for that clip DF it has made my month. Holding on for this coming few weeks till the election is over is trying. I hope that the Auckland evangelicals get toads raining down on them from the high one above.

    • Wensleydale 8.2

      Someone get poor Michael some asbestos underpants. He just got burned. I don't know how she endures his endless needling and pedantry. The desperation to get a hit on her is almost palpable. He's a miserable excuse for a human being.

  9. Reality 9

    What a brilliant response by Jacinda to Mike Hosking. Responds to him without being nasty, snide and sarcastic like someone who can't help herself being nasty, snide or sarcastic. And when that person tries to be nice it always is sooooo insincere.

  10. Dennis Frank 10

    Waikato has been a hotbed of racism since the colonial govt conquered the region. Nowadays it's being led by the ruling council of the university: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12366140

    Primary evidence of the residual colonialist mind-set is retention of Hamilton as the name of the region's capital city, to honour the 19th-century British aristocrat. Quite why the citizens of the city believe such perpetual honouring is a good idea isn't being explained to sceptics in the 21st century. Progress might happen. Keep head in sand.

    Local peasants entertain themselves by aping the behaviour of an ancient European tribe; the Vandals. https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/300112102/election-vandalism-rife-in-hamilton-with-tyres-and-signs-sliced

    Vandalism is culturally interesting in that it isn't a belief system – unlike other isms – but a behavioural tradition. Local yokels preserving local culture. Come the superhighway, invasion by Aucks will threaten their peace of mind though. How to form a united front against multiculturalism? That's a question unable to enter their heads, due to lack of brain. Dinosaurs prior to comet-strike, the Hamiltonians.

    • In Vino 10.1

      Aristocrat? More like upper Middle Class, I would hazard.

      • greywarshark 10.1.1

        Please leave that alone DF. It is a hot kumara, and not appropriate to stir the pot and stew about it before the election hangi.

        And just to add before I sign off, local iwi have an interest in the uni. So something to look at after the election please.

    • Stuart Munro 10.2

      Hamilton? Thought it was called The Tron.

    • Gabby 10.3

      The university council are slashing tyres? The rotters.

  11. francesca 11

    An interesting overview of Nordstream 2 and its geopolitical struggles(for those who are interested)

    Written by a

    Policy Analyst at The Russian Public Affairs Committee (Ru-PAC). His work is focused on Russo-American relations, the Eurasian space and with a long-term goal of building better relations between Russia and his country of birth, Sweden

    https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2020/09/19/dont-expect-sanctions-to-stop-nord-stream-ii/

    And regarding Amnesty International and the Assange trial it's heartening to see Amnesty come to the party after a very long silence. They are actively being excluded from the hearings, even remote access has been revoked

    They're beginning to realise the consequences of their original limp response, and they may, along with many others just now jumping in , be too late

    https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/09/why-are-amnesty-international-monitors-not-able-to-observe-the-assange-hearing/

  12. Sabine 12

    well it was good for the goose so why should it not be good for the gander, and besides we need to 'teach these people in emergency housing the value of paying rent' or some other bullshit like that.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300113282/plan-to-charge-for-emergency-housing-back-on

    The Government may have paid $6000 a fortnight to house them in a private rental at one stage – part of a scheme to pay landlords motel-level room rates to put families in houses rather than motels.

    When the scheme ended abruptly they had to shift all of their belongings overnight into a friend's garage and eventually ended up in a Mangere motel – where they live today.

    Now the Labour-led government is pushing ahead with a plan to charge families like hers 25 per cent of their income for staying in these emergency motels.

    The change was announced in February, set to come into place in March, but was delayed due to Covid-19.

    Now it will come into effect on October 19 – two days after the election.

    The Government argues it is a question of fairness along with a much-needed incentive to get people out of emergency housing and into private, transitional or social housing.

    Mangere East Family Services social worker Alastair Russell said it's not a question of incentives. The reason people aren't moving out of emergency housing is because the whole system is "stuck".

    The backlog of people waiting for social housing spaces has meant people stay in transitional housing longer.

    The backlog of people in transitional housing has meant people can't move out of emergency accommodation.

    yeah, sure keep charging these homeless families 25% of their wage for 'emergency accomodation', surely this will teach them the value of paying for a rental that they can't find even if they have full time jobs working for hte council.

    Kinder, gentler, bullshit.

    • The Al1en 12.1

      What percentage of a wage would be paid in a state house?

      • Draco T Bastard 12.1.1

        IIRC, its 25% of income.

      • Sabine 12.1.2

        1. Do i have an issue with people paying for housing? No, i don't.

        1. Renting a state house from housing corp is a secure rental agreement with the Housing Corp and i am sure that particular family and others would be more then happy to pay the regular rents on such a property. Too bad, that we sold them under the last govenrment and under the current one we can't build them fast enough. So they are not renting a State House, but nice try of deflection.

        3.why does emergency housing in shoddy motels/flats cost 3000NZD per week?

        1. Is the government that useless at negotiating a fair price, and is this really the best they could do with the tools they have and all the intelligent and highly educated people working high paying jobs in government. Cause if it is, then they need to be hiring better staff, the current one seems useless.
        2. why does the government not simply pay the standard rental prices for motels/shoddy housing in the first place, see above, useless at negotiating?

        6. do i have an issue with people spending 25% of their wages/welfare income on 3000NZD per week for a property that Winz has not even inspected and that according to various articles now are often times not safe, not sanitary, over crowded, and sometimes even illegal? A property that is EMERGENCY or TRANSITIONAL housing, and not a stable secure rental?

        Yes, yes i do.

        And i don't care if this shit comes from National or Labour.

        I hope that answers any question you may have.

        • The Al1en 12.1.2.1

          Too much cacao tasting today? lol

          The question of the social problems in not having enough affordable homes for people to buy or rent, or how the number of state houses should be much higher are a given for most left voters and all would like to see what we have now reversed.

          I don't get your bitterness in charging someone 25% of $635 and $980pw after tax to stay in a motel, which clearly may not be ideal, but is much better than market rate rentals or living in a car or under a bridge.

          Those people would still have 75% of their wage and a roof over their heads until circumstances change with better housing outcomes.

          I completely refute the idea that's somehow "bullshit"

          Rooms in big houses is different and I doubt it’s the best policy if guarantees of safety and quality can’t be given.

    • Ad 12.2

      Sabine, you get more ammunition about this here:

      https://www.cpag.org.nz/

      Also this big one launched five days ago, going into most social welfare areas you can think of:

      https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/research-policy/social-policy-parliamentary-unit/latest-report

      • Sabine 12.2.1

        Sadly the Sally Army is not government, and the current government will ignore the findings of the Sally Army (to which i have linked a few days ago btw), as they did with their own fact finding group.

        This government gives no more a fuck about the poor then did the last ones.

  13. greywarshark 13

    I thought Prof Nick Wilson had good point about saying that we would do better to have a 1.5 lockdown level with masks on public transport and reductions in numbers at high contact settings, bars and clubs, gyms. It's my preference. We have a lot to lose, and want to open up as much as poss and with as much as poss safety.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018765039/covid-19-public-health-expert-not-happy-with-alert-level-1

  14. Peter 14

    Brownlee's on talking about privatising isolation etc, with all the usual bullshit 'probable' 'they'll have to etc.' Then the "all we're saying is …"

    And all the crap about getting on the plane virus free.

    I stuffed up yesterday entering my name as 'failed UE twice.' That was a typo directed at Gerry. That was him. I presume he got School C to get to 6th form. I think he has regressed.

    • Draco T Bastard 14.1

      Sounds like Gerry's trying to spin the line that the private sector always does it better.

      He'll have a hard time of it though because, after four decades of that BS, we now know that the private sector does it worse and costs more.

      • mac1 14.1.1

        And when they've got it wrong, and the virus escapes from poorly run, poorly managed, short-funded private isolation who gets to put it right?

        And Brownlee talks about an agency to supervise the privateers. Who pays for that?

        The answer to both questions- it sure ain't private enterprise.

      • woodart 14.1.2

        yes, we have melbournes experience to show us how good private enterprise is. wonder if jerry has factored insurance into cost of private phuckups? after his triumph in chch, he should be well aware or how insurance can bite arses.

    • greywarshark 14.2

      Peter
      I think we all have, or alternatively, most of us have not progressed past whatever level of formal learning we had early in life. We need more than vocational training and silo studies of one aspect of life to study in depth.

    • gsays 14.3

      In regards Brownlee's new department: it could be called CERA,

      Covid

      Entry

      Repatriation

      Authority.

      What could go wrong?

  15. greywarshark 16

    Syrian man freed from detention in Oz. Landmark ruling. Sounds interesting – I haven't read yet but include this here for us all to know about.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018765026/ruling-sets-detainee-free-and-opens-door-for-others-in-limbo

  16. Siobhan 18

    Well, how very very odd.."The Guardian" are today, an actual part of the Assange trial…..yet they have decided to not cover the story (as yet)..thats dedication..then again..no news sources have actually applied to have their journalists in Court..any thoughts out there on when 'No News' becomes 'Fake News'…

    so we shall have to go with the Daily Mail link ..again…

    "The US government is wrong to charge WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with publishing unredacted classified documents because they had already appeared online, a London court has heard.

    Computer scientist Professor Christian Grothoff said the organisation was not the first to make public 251,000 diplomatic cables when they appeared on its website on September 2, 2011."

    Now I know many of you are "So Over" Assange, but, well, its a big trial, and THE GUARDIAN ARE IN IT..so…

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8756265/Julian-Assange-NOT-charged-WikiLeaks-files-available-online.html

    https://shadowproof.com/2020/09/21/guide-to-journalists-assange-trial-upset-by-media-blackout/

  17. greywarshark 19

    Climate change continues – can we manage to think of multiple problematic and destructive things at the same time??

    https://www.euractiv.com/section/climate-environment/news/worlds-richest-1-cause-double-co2-emissions-of-poorest-half-says-oxfam/

    The wealthiest 1% of the world’s population were responsible for the emission of more than twice as much carbon dioxide as the poorer half of the world from 1990 to 2015, according to new research. EURACTIV’s media partner, The Guardian, reports.

    Carbon dioxide emissions rose by 60% over the 25-year period, but the increase in emissions from the richest 1% was three times greater than the increase in emissions from the poorest half.

    The report, compiled by Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute, warned that rampant overconsumption and the rich world’s addiction to high-carbon transport are exhausting the world’s “carbon budget”.

    Perhaps we could support this news media amalgamation and hear more about the rest of the world that is outside the range of the voice of Hosking et Al.

  18. greywarshark 20

    Anyone who finds wikipedia a useful and mostly factual source! They need an injection of money. Amazingly, they say, 98% of people who use them don't give them anything. WTF. This is a chance to join a group almost as elite as the 1% Mr Creosotes. This group is of the virtuous goodies who get behind people-power-with-integrity – the 2%.

    https://donate.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:LandingPage&country=NZ&uselang/

  19. UncookedSelachimorpha 21

    Labour moves fast to drive wages down:

    Visa changes, border exemptions for specialised workers

    I see some of the workers are so specialised they will be filling " labour shortages in horticulture and wine growing. "

    • greywarshark 21.1

      NZ helping poor people everywhere?

      • UncookedSelachimorpha 21.1.1

        A fair point, although I doubt that is the intention. Expanding the pool of people to exploit more likely.

        It is probably better if there are at least pockets of working people being paid better around the world, rather than the entire world being driven down to a low level with only the rich masters doing well anywhere.

    • Adrian 21.2

      I wouldn't call 1000 – 1500 bucks a week "driving wages down ". Most wages in agriculture in NZ are well in excess of the same in Australia. Grape harvester drivers 10 to 15 dollars more per hour, winery workers above living wage and above Oz, ask any young traveller about the comparison.

      • Stuart Munro 21.2.1

        If those are really the wages, government should be moving heaven and earth to make sure that those jobs are going to New Zealanders, not migrants.

      • KJT 21.2.2

        So. The family member working in horticulture on 50c above minimum wage, and unpaid every time it rains, or they run out of work, while being on call 24/7, is an an exception.

        I don't think so.

  20. Byd0nz 22
          Debate   stakes.</p>
    

    The gates are open its an even jump,
    Rude Jude on the outside Smiley J the inner,
    The debate is on Campbell holds the whip,
    Things now start to simmer.

    Rude Jude tried to trip up Smiley J,
    But Smiley J had none of that,
    The calmness of Rude Jude is fading,
    And out-pours her lines of crap.

    Campbell tries to intervene in vain,
    Smiley J streaks clear for home,
    Rude Jude way back in the trail,
    Her mouth now full of foam.

    The punters of colour blue,
    Rip their tickets up and groan,
    The clear concise goals of Smiley J,
    Have given her the throne.

    • greywarshark 22.1

      Hope we can celebrate that win on October 17th? Get out all the silver cups that you won back then and fill them with champagne that your horse Came Home. /humour

  21. Andre 23

    Here's the campaign ad Judthulhu really needs to copy. Yes, it really is a pro-Kelly Loeffler ad running in Georgia.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdBQnpOXVHo

    https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/21/politics/kelly-loeffler-ad-attila-the-hun/index.html

    • greywarshark 23.1

      Why do women want long hair so much? Why is the fashion so long-lasting? It must be a time user keeping it in good order. This woman's hair would look nice on a palomino pony.

  22. greywarshark 24

    This might help landlords whose tenants will not air the house, open some windows etc to reduce humidity and the mould it brings.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018764722/how-better-building-design-can-fight-the-spread-of-covid-19

  23. Ric Stacey 25

    I cannot get the donate page to open. I click on the button and the address appears in the new window and the page stays blank. I'm using Win 7 and it happens in Firefox (latest version)and also in Chrome(at least a recent version) I need the bank account no.

    • greywarshark 25.1

      Will someone help this person. He wants to donate and is having trouble. This is a time when someone should definitely come to the aid of the party – a good cause!

      • Heather Grimwood 25.1.1

        to Rick at 25 and greywarshark at 25.1 :

        email labour.org.nz and have bankcard beside you!…the form appears to fill in .
        Yours in the cause and pleased to help.

    • Incognito 25.2

      Which donate page?

    • Heather Grimwood 25.3

      To Ric Stacey at 25 :
      i copied your name wrongly in my reply to greywarshark, ( busy day).
      To donate to Labour, email labour.org.nz and the donation sheet will appear.
      You only need your bankcard beside you. The procedure is easy. Yours in the cause.

  24. PsyclingLeft.Always 27

    New Zealand State "care" : (

    "The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care has resumed its public hearings in Auckland on Monday focusing on evidence from survivors of abuse who have sought redress for what happened to them."

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/426656/abuse-in-state-care-inquiry-survivor-calls-for-independent-claims-process

    Electric shock torture…: (

    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/abuse-care-ect-used-treat-womans-sexuality

    Suffer the little Children…: (

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/424173/marylands-school-abuse-inquiry-it-s-about-time

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/347975/abuse-victim-backs-inquiry-including-religious-institutions

    Wha?…this is absolutely gut wrenching (and no BS about a different time/move on !!)…

  25. Chris T 28

    Don't suppose anyone has a link to the debate online.

    The TVNZ stream is stuck in the loading cycle of death

  26. observer 29

    John Campbell has a severe case of the waffles. Stop talking. And for God's sake stop giving them a cuddle.

  27. Anker 30

    Thought tvone gave Collins the advantage. Often camera on Collins when Ardern was talking. I am sure he allowed Collins more time. Wtf

    • Chris T 30.1

      When she was talking about Kiwibuild and the CGT?

      Ardern was hardly going to interrupt to talk about that mess.

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    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    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
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day 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 ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 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
    6 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
    6 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
    20 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
    24 hours 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
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