Open mike 22/07/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 22nd, 2016 - 86 comments
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86 comments on “Open mike 22/07/2016 ”

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  1. miravox 1
    22 July 2016 at 6:43 am

    so, is Donald Trump’s Vice presidential choice, the Koch brother-funded, tea party stalwart and neo-lib devotee, Mike Pence, the Machiavelli to Trump as Cheney was to Bush Jr?

  2. Paul 2
    22 July 2016 at 7:24 am

    Bill English has no answers to the housing crisis.
    Listening to him being interviewed on Morning Report revealed a complete lack of ideas.
    How on earth is this guy credited with any competence at all?
    Utterly useless.

    • TC 2.1
      22 July 2016 at 10:13 am

      Hes credited by the msm copy/pasting national spin.

      National run a very effective intimidation regime which gags fact based analysis on their performance.

      English has presided over a systematic sale of kiwi assets, bailed out a finance company he and key were told not to have in the guarantee scheme, done nothing about broadening the tax base and generally been the arrogant front of the hollowing out of the nz economy.

  3. mauī 3
    22 July 2016 at 8:16 am

    Women armed with tennis balls terrorise Republican convention (5 min clip). The absurd:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSkaxvxa-FE

    • ianmac 3.1
      22 July 2016 at 8:38 am

      I suppose the police just have to follow orders. But the publicity on the World stage underlines the absurdity. So the consolation for the police is that they are doing something to further cause of dis-arming.

    • save nz 3.2
      22 July 2016 at 9:45 am

      Apparently they are all allowed guns in the protest, but toys are banned. The police rushed over to pepper spray their tennis ball protest against guns. Only in America!

      • Bill 3.2.1
        22 July 2016 at 10:54 am

        Hmm. Wonder what happens if you’re carrying a toy gun? Or maybe one that shoots splurge like in that old Bugsy Malone film? What if it fires out tennis balls – maybe a bit painful – or ping pong balls?

        • adam 3.2.1.1
          22 July 2016 at 1:40 pm

          All criminal Bill.

          You will be arrested.

          • McFlock 3.2.1.1.1
            22 July 2016 at 1:54 pm

            actually, that could be challengable, as long as the device propels a projectile. It’s the right to bear arms. Nerf guns might be defensible.

            • adam 3.2.1.1.1.1
              22 July 2016 at 2:59 pm

              One simple sentence, with two different capitalisations and punctuation. Both recognised as part of the constitution. No wonder this is a headache.

              “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

              And the other

              “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

              Yeah I think it may be defensible, if you get to court. Before then, I was under the impression the police were running with everything is illegal, hence a crime, then they would arrest you.

  4. Paul 4
    22 July 2016 at 8:36 am

    Winston calls for English’s resignation.

    If you can’t provide adequate housing for yor citizens, you shouldn’t be in the business of government.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/309184/peters-calls-for-english-to-resign-over-housing-crisis

    • ianmac 4.1
      22 July 2016 at 8:43 am

      Winston can put across ideas so effectively. Who else can match him for colour. Key just mumbles and contradicts himself and dissembles.
      (And I don’t even vote for NZF,)

      • TC 4.1.1
        22 July 2016 at 10:25 am

        Simple, effective and delivered with a passion people can buy into.

        If only the rest of the opposition could do the same and stop lecturing voters to sleep. Twyford does good work but when the opportunity arises blows it with nerdy unecessary statements rather than short snappy soundbites.

        Learn from the master lab/greens ! Expose the sellouts for what they are.

  5. Ad 5
    22 July 2016 at 9:19 am

    I’ve wondered over the last 48 hours whether the uproar at the Republican Convention would more hurt or hinder their electoral chances overall. My view now is it’s been overwhelmingly positive.

    Trump and Cruz are speaking a very precise populist dialect, which has been honed by professional wrestling. It’s about the feuds; whether one wife has perkier tits than the other, their father a wastrel, one family’s makeup and wardrobe tattier than the other, one verbal beat-down more spectacular than the next. This stuff inspires legendary feuds and legendary followers.

    As a reality television star, Donald Trump is the Masked Undertaker taking down the era of austerity, surveillance, neoliberal nightmares, zero class mobility, broken Washington, global anxiety, all mixed with the race hotsauce of rage, guns, and protecting the Poh-lice.

    …. and gets to do it with one arm holding the hot girl, flying the best jets, quaffing the most expensive stuff, and the other hand grasping the pistol that will shoot down anyone stopping America being Great Again.

    Cruz gets all that, and is ready for 2020.

    No, I don’t think Trump’ll win. But it will be close. He’ll lose mostly on the ground-and-pound than on the standup ie he’s left it too late to get up his vote-gathering infrastructure. But he’s a big lesson for the left: forget the facts and become the fictional star we want you to be.

    Ah-Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh
    Ah-Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh

    Ah-RRRRRRR!!!!

    • adam 5.1
      22 July 2016 at 1:48 pm

      Glad you noticed the nutter (drumpf) does not play the game like everyone else.

      He has the whole Republican machine to help him, with all those bodies on the ground Ad. Just to cause you nightmares – sorry dude.

      He has gone for the money with his V.P choice, and lets not even go to the place where by people on the right in the USA, hate Clinton.

      It’s theater, ratings, and a show. And it works best when it is all flash and no substance.

      So I’m sorry, I think the muppet will win.

      This is how empires fall – slowly, and with stupid out in front.

  6. Xanthe 6
    22 July 2016 at 9:23 am

    Anyone else feel the deep sense of unease about the police methods to “get their latest child killer”
    Deeply unethical,
    Unsafe conviction

    What does it say about our judiciary that they go along with this shit

    • Puckish Rogue 6.2
      22 July 2016 at 10:47 am

      They got the highest permission possible and no laws appear to have been broken so its all good, would you rather the child killer remain free?

      • joe90 6.2.1
        22 July 2016 at 10:54 am

        Apparently there’s no need to obtain a warrant so whose permission did they obtain?.

        • Puckish Rogue 6.2.1.1
          22 July 2016 at 11:42 am

          http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11678728

          • It must be authorised at the most senior levels within the police force and must only be used as “a last resort” when other investigative options have been exhausted.

          • joe90 6.2.1.1.1
            22 July 2016 at 12:10 pm

            • It must be authorised at the most senior levels within the police force and must only be used as “a last resort” when other investigative options have been exhausted.

            So, despite their inability to gather enough evidence to convict him you’re okay with police brass saying fuck it, this scrote is as guilty as sin so let’s bypass the judiciary, throw any ethics we have out the window and go get him?.

            • Puckish Rogue 6.2.1.1.1.1
              22 July 2016 at 12:25 pm

              There are times the police can only gather so much evidence and they need a confession, think the Kahui twins case, so they used methods that haven’t been found to be illegal, that have been scrutinized by legal experts and have found the person that killed the child

              So, in summary, yes

              • joe90 …
                22 July 2016 at 12:43 pm

                Legal experts ain’t the courts and a police force going about it’s business without judicial oversight is okay by you.

                What could possibly go wrong…
                /

                https://www.aidwyc.org/cases/historical/kyle-unger/

                • Puckish Rogue …
                  22 July 2016 at 1:12 pm

                  If the police are found to have broken any laws in this case then I’d expect them to be punished and because of the unusual circumstances in gaining the conviction I’m sure the case will be looked at

                  • joe90 …
                    22 July 2016 at 1:33 pm

                    If the police are found to have broken any laws in this case then I’d expect them to be punished

                    Detective Superintendent Rod Drew and Senior Sergeant Warren Olsson broke the law with impunity.

                    • Puckish Rogue …
                      22 July 2016 at 1:57 pm

                      So does that mean this case is unlawful?

                    • joe90 …
                      22 July 2016 at 2:17 pm

                      Precedent says unlawful or not, they’ll most likely be able to thumb their noses at the law.

                    • Puckish Rogue …
                      22 July 2016 at 2:57 pm

                      How about innocent until proven guilty or does that not apply to the police?

                    • joe90 …
                      22 July 2016 at 3:07 pm

                      Neither Drew nor Olsson were charged over the forging of a court officials signature so obviously some are above the law.

                  • Xanthe …
                    22 July 2016 at 3:52 pm

                    PR You seem to be saying that the police have no obligation to be ethical….. only lawful.. or do you conflate the two?
                    Do you think the process to gain the conviction we are discussing was ethical?
                    Do you perhaps think it was not ethical but somehow justified because a baby had died?

    • Muttonbird 6.3
      22 July 2016 at 11:22 am

      It’s weird they manufactured crime in order to get a confession. Seems a very elaborate and very expensive use of police time to me.

      • Puckish Rogue 6.3.1
        22 July 2016 at 11:45 am

        So you’d rather have a child murderer walking around free?

        • Muttonbird 6.3.1.1
          22 July 2016 at 11:51 am

          Of course not. This scheme seems overly elaborate and expensive and based upon an American crime show rather than sustainable policing methods. The conviction looks shaky too.

          No, I’d rather see the current government do something about the underlying causes of child abuse instead of paying lip-service to it. Under the current government New Zealand has climbed to the number one ranking for child abuse – not something to be proud of.

          This undercover operation is but an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.

          • Puckish Rogue 6.3.1.1.1
            22 July 2016 at 11:58 am

            No, I’d rather see the current government do something about the underlying causes of child abuse instead of paying lip-service to it. Under the current government New Zealand has climbed to the number one ranking for child abuse – not something to be proud of

            – that’s all very well and good but it probably wouldn’t have stopped this guy and it certainly wouldn’t have gained a conviction

          • McFlock 6.3.1.1.2
            22 July 2016 at 12:26 pm

            why is the conviction shaky? The supreme court said it was ok.

            I’m not entirely happy with using it to just get a confession, but another guy done for it actually led the undercover cops to the body, so in that one I was happier.

            But confessions when combined with high-resource operations give the cops an incentive, even an unconscious one, to justify the resources they allocated. Leading questions, salted information, that sort of thing.

            • Muttonbird 6.3.1.1.2.1
              22 July 2016 at 1:48 pm

              why is the conviction shaky? The supreme court said it was ok.

              Through the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court (the decision of which was split). Plenty of contention there.

              • McFlock …
                22 July 2016 at 4:05 pm

                still the final decision went to the prosecution in the SC.

                Sort of firms it up a bit.

    • Molly 6.4
      22 July 2016 at 12:01 pm

      Thanks for the heads up Xanthe.

      Yes, I do feel unease about the police methods as they have been reported in the article.

      (It is unlikely that the police will have a psychologist look into how much they need a confession as time goes by – given the energy and focus invested in obtaining one.)

      • Puckish Rogue 6.4.1
        22 July 2016 at 12:32 pm

        I’d feel more unease with the thought the murderer was walking around free

        • Muttonbird 6.4.1.1
          22 July 2016 at 12:39 pm

          He was convicted of manslaughter, btw.

          • Psycho Milt 6.4.1.1.1
            22 July 2016 at 12:59 pm

            The courts necessarily have a much higher threshold for what constitutes murder than personal opinion does. This guy’s a murderer no matter what he got convicted for.

            • marty mars 6.4.1.1.1.1
              22 July 2016 at 2:30 pm

              wtf – “This guy’s a murderer no matter what he got convicted for.” You are such a BADARSE – lol – what a noggin

              • Psycho Milt …
                22 July 2016 at 3:42 pm

                Why wtf? According to the courts, Peter Ellis is a child molester, but fucked if I’d ever call him one. Likewise, according to the courts this guy who shook a baby to death isn’t a murderer, but I’m happy to call him one.

          • Puckish Rogue 6.4.1.1.2
            22 July 2016 at 1:09 pm

            Oh well pardon me, I’m sure that’s a great comfort to the deceased or the deceased’s family

            • Muttonbird 6.4.1.1.2.1
              22 July 2016 at 1:15 pm

              *shrugs* Just pointing out the facts.

              On Psycho Milt’s position, John Banks is a crooked bastard no matter what he got convicted or not convicted for. Personal opinion, of course.

  7. save nz 7
    22 July 2016 at 9:43 am

    Is this true? Apparently at the same time as the US warship is here, we are having a weapons conference of 500 delegates at the Aotea Centre? Including Lockheed Martin, Serco etc…

    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/07/22/america-sends-a-warship-while-trying-to-seize-our-economic-and-political-sovereignty/

  9. Morrissey 9
    22 July 2016 at 10:07 am

    Hapless Cleveland cops ordered to confiscate TENNIS BALLS and SLEEPING BAGS
    —but Trump’s violent, goonish supporters are allowed to openly carry assault rifles

    CLEVELAND—Welcome to Cleveland, where the Republican National Convention (RNC) is underway. The RNC is a highly scripted, elaborately staged and lavishly publicly funded private party. Here, credentialed Republican delegates, most of them party activists from around the country, circulate within a militarized perimeter of what authorities have designated a “national special security event.” As such, the U.S. Secret Service is handed complete control of an area, in this case downtown Cleveland. The area is ringed with a temporary but imposing black steel fence, patrolled by the full spectrum of law enforcement, from local police to federal SWAT teams. Yet because Ohio has extremely lenient gun laws, people can “open carry” here. And they do. Scores of Trump supporters have proudly shown up with their guns at their sides, including semi-automatic AR-15s, walking the downtown streets.

    It is not a total free-for-all, however. Many things are banned: tennis balls, sleeping bags, selfie sticks and canned goods. To highlight the absurdity of the situation, the women’s peace organization Code Pink staged a demonstration at the security checkpoint to enter the RNC. In their bags, the dozen or so pink-clad women carried 500 pink and green tennis balls with the phrase “Ban Guns, Not Balls” written on them. They began tossing them to each other.

    A line of Cleveland police officers quickly formed and tried to encircle the protest. They started to confiscate the tennis balls. There was confusion, as one officer asked a superior, “What do we do with the balls?” “Put them in your pocket,” came the exasperated reply. The police aggressively expanded their line, pushing observers, and us journalists, farther away. We managed to dodge them and got in close to ask Code Pink member Chelsea Byers what was going on: “We’re here saying that it’s ridiculous that the RNC has banned tennis balls, and yet they continue to let open carry happen in these streets. If they’re concerned about safety, they should be taking the guns off of these streets, not banning toys.” To reinforce the Cleveland police, a large contingent of Indiana State Police showed up, then riot police were deployed. Finally, a phalanx of police on horseback arrived. All this for about 15 women and one man from Code Pink and their 500 tennis balls.

    Read more…

    http://www.democracynow.org/2016/7/21/terror_tennis_balls_and_tamir_rice

  10. Draco T Bastard 10
    22 July 2016 at 10:10 am

    According to a just-released United Nations study, poorer workers and manual laborers are especially affected by heat stress. In developing countries, fewer working hours can translate into serious economic strain. In Southeast Asia, heat is already cutting work hours by 15 to 20 percent. By 2050, that number could be as high as 40 percent.

    “It’s a whole working month that would be lost because it’s so hot you can’t work,” the report’s coauthor Tord Kjellstrom told the Washington Post. If global warming continues at its current rate, extreme heat could cost global economies $2 trillion by 2030.

    Bold mine.

    So, not only do we have a huge cost incurred by climate change but we have to ask:
    How long before those in Southeast Asia decide to leave because the heat is, quite literally, killing them?
    When they leave, because they will, where are they going to go?

    • Rosie 10.1
      22 July 2016 at 12:17 pm

      I don’t know if they can leave. These manual outdoor workers live in appalling poverty. They could be left stuck, with no where to go.

      Meena Kandasamy’s book The Gypsy Goddess was about the Kilvenmani massacre in Tamil Nadu. It looked at the oppressive working conditions for rice field workers, the heat being part of it. The book covered a period ion the late 1960’s – India is only getting hotter. The fate of outdoor workers in hot and tropical climates now in into the future is surely dire.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meena_Kandasamy

  11. te reo putake 11
    22 July 2016 at 10:32 am

    Where getting a lot of first time callers on the RM post (mostly gloating righties, of course). This means that a lot of comments have to be manually released from the mod queue. Apologies to those who don’t see their comment instantly appear, but they will turn up eventually. And, remember, our service is still way better than your average Telco or power company.

  12. AmaKiwi 12
    22 July 2016 at 1:43 pm

    Media predicting the theme of Trump’s grand speech on Thursday will be law and order.

    The odds are 999 to 1 he won’t call for prosecuting police who murder unarmed Black men.

    • joe90 12.1
      22 July 2016 at 1:50 pm

      No doubt about it – he’ll toss a little raw meat to his people.

      .

      The Illinois Republican Party on Wednesday revoked credentials from one of its delegates to the Republican National Convention who made racially charged comments online and used the social media handle “whitepride,” The Chicago Tribune reported.

      Lori Gayne, a Trump delegate, posted on a photo of police officers to her Facebook on the opening day of the RNC, according to the report.

      “Our brave snipers just waiting for some “N—- to try something. Love them,” the caption read, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

      http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/lori-gayne-removed-rnc-delegate-white-pride

  13. joe90 13
    22 July 2016 at 1:51 pm

    Gone.

    Roger Ailes has resigned from his role as Fox News chairman, effective immediately. https://t.co/bYxJ4VjP7J pic.twitter.com/Il6SenZrBA— ABC News (@ABC) July 21, 2016

    • Rodel 13.1
      22 July 2016 at 9:33 pm

      Joe90. That’s good news about Roger Ailes. I heard he got $50million severance pay.
      Makes me wonder about the rest of the leggy Fox presenters still there..and the private lives of the Hannitys, O’reillys, and the rest of the fair, balanced and unafraids.

      Watched O’reilly on you-tube having a tantrum some time ago exhibiting violent insanity. Unafraid? yes! but fair and balanced he was not. About as loony as Donald.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvEFeV92h6A
      God bless America.

      But don’t worry nice balanced Rupert Murdoch has taken over Fox…Younger women will be safe with him..

  14. Morrissey 14
    22 July 2016 at 1:58 pm

    “America’s Finest” strike again:
    This time they’ve bagged a therapist and an autistic man.

    http://www.vox.com/2016/7/21/12244938/north-miami-police-shooting-charles-kinsey-video

  15. Morrissey 15
    22 July 2016 at 2:06 pm

    FORGET TRUMP: PETER THIEL IS SO DANGEROUS
    AND FASCINATING YOU HAVE TO WATCH HIM TONIGHT
    by Sam Biddle, The Intercept, 22 July 2016

    TONIGHT, PETER THIEL, an openly gay immigrant hailing from San Francisco, will address the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. His speech will close out the coronation of Donald Trump as the nominee claof his party, which three days earlier finalized a platform affirming the definition of marriage as “between one man and one woman.”

    Thiel may seem an unlikely warm-up act for a raving nativist like Trump. But the pair are actually an impeccable ideological tag-team. In fact, Thiel outmatches Trump both in the preposterousness of his capitalistic ambition and in the sheer pathology of his political inconsistency.

    Like Trump’s, Thiel’s speech will be one of the few in Cleveland (or Philly, for that matter) worth viewing in full, if only because the libertarian billionaire is, even more so than the man he’s opening for, a bizarre and fascinating man—his support for Trump is just one more strange item on a long list. And, unlike those who have taken the stage before him, Thiel isn’t a retired general, washed-up actor, incendiary evangelical, or reality show star, but a complicated member of the Silicon Valley elite.

    Many Americans found Thiel the same way they found Donald Trump: on a screen, presented as something between caricature and real-world business figure. In The Social Network, Hollywood’s 2010 rendition of the Facebook creation myth, Thiel’s character appears briefly to write Mark Zuckerberg a $500,000 check and suggest that he utterly betray his best friend and co-founder, Eduardo Saverin — a fictionalized version of one of the greatest moments of treachery in modern business history. …

    Read more….
    https://theintercept.com/2016/07/21/forget-trump-peter-thiel-is-so-dangerous-and-fascinating-you-have-to-watch-him-tonight/

  16. Rosie 16
    22 July 2016 at 2:13 pm

    A witty and sharp poem. “The first time she saw a ciabatta”. A reflection on brexit from a Scottish perspective.

    http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2016/07/14/the-first-time-she-saw-a-ciabatta/

  17. Morrissey 17
    22 July 2016 at 4:55 pm

    Two days ago, Jim Mora compared plagiarist Melania Trump to Johnny Cash.
    Now look who he compared her race-baiting, hate-spewing husband to this afternoon.
    The Panel, RNZ National, Friday 22 July 2016
    Jim Mora, Golnaz Bassam Tabar, Duane Major, Zara Potts

    “All right, we heard about the 180,000 illegal immigrants, but he also seemed to recast himself as the candidate of compassion. He was almost Gandhi-like….”

    —-Jim Mora, affecting his most deadly “serious” voice, 4:25 p.m.

    Again I ask: why is this dope still stinking up our airwaves?

    http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-20072016/#comment-1206328

    • Morrissey 17.1
      22 July 2016 at 5:08 pm

      There was worse to come: even more dismal than Mora’s vapidity was Golnaz Bassam Tabar’s wandery and ill-informed chat about ISIS, in which she compared the U.S.-U.K.-Turkish-supported terror group to Hamas and Hezbollah.

      There have been hundreds—make that thousands—of brain-dead NewstalkZB-calibre statements made on The Panel over the last eleven years, but Bassam Tabar’s foolish little fugue is right up, or down, there with the worst kind of ignorance spouted on this horrible show by the likes of Stephen Franks, Denise L’Estrange-Corbet, Barry Corbett or Michelle Boag.

  18. Kevin 18
    22 July 2016 at 5:23 pm

    Why Corbyn Terrifies the Guardian

    An interesting article that looks a little deeper than what the title says.

    http://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2016-07-22/why-corbyn-so-terrifies-the-guardian/

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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Trade relationship with China remains strong
    “China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.   Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
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    5 days ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
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    5 days ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
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    5 days ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
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    5 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
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    6 days ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
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    6 days ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
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    6 days ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
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    6 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
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    6 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
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    7 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
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    1 week ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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