Open mike 25/03/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 25th, 2023 - 60 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 …

60 comments on “Open mike 25/03/2023 ”

  1. Peter 1

    I see the Hosking Newstalk ZB duo is to go to London for the coronation.

    What a great opportunity. How about they be the New Zealand koha to the monarch to celebrate the occasion?

    • Stuart Munro 1.1

      Do it, England, For like the hectic in my blood he rages, And thou must cure me. Till I know 'tis done, Howe'er my haps, my joys were ne'er begun. Hamlet, Act IV, scene III

  2. Incognito 2

    I found the three R’s in National’s Education Policy. It wan’t that hard to find in the one-page policy document pamphlet comprising just 3 bullet points this time under the new National motto less is more that was checked personally by Luxon for errors because he knows the basics like no other:

    1. Repeal
    2. Repeel
    3. Repeal
    4. Repeat
    • roblogic 2.1

      Not forgetting the other R's of the Nats

      Rugby

      Racing

      beeR

      flog off assets to ouR mates

      loweR wages

      higheR Rent

      Run away to Hawaii with ill-gotten gains

  3. Anne 3

    Before leaving Australia, she told the Herald she had been contacted by police ahead of her arrival..”

    “The police are worried about my safety in your country,” she said.

    “They want to know where I am and make sure I’ve got contacts for them

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/posie-parker-tour-of-nz-anti-trans-activist-kellie-jay-keen-minshull-poised-for-rally/EOWRBWVHK5HY3KV4XJ7TECCE2E/

    Its not so much about your safety sweetie. Its about keeping an eye on you and your offensive blithering.

    Go LQBTQIA+. Give her a blast she will never forget.

    • weka 3.1

      Women have been assaulted and injured at Let Women Speak events Anne. By gender identity activists. So it is absolutely about KJK's safety.

      • Anne 3.1.1

        And for every woman who has been assaulted and injured by a transgender activist I would expect some half dozen transgender people have been assaulted and injured by anti-transgender activists.

        It is about the safety of both groups, not just Ms Pansy Parker as she would have us believe.

        • weka 3.1.1.1

          your expecting is something in your own head Anne. I've not seen any evidence that women speaking at LWS events have been violent towards TRAs. But your making shit up is noted.

          In the livestream I saw a man pull another man off the band rotunda, but it was already a very scary event by that stage and I expect people were reacting out of adrenaline. Police weren't there, reports of assaults of women are already coming in.

          • Phillip ure 3.1.1.1.1

            Sometimes it pays to look around and see who you are standing alongside..

            So the champion of those peddling homophobia under a cloak of feminism…is funded by the american evangelicals…is supported by nazis…

            Her fans claim to be surprised that right-wing politicians are alongside them..(.really…?..that displays breathtaking political naivete..)

            She is a big fan of tucker carlson ..(who is one of the foulest creatures drawing breath…who specializes in peddling lies and bigotry ..)

            And here in Auckland her supporters can stand alongside Brian tamaki..screaming abuse at trans people…

            I mean…w.t.f…!

            Lie with dogs and you get fleas..

            Meanwhile I am standing over here.. standing behind the likes of chloe swarbrick…kim hill..and carmel sepuloni…

            I know which group I prefer…

            • weka 3.1.1.1.1.1

              you seem confused about a few things Phil.

              1. who is peddling homophobia and how are they connected to KJK?
              2. which fans are you talking about? The right wing politicians supporting KJK isn't a secret.
              3. citation please for the claim that she is a 'big fan' of Tucker Carlson
              4. citation for "in Auckland her supporters can stand alongside Brian tamaki..screaming abuse at trans people…"
              5. was Kim Hill at the protest?

              I haven't modded in bold yet, but I expect answers to all those, backed up by evidence, before you comment on anything else again. You're in premod until that happens.

              The reason I am doing this is to support robust debate, rather than random reckons without back up and rumourmongering. You are of course still free to express your opinions

            • weka 3.1.1.1.1.2

              your response to my moderation comment is in Spam. You've been away and seem to not know how things work here. The onus is on you to provide evidence for claims of fact, and that means quotes of the relevant words and links (and timestamps if it's audio/video). I'm not doing your work for you. If you want to make claims of fact *you have to do the mahi. Reread the Policy.

              • Phillip ure

                I pointed you to all my sources…

                Why won't you let readers see that..?

                • weka

                  As I explained, it’s in Spam. You didn’t link and quote, which I also explained is the evidence required. Banned until Monday because I’m not wasting any more of my time on this. Up your game when you come back please.

            • roblogic 3.1.1.1.1.3

              I did hear a rumour that Tamaki's lot might show up (sorry no ref), but clearly that didn't happen.

              Instead, the reality was women being assaulted and abused in a public park, by a frenzied, insane mob. Stirred up by all the bullshit you just repeated.

              It is disappointing that KJK takes interviews with some dodgy groups, and is prone to swearing and rude remarks. She's a lightning rod attracting even worse behaviour from trans activists. She's divisive even amongst gender critical folks. Doesn't call herself a feminist. Hangs out with evangelicals but is an atheist.

              But KJK reveals truth to those who are willing to see.

              “Trans rights” are not really about supporting a marginalized population, but about undermining the rights of girls and women, and bullying people into accepting gender ideology

            • roblogic 3.1.1.1.1.4

              … because if the crowd at Albert Park today actually cared about "trans rights" they would be doing something supportive of transgender people, not yelling and screaming at women who want to speak about their own lives and experiences.

            • Anker 3.1.1.1.1.5

              You can stand with whoever you like Phillip, but shame on you for shutting down an event to let women speak

            • Molly 3.1.1.1.1.6

              Did you go there as you intended, phil?

          • Anne 3.1.1.1.2

            I was speaking in general terms weka. It is well known that transgender people have suffered a huge amount of intimidation and physical assaults over the years and it continues. I know from personal experience (not anything to do with this issue) how people who intimidate and hurt others for perceived offences operate… and they rarely get caught and brought to justice.

            I also know that women are far more likely to be bullied and harassed than men because I'm a woman who has experienced that in a particularly nasty and frightening way.

            But that is not the subject matter in this case. It is about irrational hatred towards a group of people who happen to be different. It seems to me that the issue of safety from transgender folk has been blown up out of all proportion to reality.

            • Anker 3.1.1.1.2.1

              I have researched the rates of homicide in NZ of transgender people.

              It is lower than males and females. Last one was in something like 2009 and it was in the context of a drug deal gone wrong.

            • Molly 3.1.1.1.2.2

              "It is well known that transgender people have suffered a huge amount of intimidation and physical assaults over the years and it continues."

              Well-"known" but not well evidenced. Self-selected surveys I have seen include under acts of violence and intimidation items such as: misgendering, and someone looking at me too long or suspiciously.

              "It is about irrational hatred towards a group of people who happen to be different. "

              Asking for the maintenance of single-sex provisions for women is not irrational hatred.

              Standing for the protection of sexual orientation is not irrational hatred.

              Demanding the removal of queer theory from education is not irrational hatred.

              Asking for evidence based care that does not harm is not irrational hatred.

        • Anker 3.1.1.2

          Where is your evidence Anne that women assaulted trans activists.

    • Anker 3.2

      Yes they did give Kelly a blast. I have just watched fortage of the crowd mobbing her and of course she was assaulted. Do you condon that Anne?

      A small middle aged women who just wanted to hold a rally to let women (mostly left wing lesbian femisnists) speak

      We now have mob rule in NZ.

      Why didn't the cowards go and try and pick a fight with Tamaki and his boys on bikes if they wanted a fight.

      • roblogic 3.2.1

        After assaulting KJK and a few unprotected middle aged women, the brave TRAs went down to Queen St to try and disrupt the Destiny Church march and provoke a scene. Tamaki's march was a model of restraint in the face of some awful abusive behaviour.

        Looks like there was a race element here as well, an entitled bunch of privileged white university brats trying to bully a peaceful march of (mostly brown) adults from South Auckland.

  4. Phillip ure 4

    Whatever happened to frogblog…?

    • roblogic 4.1

      Got renamed to "Green Party blog", then forgotten about. Last post on the wayback machine is from 2018. Someone killed it in Feb/March 2019 as the later site snapshots are just a 404 page.

  5. Incognito 5

    Wayne Brown has been channelling his inner Trump: he fucks with facts and goes for full effect. However, Brown apologists maintain that these are the characteristics – calling them qualities would be a stretch – needed for leadership in Auckland City. Given they knew what Brown’s like, calling them apologists is a euphemism; the deliberate disruption & destruction of local government was carefully planned if not signalled and the dog-whistle worked a treat.

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/auckland-pulls-a-brexit-on-the-mayors-casting-vote

  6. Anker 6

    Just wondering does anyone know what’s happened to Sabine, Swordfish and Pukish Rogue?

    miss their commentary

  7. pat 8

    I think we may have something of a problem co ordinating and co operating to change society to rapidly reduce our carbon/methane emissions.

  8. Anker 9

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300839091/antitrans-activist-posie-parker-escorted-out-of-auckland-rally-set-to-announce-whether-tour-will-continue

    Wellington mayor Tory Whanau said Parker would likely receive the same response in Wellington should she speak in the capital on Sunday, and encouraged Wellingtonians to turn up at the counter-protest.

    Is Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau inciting violence?

    • Shanreagh 9.1

      She's parroting Green Party dogma.

      I voted for in the vain hope that she would leave all this political posturing aside and get on with work that Wellingtonians want done, you know water, buildings, aprks, rubbish collection, recycling…… But no such luck and now I'm beating myself around the head about being so stoopid.

      I'll be more careful next time.

  9. Belladonna 10

    So, this popped up in my inbox today – and blew me away.

    Not content with transforming KiwiSaver, Simplicity is now planning to out-build Kāinga Ora. Duncan Greive meets a pair of of unlikely revolutionaries trying to fix housing – a task which seems impossible, even for the state itself.

    https://thespinoff.co.nz/business/25-03-2023/inside-the-radical-plan-to-build-the-new-state-house-and-change-renting-forever

    The aim is to deliberately build long-term rentals, owned by Simplicity (the Kiwi saver fund company) – in order to derail many of the issues associated with renting. [There seems to be a sale side too – and I didn't get a clear picture of how these work together]

    So far, it seems to only be in Auckland – though if they can get a big enough handle on the issue here – it will be a game changer, and able to be rolled out to other cities.

    This article is mostly focused on the build side of things (and the way that having a consistent and coherent plan can reduce a lot of the building costs). It remains to be seen if they can convert Kiwis to long-term renting.

    One area not covered, was the actual cost of the rent (below-market is a pretty loose description)

    “Where almost all other large-scale home-builders develop to sell to the private market, Simplicity Living is building to own forever, and to rent out at below-market rates. The scale the pair has planned is vast: the manifesto talks of 10,000 to 15,000 homes over the next decade or so, but Stubbs believes the real ceiling might be far higher.

    “The really big, hairy dream is to have one in 10 New Zealanders living in these things,” he says. That means a minimum of 200,000 houses – around three times the current number of state houses. That’s not an inapt comparison for Stubbs. “We think of it as the new state house,” he says. What that means is, if successful, Simplicity won’t just augment the government’s role in housing – it will far surpass it.”

    It will be fascinating to do a comparison in a couple of years to see what the comparable turnover is.

    I'm not convinced that removing shared amenities (they reference swimming pools and gyms), in order to save money, is necessarily the way to go. It adds an extra cost onto the local government in order to provide what used to be backyard or garage amenities. But, that's a minor quibble.

    Really interesting partnership. And has me cheering them along.

    • RedLogix 10.1

      The vision outlined in that excellent article is something similar when we started out in 2001 and built to rent a number of units. We quickly ran into some harsh realities and fast hit the financial limit of what we could do. The key sentence that leapt out at me is:

      Simplicity is basically what would happen if The Opportunities Party were a business, and TOP mostly polls at the margin of error. To succeed at the scale they are dreaming of, they will be greatly helped by governmental goodwill, but their whole posture – let alone the lobbying of rivals – makes that far from a given.

      Build to rent is a bloody good idea, but it depends on a stable financial and political environment to make it work – and we just have not had that.

      I have 7000sqm of flat land, within 300m of a metro train station, that is essentially free. It could readily support 8 or so high quality residential or light commercial units. We have been siting on it for 20 years now – but every time I run the numbers it just does not stack up. A combination of stupid planning, permitting, insane permitting and building costs, interest rates all over the shop and a highly uncertain regulatory environment just stops us every time. TBH I have kind of given the dream away and short of just selling it on, I have no sense of what I want to do now.

      The Brealy's are clearly operating at a much greater scale than us, and have a far deeper industry skillset and clout – yet everything he speaks to, we have encountered ourselves. I have a close friend who has done something similar with a large block of land in West Auckland – and he can tell all manner of horror stories.

      There are so many aspects to this challenge that anyone who proposes simple silver bullet solutions is a fool. But one aspect that we have yet to understand how to intensify its towns and cities, without turning them into anti-human, soulless ghettos. In this Alexander's A Pattern Language remains the archetype criminally neglected by the planning and building professions.

      Still you have to wish Brealy well – and I will follow his progress with interest.

      • Belladonna 10.1.1

        I laughed my head off when the KO head was quoted as claiming that they were "efficient and systems-driven". I have a friend working for them, and he tells me that the KO cost over-runs are legendary.

        • RedLogix 10.1.1.1

          Yeah we have our own modest wee Housing NZ story as well. Promise you one thing, fail dismally to deliver.

          The one key factor that Simplicity Living has going in it's favour for the moment, is that while interest is not a tax deductible expense for all existing rental investors, it is for anyone building new. That gives them an edge I am sure they will be running with.

          But again I am not sure I would bank on this long-term.

  10. Belladonna 11

    I really don't know what to think about this…..

    Most feedback on the highly controversial Auckland Budget has been from those who are Pakeha and over 45.

    https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/23-03-2023/youll-never-guess-which-groups-are-over-represented-in-auckland-budget-feedback

    [NB: article from a couple of days ago, so late-arriving submissions may have changed this – but I doubt it]

    This is the budget which is proposing swingeing cuts across just about every community service that we use on a daily basis.

    Is this just a reflection of the standard political engagement profile? Those are the people who vote.

    Is it a statement of belief that politicians don't listen to communities in any case? I'd agree with this in general, but this area has a lot of diverse opinions around the council table – it's one time that submissions (lots of them) could really make a difference.

    Is it that the methodology of submission (e-questionaire) is offputting? Can't argue with that – I hate them, myself. And, it's likely to disproportionately exclude the elderly (who are otherwise great submitters to Council) – and lower-income residents without stable internet (these surveys are even worse on a mobile phone) [cf the similar exclusion of people evident from the latest Census]

    Or, are we (as a city) just so hopeless that we can influence the outcomes of our local government (even when it directly affects us) that we've just given up?

    This level of response is not giving those who oppose the cuts a whole lot of ammunition.

    • Liberty Belle 11.1

      There has been a huge push to engage people in this process, particularly across social media. The submission forms are available on-line, in multiple languages, and if you don't want to write a submission, you can complete an on-line questionnaire that acts as a submission builder. A number of lobby/political groups have issued submission guides, including the Greens.

      "Is it a statement of belief that politicians don't listen to communities in any case? "

      Possibly, that has certainly been a problem in Auckland for some time.

  11. RedLogix 12

    Can we do this too please?

    Across eastern Europe, the addresses of Russian embassies are being changed as a form of protest against the war in Ukraine. In the Latvian capital, Riga, the section of Antonijas Street where the Russian embassy is located is set to be renamed Ukrainian Independence Street. And in Vilnius, Lithuania, the previously unnamed road on which the embassy sits (the address for which used to refer to the nearest main street) has now become Ukrainos Didvyrių g.: Ukrainian Heroes Street.

    Trolling as govt policy devil

    • adam 12.1

      Lets not. People have lost their collective minds over this shitty war.

      What next, saying depleted Uranium shells are harmless? Which now seems to be the propaganda the western media is pushing.

      Tell that to my Kurdish friends in Iraq, and they will spit in your face.

      • RedLogix 12.1.1

        IEAA article on DU

        Another on the Lancet. (Dated 2002)

        Exposures to uranium are not new, or uncommon. Many thousands of workers have been exposed to various uranium compounds over many years through processing of uranium from its ore to production of fuel elements. The health of such workers has been investigated, many of whom received higher intakes than do most soldiers on a battlefield. No clear evidence for any excess of cancers or kidney disease has been seen in these workers and their overall mortality is less than that in the general population because of a “healthyworker effect”. Despite the limitations of these studies, the absence of observed effects in uranium workers makes it unlikely that the risks of cancer or kidney disease from depleted uranium have been greatly underestimated.

        Reports on the health hazards of depleted uranium munitions have concluded that exposures to depleted uranium likely to occur on the battlefield will probably not lead to any measureable excesses of cancers. However, risk assessments have had to estimate intakes of depleted uranium in the battlefield using poor data for the concentrations and properties of depleted uranium oxides in aerosols released during test firings, and using modelling procedures to predict the resulting concentrations of depleted uranium in tissues and organs, and the radiological and toxicological risks. The problem comes in trying to decide whether there are long-term effects. Without satisfactory data, and until there are better estimates of the actual intakes of depleted uranium on the battlefield, it may be prudent to remain open-minded.

        Yes DU is an undesirable substance to be flinging about, but nor is there firm evidence of it being as hazardous as some people would like you to think it is. I agree it would be a much better world if the uranium was put to better use in breeder reactors to produce energy. Maybe you could get in touch with your good mate Poots and ask him to arrange something.

        • adam 12.1.1.1

          Your just showing you have lost your fucking mind. As you went and defend using depleted uranium rounds.

          Any side using depleted uranium is engaging in war crimes. Because as Iraq so clearly showed, it was after the fact, when people live in the areas of the spent rounds – the real problems happen.

          Fuck putin and his gaggle of oligarchs. But me saying that means nothing to you, because you want a cheap shot. And can't get your head around the fact their are truly fucked up actions in war which should be considered war crimes. Like invading another country, and using depleted Uranium rounds.

          • RedLogix 12.1.1.1.1

            OK so I have done a quick scan of your referenced report and the summary on page 11 states:

            In this report, it is concluded that the radiation doses from DU do not pose a radiological hazard to the population at the four studied locations in southern Iraq. The estimated annual committed effective radiation doses that could arise from exposure to DU residues are low, always less than 100 µSv/a and only to a few, if any, individuals, and therefore of little radiological concern. The estimated radiation doses are less than those received on average by individuals from natural sources of radiation in the environment

            I could quote more of it, but it seems to continue in much the same vein.

            DU is potentially something of a chemically toxic substance, and if a sufficiently large dose is consumed it can be harmful to the kidneys. But then again there are a bazillion substances that are chemically toxic one way or another, many found on the battlefield environment.

            All three reports we have quoted between us so far on this thread agree that from a radiological aspect DU is a very modest radiological hazard. The reason is not hard to understand; DU is an alpha emitter; relatively large and heavy particles that have very little penetrating power. Typically stopped by the layer of dead skin or a plastic bag, all alpha emitters have to be ingested and become absorbed within a cell before they can possibly cause DNA replication damage. In addition uranium is a very large atom and is not easily absorbed through the cell wall, and the vast majority of it ingested or inhaled is excreted through the faeces within a day or two. The small faction that makes it's way into the bones is the site of potential concern.

            However U-238 (the isotope consisting of 99.3% of DU) has a very long half-life, which means the rate of atoms disintegrating is very low. So low that the normal cellular and immune system mechanisms that ordinarily repair DNA damage can easily keep up. In other words the rate of the dose is well below the threshold where it might create a detectable excess hazard.

            As I said above, I would much sooner they did not waste perfectly good uranium on munitions, but honestly I am not seeing the war crime here.

            As for the cheap shot – hell I was being restrained for someone who is out of their fucking mind.

            • adam 12.1.1.1.1.1

              They Ammunition's are never cleaned up, they linger for years and whilst it may only effect small percentage of the population. Your argument, not mine.

              What it does do to the people it does effect, is to fuck their lives completely. Now that is going to happen year on year, for how ever long it takes for this compound that has been introduced into the environment via war.

              I'm not arguing nuclear contamination, I'm arguing the fact this is a long term toxin introduced into the environment for no good reason. There I think we agree.

              I get the cancer rates in Iraq have settled down, but their have been flare ups recently in Southern Iraq,This after the whole toxicity of war had settled down somewhat. The north of Iraq has normal cancer and deformity rates.

              I think poisoning the environment in war, is a war crime. I also think Russian heads should be on the chopping block/hangman's noose for the use of Cluster munitions and fléchettes (evil little fuckers) as they also in the end – target civilians and stay in the environment for a bloody long time.

              • RedLogix

                We absolutely agree on the horror of war – there have been moments I have sat behind my computer screen this past year in a state of despair at what we can all see if you choose to go looking for it.

                You might find some food for thought here:

                Wars are obsolete means of conflict resolution, and they are a blemish on our progress and civilisation as human beings.

                They have got to be criminalised and eliminated, and humans, as individuals in societies, should resort to civil means of resolving issues, such as those mentioned above, as well as resorting to courts as the ultimate option.

                Neither wars nor politicians should be left to determine the way we conduct ourselves and the course of life on our planet.

        • Scud 12.1.1.2

          There is really no need to deploy DU A/T Rd's into Ukraine as the Russians haven't to my knowledge deployed any of it MBT's with DU Armour & thence the need for DU Rounds as the standard Tungsten Sabot Rd had trouble penetrating DU Armour.

          The concern with DU Rounds actually comes being use as Artillery Rds for the 155mm Artillery Guns & anyone who understands the dark arts of Gunnery be it from MG's in Sustain Fire Support Role to the Big stuff. When you start chucking around Lead, HE, Smoke/ WP for Target Indication it can get very messy & now throw DU Artillery Rds!

          You are just asking for Bloody Trouble now & no wonder there is DU shrapnel spread around like a dog's breakfast causing all sorts of issues.

          • RedLogix 12.1.1.2.1

            I'm no fan of DU munitions unless used against highly hardened targets that uniquely justifies their use.

            I understand and accept that DU will be controversial when used in munitions – but all the analysis I have read suggests there are plenty of other things that are routinely used on the battlefield, both during and long after (mines for example) – that are of equal if not greater concern.

            And on a brighter note:

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJhklT4ST9M

  12. Drowsy M. Kram 13

    Do we rational, social animals devote too much time and effort going for the jugular?

    How to Encourage More Climate-Friendly Habits, According to Science
    [24 March 2023]
    As it turns out, when it comes to taking action to stop climate change, the best way of changing people’s behavior is what the researchers termed “social comparisons,” which resulted in an average 14% change in people’s behavior. Basically, when people see that other people have taken a specific action, they’re likely to copy it.

    And while it doesn’t do much to simply know that a certain product is more eco-friendly, if people see others buying that product instead of the dirty one, they’re much more likely to choose it themselves. “After all,” Bergquist says, “we are a highly social animal.

  13. joe90 14

    The largest air force in Europe. Poots will be delighted.

    https://twitter.com/nukestrat/status/1638991916250329088

    • Anne 14.1

      A Nordic Airforce. Smart move indeed. But then the Nordic countries have a reputation for sanity and smartness. NZ should align themselves to them despite the geographical distance. We have much in common with them.

      • adam 14.1.1

        You get the Russians are paranoid as fuck at the best of times. So how is this a good idea?

        In my opinion, its more of the deluded dick waving by all the world leaders, who fail us at every turn.

  14. Joe90 15

    Of course Russia would never use the depleted uranium munitions manufactured to be used in the T-80BV tanks ugraded to be able to fire depleted uranium munitions.

    Russia has a significant number of different DU-rounds in its arsenals. There are reports of mass production of the improved Svinets-1 and Svintes-2 depleted uranium ammunition, for which the T-80BVM tanks were modernized during the last years. It seems that Russia didn’t abandon its DU programme, but on the contrary – it has increased production volumes and is actively modernizing outdated tanks to make them capable of firing DU ammunition. Even though there are no reliable reports yet, considering the DU-capable tanks being used in the invasion, ICBUW fears use of DU in Ukraine.

    https://www.icbuw.eu/depleted-uranium-weapons-state-of-affairs-2022/

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    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    10 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    10 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    12 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    13 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    15 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    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 ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 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
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 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
    11 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
    11 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
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
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