Open mike 28/10/2015

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 28th, 2015 - 65 comments
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65 comments on “Open mike 28/10/2015 ”

  1. amirite 1

    Dirty Politics players are retaliating – Nicky Hager may face criminal charges over accepting the hacked material.
    This is sure to have a chilling effect among journalists and it’s an symptomatic of how New Zealand treats its investigative journalists – as criminals.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11535914

    • Tautoko Mangō Mata 1.1

      “INTERNATIONAL PRINCIPLES FOR WHISTLEBLOWER LEGISLATION”
      “The right of citizens to report wrongdoing is a natural extension of the
      right of freedom of expression, and is linked to the principles of
      transparency and integrity. All people have the inherent right to protect
      the well-being of other citizens and society at large, and in some cases
      they have the duty to report wrongdoing. The absence of effective
      protection can therefore pose a dilemma for whistleblowers: they are
      often expected to report corruption and other crimes, but doing so can
      expose them to retaliation.”
      file:///C:/Users/Di/Downloads/2013_WhistleblowerPrinciples_EN.pdf

      “A treason investigation into two journalists who reported that the German state planned to increase online surveillance has been suspended by the country’s prosecutor general following protests by leading voices across politics and media.”
      http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/germany-halts-treason-inquiry-journalists-surveillance-protests

      It is time for us to let the powers-that-be know that we will stand beside our principled whistleblowers. Those who attack whistleblowers are hiding either illegal or at the least shoddy, despicable, unethical and underhand actions which are in the public interest as they can influence the public’s political voting decisions.

      Has Slater been threatened with arrest?

      • Manuka AOR 1.1.1

        “It is time for us to let the powers-that-be know that we will stand beside our principled whistleblowers.”
        100%.

        • Manuka AOR 1.1.1.1

          One person in my family banks with Westpac. I am asking him to close that account.

          • ianmac 1.1.1.2.1

            Whistleblowers become criminals in the eyes of Government.
            Key often says that his Government is the most open/transparent ever. Really?
            If the contents of Nicky’s book becomes stolen property then they will be able to call for prison.
            The intent from Government/Police is at least to make Nick’s life and that of other journalists, miserable/stressful.

          • weston 1.1.1.2.2

            unwatchable unless you an american patriot bullshit consumer

            • The Chairman 1.1.1.2.2.1

              It’s unfortunate you perceive it that way. Most others comprehend its global relevance and importance.

              • weston

                theres some relevance i guess but in the light of more up to date stuff on the same topic it just seems lame and the whistleblowers featured i think would make snowden or assange or manning etc cringe with embarresment for them plus the stirring music in the background gives me the shits also

      • Anne 1.1.2

        How do we let them know as individuals? Who do we write to? My beef is the inordinate amount of time and energy the police are putting into the case and yet they have taken no cognisance of the wrong doing of the people Hager was writing about.

        Has Slater been threatened with arrest?

        We know he hasn’t. We know the police are dragging their heels on the complaints laid against him. We know they will do everything in their power to NOT have to prosecute him except for some tiddly little transgression that carries a fine of about $1000. I also suspect they are acting on behalf of the “Prime Ministers Office”.

        • Manuka AOR 1.1.2.1

          “and yet they have taken no cognisance of the conduct (both illegal and amoral) of the people Hager was writing about. “

          Exactly. And corruption, like rust, never sleeps. It needs to be cleaned out now, while this is still possible.

    • weka 1.2

      Ropata put this up in Daily Review last night. It’s a press release from Hager’s lawyer about the Westpac issue. Important reading regarding the privacy issues, the police refusing to hand over information via Privacy Act and OIA requests etc, and where Hager is at with it all.

      https://t.co/ymrbXmPDaL

      pic.twitter.com/dHVCdqAMTu

      It’s a PDF so I can’t cut and past but perhaps one of the authors might like to put it up as a Notices and Features post?

      • veutoviper 1.2.2

        This is the best version – http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=83096

        Tracey and I posted various links/comments on this yesterday afternoon on the “Angry with Westpac” post – see 10 and thereabouts.

        This morning Tracey has also posted some good responses to various comments throughout the discussion under that post on the Privacy Act provisions you may wish to check out.

        If you are game to see what ‘the other side’ are saying, a certain Dunedin-based blog has several posts on this subject, and WO has now broken his silence with a couple of posts this morning – and Spanish Bride is apparently releasing a post at 1.30pm. Sorry, I will not provide links to those blogs, but I check them from time to time via Donotlink to see what is going on there.

        From Twitter this morning, TVNZ (Katie Bradford) are also doing further follow-up on the Westpac situation and there is high interest/concern by journalists on the implications for them of the bank’s action; and the Supreme Court decision last week on the status of computer records etc as property.

        • veutoviper 1.2.2.1

          And for a little bit of humour (we all need a laugh) – Westpac’s new fleet of mobile offices

          https://twitter.com/SirWB/status/657700721584939009

        • Tracey 1.2.2.2

          taken them quite a few days to coordinate the “best” response. Perhaps Cameron is now engaged by Westpac, and once he starts his meme they will finally release something?

          • veutoviper 1.2.2.2.1

            I assume you mean WO re “‘taken them…”. I doubt that there is any connection between WO and Westpac.

            From my quick read, the posts did not mention Westpac per se. They relate to CS’ outrage at people being concerned at Hager’s privacy being breached when HE is the REAL victim of privacy breach by Rawshark, Hager, and all those journalists (a whole list of them named) and others who have written about the Rawshark releases, Dirty Politics book etc etc ., or rather had or have his property. [Obviously linking to the SC decision last week.]

            Oh the irony considering how many peoples’ privacy WO has breached over the years.

            Damn it – here is a quote from one of the posts

            Charge him, and every other person or group who had or still has my data.

            That means the NZ Herald, David Fisher, Matt Nippert, John Campbell, Mediaworks and Fairfax….there are a few others as well that I can think of who handled my property, including some bloggers and political party operatives who have admitted that they were involved in handling my property. The NZ Herald refused to give my data back, as did other media organisations. They might like to revisit that decision, and pretty quickly. One journalist in particular has been boasting all over town how he has enough of my property to write a story a week for years…he might want to consider returning my property. The journalists who ran Whaledump might like to think about that too.

            They are all at risk, and not just from criminal prosecution, but from civil action.

            The key here is those who worked with the hacker/s or closely with the team working with the hacker/s. They are now vulnerable.

            Journalists shouldn’t break the law to get a story. Perhaps they need a chilling and salient lesson in that regard.

            The early part of the post is a reprint of most of Fisher’s Herald post today – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11535914

            Him’ in the first sentence means Hager.

            Some interesting claims in the second para – eg “… some bloggers and political party operatives who have admitted …” and “The journalists who ran Whaledump …”.

            • Tracey 1.2.2.2.1.1

              I meant he will work for anyone 😉

              Poor poor Slater, always the victim. I guess that’s why he is the only person to get an apology from our PM?

              • Anne

                I’ve got news for W.O. If Hager is prosecuted for receiving stolen property then he can expect a police complaint to be laid against him for “receiving stolen property belonging to the Labour Party.” The fact that their computers turned out not to be as fully secure as they thought is neither here nor there.

                They still stole the property!

  2. Morrissey 2

    “Oh my God! Professor Christine Fair, what HAPPENED to you?”
    [angrily sobbing] “Those BASTARDS put me up against Glenn Greenwald.” (sniff).

    The greatest intellectual and moral mismatch since that stammering pseud Norman Mailer thought he’d take a shot at Gore Vidal….

    UpFront – Do drone strikes create more terrorists than they kill?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXXPWbFyhK0

    • ianmac 2.1

      What a pity that they don’t have a microphone switch off like the Speaker has in Question Time.
      Trying to imagine how say Rangiora would react should an Australian drone be used to take out a militant but also take out 75 other men women and children? The survivors might just be a bit miffed.

    • Once was Tim 2.2

      I almost felt embarrassed for her when watching it. (Almost, then I kicked myself)

    • Draco T Bastard 2.3

      Because “NUANCE”

  3. ianmac 3

    A relative asked me yesterday why was I so against the Key Government but I couldn’t think of a succinct list of damage done by them.
    Anyone help make a list suitable to persuade someone who is puzzled about anti Key sentiment in her locality?

    • One Anonymous Bloke 3.1

      Notional Standards.
      Charter Schools.
      Human rights.
      The rule of law.
      Child poverty.
      Infant morbidity.
      Inequality.
      Privatisation.
      Two tier healthcare.
      Lies about all of the above.
      Dirty Politics.

    • Red Blooded 3.2

      Billion dollar debt.
      Assets sold.

      • ianmac 3.2.1

        Thanks One and Red. I will adapt your ideas and have them ready at hand. I had suggested that this Government is creeping legislation a bit at a time so that we don’t notice the changes as much as we did with for example the Mother of All Budgets.
        Gentle Erosion is taking place rather than an avalanche.

        • tc 3.2.1.1

          Rejecting: healthy homes, feeding kids in schools, safer workplaces, engineering capability (Hillside closure), adequate health funding (25% under across the board now) etc

          Closing more Km’s of rail than occured under privatisation, Gisborne a good example of that ‘don’t give a F about rail’ atitude whilst RONS and holiday highways siphon money from elsewhere.

          Admitting they game the OIA etc etc

          • Gangnam Style 3.2.1.1.1

            See the guy who bought Hillside has to lay off workers because they have no work, & so it goes.

    • infused 3.3

      That just shows how much of a sheep you are.

    • To add to the above, my personal pet hates:

      1. Key’s government is increasing state control over universities and polytechs (by scrapping staff/student/community representatives and replacing them with government appointees).

      2. It’s butchering public-sector scientific research (via funding cuts, political appointees and restructuring).

      3. It’s undermining wage/salary-earners’ ability to maintain or improve their pay and conditions (via zero-hours contracts, trial periods and putting collective contracts at the whim of the employer).

  4. Chooky 4

    ‘We are deeply disturbed’: 343 British academics vow to boycott Israeli universities’

    https://www.rt.com/uk/319837-British-boycott-Israel-universities/

    “Over 300 scholars from UK institutions have signed a letter vowing to boycott Israeli universities, citing Tel Aviv’s “illegal occupation” of Palestinian land and “human rights violations.” The move has drawn criticism from Jewish organizations and diplomats.
    The letter, signed by 343 academics, appeared as a full-page ad in Tuesday’s Guardian newspaper.

    “As scholars associated with British universities, we are deeply disturbed by Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land, the intolerable human rights violations that it inflicts on all sections of the Palestinian people, and its apparent determination to resist any feasible settlement,” it reads…

  5. Chooky 5

    ‘EU Parliament rejects amendments protecting net neutrality’

    https://www.rt.com/news/319847-eu-parliament-net-neutrality/

    “European Parliament has voted for a package of EU internet traffic regulations, rejecting all amendments on net neutrality. The move was slammed by activists and companies alike, who say it will allow some to have faster internet access than others.

    Opponents also say the move will stifle growth, as not all network traffic will be treated equally. They believe the rules will create “fast lanes” for so-called “specialized services with quality requirements.” This would subsequently mean network owners would be able to offer zero rated services and offer net neutrality exceptions…

    …The founder of the worldwide web Sir Tim Berners-Lee was against the move. Speaking before the vote took place, he said: “If adopted as currently written, these rules will threaten innovation, free speech and privacy, and compromise Europe’s ability to lead in the digital economy.”

    A number of tech companies signed a letter against the proposals, including Kickstater, Vimeo, BirTorrent and Netflix.

    “These problems jeopardize the future of the startup innovation and economic growth in the EU. They also create barriers for US startups and businesses seeking to enter the EU market,” the letter read. “We believe that the future of the open Internet in Europe is at stake and urgent action is warranted.”

    • Kiwiri 5.1

      ‘Tis becoming increasingly obvious now, all over the world, that the so-called elected representatives no longer govern and legislate for the people, but against the people.

  6. Draco T Bastard 6

    Dita DeBoni: Privacy right is not a right when not ‘right’

    Again, you may think Nicky Hager deserved the treatment he’s had. You may not agree with him in general.

    But remember that whatever treatment’s been handed out to him can be handed out to anyone with the ‘wrong’ connections, the ‘wrong’ information, and the ‘wrong’ intentions.

    Privacy increasingly seems to be only your right if you are on the ‘right’ side.

    What we’re seeing in the Hager case is what we’d expect to see in a police state when the government acts to hide its actions.

    • ianmac 6.1

      In that video posted by The Chairman above, they point out that if “information” is leaked by politicians, and it is, then they regard that as OK.
      If the same sort of “information” is leaked by a whistleblower, then it is all bad and the full weight of the Government will set out to destroy you and your credibility. For example in NZ, Jon Stephenson and Nicky Hager.

      • alwyn 6.1.1

        It is hardly a new thing, is it, that politicians regard themselves as exempt from the rules that apply to mere mortals.
        After all, it was spelt out most succinctly by a former New Zealand Prime Minister who smeared a Police Commissioner.
        “By definition I cannot leak” she averred.
        http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/blogs/on-the-house/3470774/The-Governments-own-leaky-home-saga
        Every Government follows the same set of rules. To try and pretend that our current Government is somehow uniquely at fault is to fool yourself. Repeat 100 times. “They all do it, and it is never right just because you approve of the particular lot concerned”

  7. Tracey 7

    “Fifteen of the biggest players in the $14 trillion market for credit insurance are also the referees.

    Firms such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs wrote the rules, are the dominant buyers and sellers and, ultimately, help decide winners and losers.

    Has a country such as Argentina paid what it owes? Has a company like Caesars Entertainment Corp. kept up with its bills? When the question comes up, the 15 firms meet on a conference call to decide whether a default has triggered a payout of the bond insurance, called a credit-default swap. Investors use CDS to protect themselves from missed debt payments or profit from them.

    Once the 15 firms decide that a default has taken place, they effectively determine how much money will change hands.

    And now, seven years after the financial crisis first brought CDS to widespread attention, pressure is growing inside and outside what’s called the determinations committee to tackle conflicts of interest, according to interviews with three dozen people with direct knowledge of the panel’s functioning who asked that their names not be used.

    Scandals that exposed how bank traders rigged key interest rates and fixed currency values have given ammunition to those who say CDS may also be susceptible to collusion or, worse, outright manipulation.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11536192

  8. Tautoko Mangō Mata 8

    Joseph Stiglitz: “Under TPP, Polluters Could Sue U.S. for Setting Carbon Emissions Limits”
    “We know we’re going to need regulations to restrict the emissions of carbon,” Stiglitz said. “But under these provisions, corporations can sue the government, including the American government, by the way, so it’s all the governments in the TPP can be sued for the loss of profits as a result of the regulations that restrict their ability to emit carbon emissions that lead to global warming.”

    http://www.democracynow.org/2015/10/27/joseph_stiglitz_under_tpp_polluters_could

    • Manuka AOR 8.1

      Transcript excerpt: “In other words, the view is, they have the right to kill people, and if you want to take away that right, you have to pay them not to kill.” Joseph Stiglitz – Nobel Prize-winning economist and Columbia University professor.

    • The Chairman 8.2

      I recommend watching the rest of the interview.

      Stiglitz talks about his new book: Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy: An Agenda for Growth and Shared Prosperity.

      In doing so, he explains the neo-liberal change of the eighty’s, its flaws (hence the need to rewrite the rules) and how that flawed structure is being locked in by the TPP.

  9. Kiwiri 9

    Ex-PM Abbott, the suppository of knowledge, continues his anus horribilis by giving the second anal Margaret Thatcher Lecture:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/73441527/Tony-Abbott-urges-Europe-to-adopt-boat-turnbacks-in-response-to-refugee-crisis

    to edit typos.

  10. esoteric pineapples 10

    Good interview for anyone interested in what is happening in Guatemala – http://www.democracynow.org/2015/10/27/with_military_backing_tv_comedian_wins

  11. Penny Bright 11

    FYI – I’ve been granted speaking rights at the Auckland Council Governing Body meeting to be held tomorrow, Thursday 29 October 2015, at the Auckland Town Hall, 9.30am.

    Seems that some members of the Local Government and Environment Select Committee, agree that it would be helpful to have a cost-benefit analysis of the Auckland ‘Supercity’ amalgamation?

    “Your request for public input at the 29 October 2015 Governing Body meeting has been approved.

    You have been allocated five minutes in the public input section of the meeting, commencing at 9.30am, in the Reception Lounge, Auckland Town Hall, to speak regarding the need for a ‘cost-benefit’ analysis of the Auckland Council amalgamation, and the Local Government and Environment Select Committee Report on Petition 2014/0009 of Penelope Mary Bright and 43 Others.
    …..”
    ____________________________________________________

    The above-mentioned Local Government and Environment Select Committee Report on Petition 2014/0009 of Penelope Mary Bright and 43 Others :

    http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/sc/documents/reports/51DBSCH_SCR66460_1/petition-20140009-of-penelope-mary-bright-and-43-others

    “Recommendation

    The Local Government and Environment Committee has considered Petition 2014/9 of Penelope Mary Bright and 43 others and recommends that the House take note of its report.

    The petition requests

    That the House conduct an urgent inquiry into the alleged failure of the current Local Government Commissioners, to carry out the necessary ‘due diligence’ in order to comply with their statutory duties under the Local Government Act 2002, before formulating the ‘Draft Wellington Reorganisation Proposal’.

    …..

    Petitioner’s concerns

    In 2009 one regional and seven territorial authorities were amalgamated to create the Auckland “super city”.

    The petitioner told us she was opposed to the Auckland amalgamation from its inception, and questioned its reasoning.

    Because of her interest in local government reorganisation, the petitioner decided to become involved in the draft Wellington reorganisation proposal when it was released.

    The petitioner is critical that the commission released its draft Wellington proposal before it

     provided statistical data on Wellington’s nine local councils’ costs of services and regulatory functions, on which future costs could be measured

     acquired statistics illustrating the predicted efficiencies resulting from Auckland’s amalgamation.
    …….”

    Penny Bright

    2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate

    • Chooky 11.1

      +100 Penny…Auckland amalgamation of councils is a mess and open to corruption…not a model to be emulated in Wellington or anywhere else imo

  12. Chooky 12

    Round table discussion/debate on Syrian situation today:

    ‘Syrian turning point?’

    https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/319922-syria-civil-war-regime/

    “How has Russia’s stepped-up role in Syria changed the politics of the country’s civil war and the regime? Washington acknowledges Russia’s bombing campaign at the request of Damascus, but still does not accept it. Is this because Washington does not practice diplomacy anymore?

    CrossTalking with James Jatras, Sukant Chandan, and Mary Dejevsky.”

  13. Logie97 13

    Just an observation from afar.
    Has anyone else noticed the casual photo-ops that the PM likes to have.

    An heir apparent.
    Morning commercial radio hosts.
    Rugby player dressing rooms.

    Can he or does he identify/socialise with people his own age?

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    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
    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
  • 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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
    6 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
    5 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
    10 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
    12 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
    13 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    6 days ago
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    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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