Open mike 29/05/2021

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 29th, 2021 - 73 comments
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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 …

73 comments on “Open mike 29/05/2021 ”

  1. Muttonbird 1

    ACT caught spreading fake news again. What is it about the alt-right and their murky relationship with the truth?

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/05/act-s-we-ll-tax-you-harder-ad-featuring-jacinda-ardern-removed-after-complaint-it-was-misleading.html

    Arnold Rimmer's big marketing drive will come to nought if he keeps lying like this.

    • Jenny How to get there 1.1

      If you inhabiit an alternative universe it’s easy to find 'alternative facts'.

      Kellyanne Conway’s illogical defenses of Trump will live on in the GOP – The Washington Post

    • Sabine 1.2

      Well if you read the article all the way to the bottom, you will find that between Labour, National and ACT they all seem to have issues in their advertising. They all seem to advertise about 90 % the truth and 10 % a misconception about the truth, and they all seem to pull their ads? Maybe its a thing ALL political parties do? But i agree with the complainant, a. J.A did not say the words as in the ad, and it should probably be Grant in that picture as i assume him to make the decision about the taxes and J.A is the 'communicator' of the team.

      But can you imagine the ads National / Act will run in 2023 when they will simply state that they will axe both the 39% taxrate on 2% of the public (500 million the poor dears) and re-instate the write of of interest for property holder.

      • Nic the NZer 1.2.1

        The ASA rejected the complaints against both National and Labour party adds.

        • Sabine 1.2.1.1

          and yet, people took offense. 🙂

          So yeah, all of these parties will go as far as the public and watchdogs are letting them go.

          • ghostwhowalksnz 1.2.1.1.1

            ACTs falsehood is that the very high income earners ' are hard working'

            Tell that to the people on low wages while those driving high priced cars under tax free notational purchases wizz by.

        • alwyn 1.2.1.2

          The ASA never ruled against ACT. ACT decided to remove the ad and the ASA then never got round to considering it.

          ACT by then had got all the publicity for they wanted. Indeed they got far more than if no complaint had ever been raised.

          • Muttonbird 1.2.1.2.1

            The ASA gave ACT the opportunity to correct but they backed down obviously knowing they’d got it wrong.

            It was horrible to see ACT use images of children in their lie. They are a party of low morals and just don't seem to get what decent people want.

            Rimmer must be very confident of securing the remainder of the disgruntled and paranoid racists from the National Party, but he won't swing any middle voters at all.

            Good luck to him.

          • Gabby 1.2.1.2.2

            Do they really need publicity that paints them as devious lying little shits though?

            • alwyn 1.2.1.2.2.1

              I have heard people comment that that approach has worked marvelously for the current Government when they talk about how well their Covid 19 policies are working.

              I really couldn't comment on the matter though.

              • Gabby

                I have heard people say some pretty bonehead stuff too.

              • Muttonbird

                I'll comment on the matter. New Zealand's Covid response is the envy of the entire world. Our unemployment rate is low and our growth forecast is high compared to other OECD countries. We are once again at the top of the Covid resilience rankings.

                The government's Covid-19 policies are working very well and I'm not sure what metric anyone would be using to say otherwise.

                The fact that it hurts some people is a real worry though.

                • gsays

                  One of the biggest threats to our enviable position is complacency.

                  No need to scan in because *insert weak excuse*, or 'my privacy, I will not leave name and address'.

                  Arrogance will get us.

    • Anne 1.3

      "What is it about the alt-right and their murky relationship with the truth?"

      Many, many years ago when I was young my Dad told me to be wary of Tories (he was English and regarded all right wing parties as Tories) because they're nasty. He reckoned you could never trust them to tell the truth.

      So, it gets passed down the line from parents to children. They think it is normal behaviour and they presume everybody else does it too. Maybe some do, but most don’t.

      It is why they come up with all the silly theories about Jacinda Ardern because they can't accept she's straight and honest and actually means what she says.

      • Westykev 1.3.1

        FFS

        "It is why they come up with all the silly theories about Jacinda Ardern because they can't accept she's straight and honest and actually means what she says"

        Jacinda is a politician, all politicians lie, the first lie she told as leader was in the Christchurch leaders debate in 2017 when she said she would not lie"

  2. gsays 2

    Whenever the issue of advertising and the dodgy morality surrounding it comes up, I can't help but hear D Boon hollering the first lines of this song.

    Only 1 1/2 mins of pallatable American punk, The Minutemen:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iC2BoZALEE

  3. FAB mouse 3

    Tax Payers Union showing their class again, backing a Ratepayers Alliance with some rude members. Various right wingers criticising the behaviour but avoiding the R word.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/05/tauranga-crowd-jeers-at-speaker-addressing-them-in-te-reo-m-ori.html

    Simon and Peter could have done better to call it what it was.

    • Morrissey 3.1

      Very similar to the "Christian" women who yelled "Speak English!" during the karakia at the United Women's Conventions organized by the new Labour government in 1984. Hilariously, many (perhaps most) of those extremists who could not handle a few words in Te Reo Māori were practitioners of "speaking in tongues."

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsrwgd7rnR0

      • greywarshark 3.1.1

        OK Morrissey – those speaking in 'tongues', do you know that or are you just throwing that in as a possibility.

        I am concerned at the power that religions like the Exclusive Brethren and other religio-business models may have over this uncontrolled business and profit- oriented economy. Are you keeping an eye and ear open for that thing?

        • Morrissey 3.1.1.1

          OK Morrissey – those speaking in 'tongues', do you know that or are you just throwing that in as a possibility.

          It was the great Fran Wilde who made that comment after those foolish and linguistically challenged "Christian" women made their protest.

          • greywarshark 3.1.1.1.1

            Thanks hadn't seen that.

            • greywarshark 3.1.1.1.1.1

              But what say you to the other point, Are your eagle eyes surveying the role that the ir-religious play or would like to, in gummint?

              • Morrissey

                People of strong religious views are in the Labour government, just as they were in the National government. It's hard to quantify just how much influence they have.

                It’s when the religious-political nexus is brazen that I start to worry. Thankfully we have no Billy T.K. or Colin Craig in parliament right now, but we’ve had a number of right wing so-called “Christians” there in the past—people like this thoroughly nasty piece of work…

                https://assets.thespinoff.co.nz/1/2019/07/alexb.jpg

                I was appalled to hear John Tamihere a few years ago boasting of how he made a point of attending a Washington “prayer breakfast” along with a host of right wing Democratic and (predominantly) Republican “lawmakers”.

  4. Morrissey 4

    "The clowns at MSNBC didn't have a clue."

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlHp6eAflGc

  5. greywarshark 5

    I had the idea that under neolib people's wishes were supposed to have more weight than previously under More government. Why shouldn't people, having agreed and made a case for it, be able to amalgamate with another local authority as here.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/443601/horowhenua-towns-bid-for-boundary-move-to-palmerston-north-fails
    The Horowhenua towns of Ōpiki and Tokomaru have been denied their requests to ditch the district and become affiliated with Palmerston North City.

    Residents of the two towns requested a boundary alteration in October 2018, saying they felt neglected by Horowhenua District Council.
    Residents felt more connected to Palmertston North, where they work, shop and go to school.

    While the Local Government Commission acknowledged residents' strong ties to Palmerston North, it ruled the move would not provide benefits on the scale required to make a change.

    It sounds very parental to me – no dear you can't have that seemingly sensible thing you want because it doesn't meet my cost efficiency code.

    • Gabby 5.1

      Nekminit, little towns everywhere are linking up with local cities and demanding the district councils they've abandoned do something about the shocking roads they commute on and holiday along. Spiffing.

      • greywarshark 5.1.1

        Sounds good. You never get anywhere these days by going along with yesterday's methods – now you go straight to the best offer. That's how things get done these days or you just sit there like a good little whatever and be sidelined.

  6. georgecom 6

    A short but good article on Stuff today from Mike Joy about the limits of growth, or limits of green growth to give it current terminology. Essentially he comments on the EROI – energy return on investment of 'green' energy sources. What he says is not new and a number of contributors and readers on this blog know it well already. Australian permaculturalist have been expressing ideas of a necessary energy decline for 2 or 3 decades. It is quite rare however to see that discussion make it's way into main stream media.

    • Pat 6.1

      Good to see the fundamentals being more widely expressed but the logical conclusion remains unsaid

  7. Anker 7

    https://rdln.wordpress.com/2021/05/28/free-speech-union-condemns-ban-of-feminist-group/

    so we have a significant piece of legislation coming up that will allow anyone to gender self I D. In a vote compass poll just before last election, the majority of voters did not support it. There was a large number of undecideds, 20%, that suggests there is a need for more information on the pros and cons. A feminist group, Speak up for Women, wanted to hold a public meeting to put their side of the debate. Christchurch, now Dunedin library have cancelled their bookings. This is a serious breech of people being able to exercise their democratic rights. The group is concerned with the interests of women and girls.

    I know there are mixed views on this blog about gender, but at least we have the debate.

  8. Muttonbird 8

    Good piece by Thomas Manch. It's about the tension between NZ and AUS over long standing issues like rights for Kiwis and defence spending, but mainly explores the differences in approach to China.

    ANALYSIS: The second-class treatment of New Zealanders in Australia remains a “pebble in the shoe”. The insistence on deporting criminals continues to corrode. And China’s rise remains the major conundrum for the New Zealand-Australia relationship.

    On defence:

    (Dr Anna Powles​, a senior lecturer in security studies at Massey University) said Canberra’s distrust about New Zealand’s commitment to defence and security goes back to the split of the ANZUS alliance in the 1980s, and the current rift over China had been brewing for a few years.

    “New Zealand’s low defence spending has long been a source of frustration across the Tasman. This has frustrated officials on both sides.”

    Our defence spending is reflective of our geographical position. Our location is our competitive advantage with regard to defence; military/political aggression, and pandemic alike. It is also to our detriment; high export/import costs and remoteness from key markets, so it is natural to want to use our advantage and not have to redundantly spend on defence according to the desires of an increasingly paranoid and belligerent nation like Australia.

    (Victoria University professor David Capie​) said Dutton’s appointment to the defence portfolio in Australia would be challenging for New Zealand.

    Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton stands in parliament, alongside Prime Minister Scott Morrison, sitting on the left.

    "It's extremely likely that he's going to take a sharper line on Australia's defence in the region. And I think that's going to highlight some differences with New Zealand.

    And,

    Australian National University professor Dr Brendan Taylor​ said Australia had become progressively more hawkish, or aggressive in its foreign affairs, since as far back as the Kevin Rudd Government in 2009.

    However, a turning point occurred early in 2020. Taylor said there was now a “much stronger emphasis on values … seeing the world in terms of democracy versus authoritarian regimes”.

    “That's probably why you're noticing a real drift away from the New Zealand position … Australia has really shifted and is continuing to shift.”

    This was partly due to the “key personalities” within the Morrison Government who hold strong ideological views, he said. The pragmatic, interests-based approach to foreign policy was giving way to these views.

    Identity politics, anyone? These two strategic analysts clearly point to fundamentalist, ideological personalities within AUS politics sculpting that country's aggressive overtures. I happen to think Peter Dutton is one of the most evil men in he world and is largely responsible for the deterioration in the NZ-AUS relationship. What damage is he yet to do to our region?

    Taylor said New Zealand officials understood their Australian counterparts much better than the other way around. There was not a lot of expertise about New Zealand within universities and think tanks across the Tasman.

    "My sense is the Australian Government has been struggling to understand the New Zealand Government's approach.”

    New Zealand’s approach to China resembled that of some South East Asian nations, he said – Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta’s speech to the New Zealand China Council last month was comparable to speeches given by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong​.

    "The Australian Government could probably learn a bit from looking at speeches like that.”

    This is interesting. Although it is felt “Wellington has long had to show it’s relevant and reliable to Canberra", it is apparent Canberra has little regard for Wellington and have a very poor understanding of New Zealand. This is reflected in the way they treat their closest neighbour and friend.

    But the persisting issues – such as the deportations of criminals to New Zealand – could limit how willing New Zealand would be to co-operate on Pacific issues that arise, at a time when China was seeking to expand its influence.

    Indeed. Conservative Australia cannot have it both ways.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/125010133/can-the-rift-be-healed-beneath-the-tension-in-the-new-zealandaustralia-relationship

  9. Noel 9

    "The second-class treatment of New Zealanders in Australia remains a “pebble in the shoe”

    I regularly raise the erosion of the Special Category Visa whenever I am in communication with people I know Australia. Overwhelmingly they just don't want to discuss it. Plenty of ostriches in Australia

    • alwyn 9.1

      Why should they want to discuss it? They think it is a great idea and think their Government is right to kick out what they see as ratbags.

      Try discussing with New Zealanders the deportation of Pasifika people from New Zealand. We are doing just the same thing to them that Australia is doing to New Zealand people over the ditch.

      This story is from a couple of years ago but I doubt that things have changed much since it was written in 2019. Just a few quotes.

      "A police spokesperson said 1664 people were deported to New Zealand from Australia between January 1, 2015 and February 22, 2019."

      "Meanwhile, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) figures show in the past five years 1040 people have been deported to the Pacific from New Zealand." That would seem to be the 5 years up to March 2019, given the date of the story.

      "Newsroom was unable to verify anecdotal reports of people being deported after being in New Zealand since childhood, but was told in one case a man deported to Tiuvalu in 2017 after release from prison had been in New Zealand since he was two years old.".

      Now tell me. Are you protesting about the actions of our Government? If not why not, given that you seem to think that Australia is wrong when they do the same thing?
      https://www.newsroom.co.nz/is-nzs-deportation-stance-hypocritical

      • Incognito 9.1.1

        #whatabout and #theydidittoo

        Now tell me, is this the best you can do? I know some here cannot, but surely you can argue better than this level of boys in a schoolyard …

        • alwyn 9.1.1.1

          My comments aren't merely along the lines of "They did it too"

          For what it is worth I'll give you my own views. They are based on having lived there for 7 years and, in the quarter century since then, having visited Australia typically twice a year. That unfortunately stopped at the beginning of last year and I haven't been over there since October 2019 but I don't think the situation has changed.

          I think the following situation applies. No Australian Government really cares very much about New Zealand and no Government is going to change this deportation system. It doesn't matter whether it is a Coalition or a Labour Government.

          The reason they won't change is because the Australian public are overwhelmingly in favour of it. Their attitude is that they don't see why they should have to allow people with even fairly minor criminal records staying there when they can be deported.

          Trying to debate with them, as Noel wants to do, is completely pointless. They simply aren't going to change their views. Having our Government trying to persuade their Government to alter the policy is equally pointless in terms of getting any change. I think the New Zealand Government knows that but they think it may get them a few more New Zealand votes. This they are interested in doing. Admitting they are powerless and that Australia doesn't care? Not likely!

          Therefore if you think that people shouldn't be deported to somewhere that they are strangers to, it is totally pointless to try and achieve anything in Australia. It might give you a warm fuzzy feeling but your efforts will achieve nothing. Absolutely nothing.

          At least you may, and it is only a may, get some results if you try and get a New Zealand Government to change its ways. Here at least you can vote and most politicians pay at least some heed to what voters want. If you want to spend time on this topic do it where you have at least some chance of getting something to happen.

          A New Zealand resident who cannot vote in Australia but who opposes a policy that most Australians approve of has much less or a chance of getting some action than I would have if I started a campaign to get Parliamentary salaries back to the level they were 50 years ago. That was when an MP was paid about as much as a HoD teacher. Would Parliament go back to that? Not a chance. Even that would be much better odds than those that attach to the proposition that Australia will change its deportation policy because some New Zealanders don't like it.

          It Isn't Going To Happen. Spend you time where you might be able to do some good. Work on New Zealand problems.

          • Incognito 9.1.1.1.1

            Good comment, thank you.

            I’m quite sure you’re right on almost everything you said. However, this doesn’t mean that NZ Government has to like it, agree with it, accept it, and say nothing and just let it go. This is not how politics work, this is not how humans work. That said, I don’t think it is a hill they want to die on, politically speaking, but it is now a NZ problem.

            As for uprooting people from their community and even ripping apart families and whanau, for whatever reason, I think this should not be done lightly, as it can lead to (more) stigmatisation, social isolation, and alienation – you know that this does not end well. It is actually a harsh penalty in any context. It tends to create big(ger) problems elsewhere, which has an element of NIMBYism. Shifting a problem doesn’t solve it.

      • Pat 9.1.2

        Banishment and exile are as old as society. Would we be as concerned if Australia had exceedingly long prison sentences or even reintroduced the death penalty for some crimes that impacted NZ born residents?….I suspect much less so.

      • ghostwhowalksnz 9.1.3

        The only thing similar in the Deportation review tribunal was a Tuvalu man manslaughter conviction 2 years 'after' getting a residence permit

      • Barfly 9.1.4

        "Immigration New Zealand (INZ) figures show in the past five years 1040 people have been deported to the Pacific from New Zealand"

        You conflate that with deportations to New Zealand from Australia

        Got any breakdown on how many deportations from New Zealand to the pacific were simply for overstaying visas? – Your quoted figures are meaningless without it.

    • greywarshark 9.2

      It seemed tp me when I was in Oz that they were mainly materialistic and run on commonsense lines with short term horizons.

  10. Jester 10

    This is good news. No matter which side of the political spectrum you support, no politician should have their life or families lives threatened.

    Man arrested after alleged threats against MP Simeon Brown | Stuff.co.nz

    • Drowsy M. Kram 10.1

      Awful for Brown – apparently the second threat this month. Don't understand why he should be such a "death threat magnet".

      Police arrest second man in a month over threats made to National MP Simeon Brown

      "Police say they received a complaint on Tuesday night from Brown after threats were made against him.

      A 22-year-old man is due to appear in the Christchurch District Court on Thursday.

      He will face a charge of threatening to kill.

      Earlier this month a 25-year-old man from Wellington was charged with threatening to kill Brown."

      • Muttonbird 10.1.1

        A 22-year-old man… 25-year-old man.

        Good to see young people interested in politics, though.

        • Jester 10.1.1.1

          Would you have the same blase attitude if it was a threat against Hipkins or Ardern?

      • Barfly 10.1.2

        Not Pee-wee Herman fans?

      • Anne 10.1.3

        Well, he is one of those… toss em all into jail and throw away the key types. Or better still… leave em on a desert island in shark infested waters. 😉 And he does make a song and dance about it.

        The issue is a little more nuanced than his simplistic stance suggests, so he can't complain if they respond with what are no doubt empty threats.

        Not that I am condoning their behaviour, but Simeon does ask for it.

        • Incognito 10.1.3.1

          Brown carries the victim mantle with pride; mission accomplished.

          • Jester 10.1.3.1.1

            So did James Shaw when he was punched.

              • Jester

                Not a lot of similarity in the cases, but Shaw played the victim well.

                • Incognito

                  What do you mean by “Shaw played the victim well”? He was a victim. He gave a victim impact statement to the Court for the Trial.

                  At an earlier hearing a judge found Harris threw two punches to Shaw's face, one of which fractured his right eye socket and then when Shaw was on the ground, threw three or four more.

                  The judge was not satisfied that there had been any kicking.

                  "It was pretty solid. I haven't been punched that hard previously."

                  The attack stopped when two people intervened.

                  "Initially I went to work because I did not think it was that bad but I started bleeding from the nose and then went to ED."

                  The main injury was to his eye socket with a lot of bruising and a scan showing a fracture.

                  I’m starting to wonder what is your point.

                  • Jester

                    My initial point at 10 above was, I don't believe any politician should have themselves or their families threatened of violence or being killed as per the "Your gonna get popped without knowing it you peanut".

                    National MP Simeon Brown receives more death threats from Mongrel Mob after criticising funeral procession | Newshub

                    I find it gob smacking that some commenters on here from the tone of their comments at 10.1.2, 10.1.3.1 and 10.1.1 seem to think its all ok and Simeon is fair game. That's why I asked at 10.1.1.1 to try and find out if they felt the same way if a similar threat was made to a Labour (or any other party for that matter).

                    • Incognito

                      That’s a good point well made, thank you. No politician should have a target on their back.

      • Phillip ure 10.1.4

        @ drowsy..

        'don't know why'..

        um..!..possibly because he is a jingoistic right-wing dickwad..?

        (just guessing here..)

  11. Incognito 11

    Addressing the binary “us” and “them” of populism between academics and other citizens also requires diversity in universities. Academia that is reflective of wider society will change the scope and nature of teaching and research, improving research engagements with communities, and broadening the demographics of student bodies.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/125270923/the-pandemics-reminded-me-why-im-proud-to-be-an-academic

    Academics can be real ignorant snobs when it comes to acknowledging that much of the heavy lifting in tertiary education institutions is done by non-academic staff and non-academics in general, including post-graduate students and so on. This divide is sharp, cutting, and hurtful to all those non-academics who work extremely hard and bend over backwards, especially during the Covide-19 pandemic, and make a huge but under-appreciated contribution to the experience of all in those institutions and, by extension, to our society. It is similar at schools, particularly secondary schools, where support staff do an amazing job, for little pay, and some have the highest academic qualifications (i.e. PhD).

    I strongly resisted turning this into an epic rant …

    • Poission 11.1

      Lawyer.

    • McFlock 11.2

      I can get behind the article in general, academics literally are paid to know about the topic. But… Heh. University of Otago.

      The institution that did a multi-year "support services review" because the vice chancellor thought it had too many general staff. Made dozens redundant, and had to hire back 10% of them. For literally years people would walk into the tea room not knowing if a someone in there had received a redundancy notice. It was fucking cruel.

      And they forgot about all the general staff who actually do research: analysts, writers, technicians… "forgot", as in "nobody heard from the review committee unless they specifically asked if they were 'in scope'". Silly billies, you never stick your head above the parapet.

      But the review got done, whatever bureaucratic nightmares it caused were probably overshadowed by the dent they put in the holiday pay and rendundancy liabilities the HR balance sheet faced, and the vice chancellor has pissed off to a uni three times the size of otago (her plane no doubt held aloft by the laurels of her bold and innovative restructuring).

      • greywarshark 11.2.1

        Oh well McFlock the top bananas are hired because they are from another country, known to be rottweilers and can be let loose on the institution/council without ripples affecting all the other CEOs in NZ. They are hired guns, and know how to shoot execution-style.

  12. greywarshark 12

    Jonathan Pie's latest. Dominic Cummings' about-turn has bemused him and he's not feeling himself.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS45xUYiEZY

  13. Pat 13

    Democracy under threat?……looks more like outright war.

    "A mayoral candidate has been killed in Mexico, bringing to 34 the total number of candidates murdered nationwide ahead of June 6 legislative elections that will fill thousands of local seats and nearly half of the country’s governors."

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/26/another-candidate-assassinated-in-mexico-ahead-of-june-6-vote

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    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
    8 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
    8 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
    8 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
    10 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
    11 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
    13 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 ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • 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
    1 hour 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
    6 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
    8 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
    9 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
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
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