Open Mike 29/04/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 29th, 2017 - 32 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

32 comments on “Open Mike 29/04/2017 ”

  1. Carolyn_nth 1

    Very interesting interview today on Intercept, with an ex-climate denialist. He changed his view when he really looked at the facts and research he’d been using to promote denialism.

    After his own experience he now thinks the only way to convince skeptics is by calmly reporting the facts, and critiquing the misinformation.

    After that, I began to do more of that due diligence, and the more I did, the more I found that variations on this story kept arising again and again. Either the explanations for findings were dodgy, sketchy or misleading or the underlying science didn’t hold up. Eventually, I tried to get out of the science narratives that I had been trafficking in and just fell back on the economics. Because you can very well accept that climate change exists and still find arguments against climate action because the costs of doing something are so great.


    In our business, talking to Republican and conservative elites, talking about the science in a dispassionate, reasonable, non-screedy, calm, careful way is powerful, because a lot of these people have no idea that a lot of the things they’re trafficking in are either the sheerest nonsense or utterly disingenuous.

    I have talked to many of them [Republican pseudo-denialists] in confidence. There are between 40 and 50 in the House and maybe 10 to 12 in the Senate. They’re all looking for a way out of the denialist penitentiary they’ve been put into by the Tea Party. But they’re not sure what the Republican response ought to look like exactly and when the political window is going to open.

    • greywarshark 1.1

      carolyn-nth
      That is remarkable and what lots of us have thought but to hear about it so clearly in reality – wow. Thanks for heads up

      They’re all looking for a way out of the denialist penitentiary they’ve been put into by the Tea Party. But they’re not sure what the Republican response ought to look like exactly and when the political window is going to open.

      God, please make it soon so these poor captured people lost in a fog of mis- and disinformation finally see the light.

  2. Morrissey 2

    Obama Explains Why He Accepted $400,000 For A Paid Speech On Wall Street
    by TYLER DURDEN, ZeroHedge, April 26, 2017

    There was some snickering two days ago when it emerged that as his first paid speech appearance, former president Barack Obama who – at least on paper was a determined crusader against the big banks – will receive $400,000 for roughly an hour of his time from, well, a bank or rather Cantor Fitzgerald.

    Moments ago, Obama seemingly concerned by the public response the news has generated, decided to respond via his spokesman Eric Schultz, and explain why it is perfectly ok for the former president to collect a $400,000 from a bank. We won’t comment suffice to note that in trying to explain why it is now ok for him to collect nearly half a million dollars from the hated banks, it is probably not a good idea to say the following: “I’d just point out that in 2008, Barack Obama raised more money from Wall Street than any candidate in history.” …..

    Read more about Hopey-Changey, champion of Wall Street….

    http://normanfinkelstein.com/2017/04/27/my-brother-sent-me-this-link-with-the-subject-heading-payback-time-aint-that-the-truth/

    • Siobhan 2.1

      ” President Obama will be true to his values, his vision and his record.”…well indeed. You can’t argue with that.

      https://theintercept.com/2017/04/27/wall-street-firm-paying-obama-400000-faced-internal-controversy-after-pocketing-huge-911-settlement/

    • Good that you shun the banks morrie – those hated symbols of everything you detest – how long have you not had a bank account or associations with a bank?

      • In Vino 2.2.1

        Sorry Marty, but that is about as dumb as accusing a greenie of being a hypocrite if he ever drives a motor car, or travels in a plane.

    • Sabine 2.3

      you forgot to mention this stuff here tho
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantor_Fitzgerald#Philanthropy

      The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund provided $10 million to families affected by Hurricane Sandy. Howard Lutnick and the Relief Fund “adopted” 19 elementary schools in impacted areas, distributing $1,000 prepaid debit cards to each family from the schools.[19] In total $10 million in funds were given to families affected by the storm.[20]
      Two days after the 2013 Moore tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, killing 24 people and injuring hundreds, Howard Lutnick pledged to donate $2 million to families affected by the tornado. The donation was given out in the form of $1,000 debit cards given out to area families.[21][22]

      this

      Cantor Fitzgerald lost sixty-eight percent of its workforce, considerably more than any of the other World Trade Center tenants or the New York City Police Department, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, the New York City Fire Department, and the United States Department of Defense. CEO and chairman Howard Lutnick, whose brother was among those killed, vowed to keep the company alive, and the company was able to bring its trading markets back online within a week. On September 19, Cantor Fitzgerald made a pledge to distribute 25 percent of the firm’s profits for the next five years, and committed to paying for ten years of health care, for the benefit of the families of its 658 former Cantor Fitzgerald, eSpeed, and TradeSpark employees (profits which would otherwise have been distributed to the Cantor Fitzgerald partners).[11] In 2006, the company completed its promise, having paid a total of $180 million (and an additional $17 million from a relief fund run by Lutnick’s sister, Edie).[12]

      this

      Before the attacks, Cantor handled about one-quarter of the daily transactions in the multi-trillion dollar treasury security market. Cantor has since rebuilt its infrastructure, thanks in part to the efforts of its London office,[13] and now has its headquarters in midtown Manhattan. The company’s effort to regain its footing is the subject of Tom Barbash’s 2003 book On Top of the World: Cantor Fitzgerald, Howard Lutnick, and 9/11: A Story of Loss and Renewal.
      On September 2, 2004, Cantor filed a civil lawsuit against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for allegedly providing money to the hijackers and Al Qaeda, one of a number of organizations to do so.[14] It was later joined in the suit by the Port Authority of New York.[15] Most of the claims against Saudi Arabia were dismissed on January 18, 2005.[16]
      In December 2013, Cantor Fitzgerald settled its lawsuit against American Airlines for $135 million. Cantor Fitzgerald was suing for loss of property and interruption of business, alleging the airline was negligent by allowing hijackers to board Flight 11.[17]

      this

      Edie Lutnick is the author of An Unbroken Bond: The Untold Story of How the 658 Cantor Fitzgerald Families Faced the Tragedy of 9/11 and Beyond. All the proceeds from the sale of the book benefit the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund and the charities it assists.[18]

      oh and the Wall Street Speech? A speach at a “Health Care Conference”. Cause why not invite a Man, or in fact ‘the man’ who despite all its fault actually got something akin to affordable Health Care to he US public. Or actually yeah, why not invited Donald J Trump and Paul Ryan to do the speech, so much more appropriate? Amirite?

      btw, are Sanders and Trump ever gonna release their taxes, cause then we – the discerning public – would know how much they earned making speeches. Also, then i would appreciate if they could make all these speeches public for scrutiny, you know, you want your ‘lefties’ to be pure and only make money out of ethical and vegan and organic granola. Cause purity.

      Fact is this Man is never gonna run for public office again, been there done that as they say, fact is our society is capitalistic, and fact is there is no law that would prevent him from charging and getting paid for for speeches. For all the things this man has done wrong, and he did plenty wrong, this is fucking stupid.

  3. greywarshark 3

    This morning a very interesting interview by Kim Hill with USA author. Lots to interest here, about his new book and the study he has made of Abraham Lincoln and also USA trajectory.

    He talked about how things are today and referred to how we forget our human capacity to handle complexity and another word which was perfect in defining responses so I’ll have to listen again to catch that and think more on his themes. He says how we don’t reflect. The words ‘first response’ were used which describe how many react to things without thinking and without the reflection, get led into causing increased problems than those they react to.
    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/201841981/george-saunders-lincoln-in-the-bardo

    10:05 George Saunders – Death humours

    Considered one of America’s foremost contemporary writers, George Saunders has published four collections of short stories, including Tenth of December; another, CivilWarLand in Bad Decline was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award….a book of essays, and two screenplays. In 2009 Saunders received an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He continues to teach creative writing at Syracuse University.

    His first novel Lincoln in the Bardo has just been published to critical acclaim. George Saunders will be appearing at the Auckland Writers Festival, from mid-May.

    Also of interest.
    10:35 Danny Sriskandarajah – Civil society in jeopardy

    Born in Sri Lanka and a national of Australia, Dr Dhananjayan (Danny) Sriskandarajah is the Secretary General and CEO of CIVICUS, the global alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world. He’s also lived in the UK, during which time he was the Director of the Royal Commonwealth Society, the oldest and largest Commonwealth civil society organisation. At the time of his appointment he was the first non-British and the youngest person to head the 140-year-old organisation.

    He has an MPhil and DPhil from the University of Oxford. In 2012, he was honoured by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, and has written numerous books, reports, papers and articles for the likes of the Guardian and Huffington Post. Sriskandarajah will be in New Zealand in May to speak at a summit on philanthropic innovation for Philanthropy New Zealand, where he’ll discuss philanthropy’s role in transforming the world.

    • rod 4.1

      @ Janet. WHY ? Because it’s not a good look on the National Government in election year, and the papers are owned and edited by National spinners. thats why.

    • Red 4.2

      Had first right of refusal, what’s the problem, why should tax payer subsidise locals , land ain’t going anywhere, not as if Chinese owners are picking up land and taking it back to china

      • Johan 4.2.1

        Red, That’s stupid logic. With an abundant supply of cash Chinese buyers will be able to outbid anyone here in property sales. What is the logic for the Chinese not to allow foreigners to buy land in China?

      • Halfcrown 4.2.2

        “why should tax payer subsidise locals ”

        You mean like they have with the farmers with their irrigation scheme in the South Island.

  4. So, Donald Trump ordered a whole lot of immigrants to be rounded up and it turns out a good half of them do not have the criminal convictions he claims.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/92045443/half-of-us-immigrants-arrested-in-raids-had-no-record-or-traffic-convictions

    Fox bots will find a a way to slam this. They watch a channel that calls itself “America’s news HQ”, yet is often hours behind other major sources in reporting breaking stories, or in some cases does not even report them at all.

  5. Draco T Bastard 6

    Death Star laser now real

    Scientists in Australia have figured out how to combine several small laser beams into one, much more powerful beam.

  6. joe90 7

    Cult leaders are human, too.

    even if you don't care for his politics, this is a touching, human picture of Alex Jones pic.twitter.com/bN7U67nucS— Saladin Ahmed (@saladinahmed) April 28, 2017

    https://twitter.com/saladinahmed/status/857805354956181505/photo/1

    http://uproxx.com/news/alex-jones-custody-defeat/

    • They all end up disgraced – shown to be the idiots and scum that many already knew and only the woeful didn’t understand. Guess no one will be using his toileting as evidence of much anymore – I wonder which fake rwnj news site will be next – can’t say I care because they really are equally odious to me.

  7. Draco T Bastard 8

    It is no surprise a former Governor of the Reserve Bank should seek to defend the banking system from its critics. But in denying the accuracy of points I made in the Herald about how the banks operate, Don Brash accused me of “peddling nonsense”.

    I made two basic points. First, I asserted the banks do not, as usually believed, simply act as intermediaries, bringing together savers (or depositors) and borrowers to their mutual benefit.

    Secondly, I said the vast majority of new money in circulation is created by the banks “by the stroke of a pen”, and they then make their profits by charging interest on the money they create.

    If this is “nonsense”, the “peddlers” include some very distinguished economists. My legal training has taught me the value of being able to turn to reliable authority to support what I say.

    What Bryan has said simply isn’t nonsense. It is how banks work.

    But the capacity they do have is hugely important. I concluded by asking whether it was wise to entrust such wide-ranging powers – so significant in their impact on the whole economy – to the banks, and then to arrange that the only person able to regulate that impact was himself a banker – the Governor of the Reserve Bank.

    That concern is surely heightened if a former Governor seems not to understand what is really happening.

    Brash has been around a long time and he’s been in banking pretty much the entire time so it’s unlikely that he doesn’t know how it really actually works.

    So, is he really that ignorant despite his experience in the banking system or is he trying to hide the fact that the banking system is a Ponzi Scheme/Pyramid scam?

    • Halfcrown 8.1

      Weil said Draco. It Is a great Pontiac Scheme.

      • Halfcrown 8.1.1

        Never ever use a cell phone as the bloody thing writes words for you and you cannot correct on Andriod. It makes you look a bigger tit than you already are.

        So I will say that again written from my PC

        Well said Draco. It is a Ponzi Scheme.

        • Draco T Bastard 8.1.1.1

          Never ever use a cell phone as the bloody thing writes words for you and you cannot correct on Andriod.

          Yeah, gota watch that.

          Still, I can edit comments on my Android phone.

  8. joe90 9

    Thread.

    Thread: This Thursday will mark the 90th anniversary of Coretta Scott King's birth. In her honor, I'll be posting on this thread.— Yashar (@yashar) April 25, 2017

    https://twitter.com/yashar/status/856702842282938368

  9. Draco T Bastard 10

    Drug Prices in the U.S. Are Ridiculous

    Taxpayer money provides the research for Big Pharma’s drugs, so shouldn’t the public be able to afford them?

    Capitalism strikes again.

  10. fisiani 11

    Labour still under 30% in Roy Morgan poll. That’s a surprise. Would a new leader help?

    • Drowsy M. Kram 11.1

      Would a new [Labour party] leader help? Doubtful if the effect of the recent National party leadership change is anything to go by.

    • Draco T Bastard 11.2

      Oh, look at that, a RWNJ wanders in to do some concern trolling.

  11. greywarshark 12

    Possibly most people heard Margaret Atwood being interviewed by Kim Hill on 22 April. She was interesting, talked about other things as well as The Handmaids Tale, and has a sense of humour. Delightful woman.

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/201841216/margaret-atwood-the-resurgence-of-the-handmaid's-

    Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale is enjoying a resurgence. Many fear the dystopian totalitarian United States it depicts could be reflected in Trump’s America.

    Coming up soon is a TV series based on the book (starring Elisabeth Moss), as well as a graphic novel and an audio book. It has already been made into a film, an opera and a ballet.
    Atwood adds that a group of 30 silent women dressed as handmaids were seen roaming the recent SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas.
    “It’s certainly off and running at the moment,” she tells Kim Hill.

    Atwood says theocracy is the form totalitarianism would likely take in the United States. “It would not be communist. It would much more likely be based on some form of fundamentalist religion.”

    She says she gets tired of people in the US saying “It can’t happen here”.
    “Anything can happen anywhere and the rapidity with which things can change can be quite breathtaking.”

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Trade relationship with China remains strong
    “China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.   Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-25T15:53:41+00:00