Open Mike 29/10/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 29th, 2016 - 66 comments
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66 comments on “Open Mike 29/10/2016 ”

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    • ianmac 1.1
      29 October 2016 at 8:51 am

      Interesting Pat. Here the catch would be that English and Trump want to lower taxes when there would be a need to raise taxes to fund such a scheme.

      • pat 1.1.1
        29 October 2016 at 9:03 am

        Am of the opinion a UBI could only function as part of a wholesale resetting of how our economy works….trying to bolt one on to existing structures is a guarantee of its failure.

        • xanthe 1.1.1.1
          29 October 2016 at 9:16 am

          i agree with your opinion there pat

        • BM 1.1.1.2
          29 October 2016 at 9:20 am

          Which is why it’s time hasn’t arrived.

          Once the economy starts to fail due to automation/robotics then a UBI will probably be looked at.

          • pat 1.1.1.2.1
            29 October 2016 at 9:24 am

            that sounds like a National strategy BM…wait till the shit hits the fan before you do anything about it.

            • BM 1.1.1.2.1.1
              29 October 2016 at 9:34 am

              it’s not a bad strategy as long as you’ve got a plan in place, that way you can adapt more quickly and effectively, speculating on what may may not happen is fraught with danger and ends up just being, a massive money pit.

              You don’t want to waste your resources on a event that may never occur or may occur but not for a very long time.

              The current system is ticking along nicely, I see no reason to change it.

              • Garibaldi …
                29 October 2016 at 9:45 am

                “Ticking along nicely”…. we can tell you’re on Planet Key. “Ticking along nicely “…. yeah, just like a time bomb.

              • pat …
                29 October 2016 at 9:45 am

                “it’s not a bad strategy as long as you’ve got a plan in place,”…except they haven’t and poor decisions are made under pressure.

                “You don’t want to waste your resources on a event that may never occur or may occur but not for a very long time.”…..you would have to be wilfully blind or stupid…or both, to not see what is already here.

                “the current system is ticking along nicely, I see no reason to change it.”….which is it?…wilfully blind, or stupid?

                • BM …
                  29 October 2016 at 9:52 am

                  You need to broaden your horizons pat and start mingling with people who aren’t complete sad sacks.
                  it’s not all doom and gloom for every one.

                  • pat …
                    29 October 2016 at 10:00 am

                    do you mean sad sacks like the WEF?

                    “Without urgent and targeted action today to manage the near-term transition and build a workforce with futureproof skills, governments will have to cope with ever-growing unemployment and inequality, and businesses with a shrinking consumer base,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.”

                    Im picking “both”

                  • Richard Rawshark …
                    29 October 2016 at 11:00 am

                    -it’s not all doom and gloom for every one. quote from BM..classics 101

                    No just for people starting out a family, oir leaving school, retired, or unwell, mentally ill, homeless, poor, unemployed, unemployable, and..

                    The rich are having a whale of a good old time though .. so sweet as, can’t wait for that trickle down?

                  • AB …
                    29 October 2016 at 7:59 pm

                    “It’s not all doom and gloom for eveyone”
                    The economy and society should work for everyone.
                    There are states of desperation and unhappiness that fall short of “doom and gloom” so you are setting the bar too low

                    • BM …
                      29 October 2016 at 8:13 pm

                      The economy and society should work for everyone.

                      Nothing can ever be 100%.

                      What’s that saying

                      If you try to please everyone you’ll end up pleasing nobody.

                    • AB []
                      30 October 2016 at 8:02 am

                      “Nothing can ever be 100%”.
                      Right. So therefore we are under no obligation to try and improve things. Let’s just tick along, nothing’s perfect and I’m alright Jack.

              • Richard Rawshark …
                29 October 2016 at 10:05 am

                Robots still need a heavy list of backup services, jobs switch to automation programming and maintenance.

                Not sure of the future you see as being as devoind of employment as you imagine. I agree process work will diminish in more developed countries, but there is always something to do, for those whop get off their arses and look.

                A UBI would be good but it would not stop me doing something worthwhile the only benefits I really see is people will have more time to be kind, help and do the things we never had time for before.

                Society I think will be better without so much the need to earn a living. Social outcomes of good, would skyrocket I hope.

                • pat …
                  29 October 2016 at 10:26 am

                  “Robots (computers) still need a heavy list of backup services, jobs switch to automation programming and maintenance.”

                  indeed they do….and the proportion of the population capable of that work is not high.

                  “Not sure of the future you see as being as devoind of employment as you imagine. I agree process work will diminish in more developed countries, but there is always something to do, for those whop get off their arses and look”

                  yes…but at what recompense, if any?

                  “A UBI would be good but it would not stop me doing something worthwhile the only benefits I really see is people will have more time to be kind, help and do the things we never had time for before.”

                  a UBI is not designed to stop you from doing something worthwhile, indeed it is supposed to facilitate that,and ultimately it is designed to provide the (means of) necessities of life where the (future) market cannot.

                  Money (in all its forms including UBI) is simply a means of rationing resources….a UBI in itself will not solve problems of resource access (or poverty if you like)

                  • Richard Rawshark …
                    29 October 2016 at 10:57 am

                    In all you say Pat, I was too trying to point out to BM, though your use of comprehension technics certainly exceeds my ability.

                  • Draco T Bastard …
                    29 October 2016 at 11:06 am

                    indeed they do….and the proportion of the population capable of that work is not high.

                    Higher than you think. Maintenance of machines in place is plug-n-play which anyone can do. Once it’s beyond that point in its life-cycle it should be recycled and the resources in it reused – which should also be automated.

                    yes…but at what recompense, if any?

                    Ah, but with a UBI paid by the government would people need any?

                    Money (in all its forms including UBI) is simply a means of rationing resources….a UBI in itself will not solve problems of resource access (or poverty if you like)

                    No, to do that would require democratic control of the nations resources so that groups of people with similar interests can work together to get their projects going. There’s isn’t enough resources for each individual to do their own thing but their are enough resources for groups to work together.

                    • pat …
                      29 October 2016 at 12:12 pm

                      “Higher than you think. Maintenance of machines in place is plug-n-play which anyone can do. Once it’s beyond that point in its life-cycle it should be recycled and the resources in it reused – which should also be automated”

                      beg to differ….experience has taught that “passionate finger” syndrome is alive and well….the owners of that capital (be they private or community) will not be willing to carry those costs. I believe the future is at very real risk of emphasising a societal split between less and more,the direct opposite i suspect of your hoped for outcome.

                      “No, to do that would require democratic control of the nations resources so that groups of people with similar interests can work together to get their projects going. There’s isn’t enough resources for each individual to do their own thing but their are enough resources for groups to work together.”

                      Inclined to agree and is why some form of managed economy will be required….not the laissez faire debacle we currently enjoy(?).

                • BM …
                  29 October 2016 at 10:37 am

                  Looking forward there will no doubt be a reduction in the amount of available work for the average meat unit.

                  A UBI would be good but it would not stop me doing something worthwhile the only benefits I really see is people will have more time to be kind, help and do the things we never had time for before.

                  I think it would be more along the lines of
                  The devil makes work for idle hands

                  Society I think will be better without so much the need to earn a living. Social outcomes of good, would skyrocket I hope.

                  Most people need to have a purpose, be striving for something, sitting around just existing would tire very quickly for most.

                  • Richard Rawshark …
                    29 October 2016 at 10:54 am

                    Very pessimistic outlook on the human species there BM, I see why you vote right, there nasty policies must suit your perceptions of what they deserve.

                    • Pasupial …
                      29 October 2016 at 12:57 pm

                      That “doom and gloom” does make BM sound like a “complete sad sack”. Or is that assertion of his just a way to disparage others?

                  • Gangnam Style …
                    29 October 2016 at 8:29 pm

                    “The economy and society should work for everyone.
                    Nothing can ever be 100%.
                    What’s that saying
                    If you try to please everyone you’ll end up pleasing nobody.”

                    – Then lets tax the fuck out of the top 10-20%, share out the rest, the top 10-20% might moan that it’s not fair but “If you try to please everyone you’ll end up pleasing nobody.” right BM?

                  • North …
                    29 October 2016 at 10:56 pm

                    Ha ha ! The Calvinist Bowel Motion. No calypso music in that. Off for re-education Bowel……

        • Richard Rawshark 1.1.1.3
          29 October 2016 at 9:38 am

          I agree pat.

    • Brigid 1.2
      29 October 2016 at 12:35 pm

      There’s no need for a pilot. The research’s been done.

      ” Dauphin, a small farming town of 10,000 people in Manitoba that was once home to one of North America’s largest and most ambitious experiments in basic income.”
      “In 1974, about 1,000 residents began receiving monthly payments with no strings attached.”

      In 2011 “Evelyn Forget, a professor at the University of Manitoba, dug up the data in hopes of getting a sense of the project’s outcomes. What she found was promising. Hospitalisations, accidents, injuries and mental health issues had all declined when the stipend were flowing into the community. “That’s just a huge finding for a country like Canada that spends so much on hospitals every year,” said Forget.”

      Please do read the report
      https://public.econ.duke.edu/~erw/197/forget-cea%20%282%29.pdf

      • pat 1.2.1
        29 October 2016 at 12:39 pm

        lol…pot kettle…I read the article, you failed to mention….

        “The payments flowed for four years, turning Dauphin into a potent test site for the policy. But the project’s budget of $17m – the equivalent of about $85m today – ran short halfway through the project, hindering data collection. A growing federal push for austerity along with a change in Manitoba’s government in 1977 sounded the final death knell for the project.”…
        and…
        “Dauphin wasn’t considered an ideal representative of the labour market; many people were working seasonally, wages were low and nobody belonged to a union. Four decades on, the town seems prescient, said Forget. “Now if you look at the Canadian economy, the whole economy is starting to look like a small town labour market.”

        • Brigid 1.2.1.1
          29 October 2016 at 1:30 pm

          You’ve quoted from the Guardian article. I assumed everybody read it. Why should I mention it?
          I’m not sure what your point is.

          • pat 1.2.1.1.1
            29 October 2016 at 2:36 pm

            apologies….I took your “Please do read the report” and “There’s no need for a pilot. The research’s been done.” as suggesting I had posted without reading the linked article.

            As to my point, well mainly that the quoted Dauphin study was not a good sample and the study was incomplete. I think it fair to say that no government will proceed with a UBI without further up to date and appropiate trials and the more the better. If any form of UBI is going to provide anything like the hoped for outcomes I suspect there is going to be an awful lot of trial and error and modification along the way.

    • Morrissey 2.1
      29 October 2016 at 10:52 am

      Why should Russia not be on the Council? The United Kingdom is on it, as are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Philippines, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, and China.

      The countries in bold are all supporters of ISIS. Russia, for all its crimes, is not in the same league as those countries.

      • Pasupial 2.1.1
        29 October 2016 at 1:06 pm

        Don’t forget the US. Sending robotic death machines into the skies of countries that it hasn’t declared war with to carry out semi-targeted extrajudicial killings (with many collateral deaths), would seem grounds to disqualify a country from any human rights council.

        By excluding Russia, the UN is reducing its own power not Putin’s.

  3. ianmac 3
    29 October 2016 at 9:03 am

    “Paul Henry reveals why he hates people.”
    Crikey! This chap is unbalanced! Worth a read though.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11737753

    • joe90 3.1
      29 October 2016 at 9:13 am

      I thought I was up there with the very worst of the misanthropes, but apparently not.

    • Richard Rawshark 3.2
      29 October 2016 at 9:45 am

      Ianmac, did you get through reading it, think I got down to paragrapgh 2 and just couldn’t take the style of writing, the obnoxious view point, it made me feel sick.

      Paul H , there’s reasons why assault laws should be rewritten as I truly believe those that stay outside the laws and are that nasty, offensive and cause social harm, need some form of a swift smack upside the head to snap them out of it, make them realize their actually ARE consequences to being a complete opinionated nasty piece of verbal vermin.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.3
      29 October 2016 at 11:25 am

      It’s fairly typical of the RWNJ mindset:

      Aaron Gilmore, eh? He’s clearly finished in the National Party. Not for the view he expressed when he threatened to get a young waiter sacked, but because by doing so he’s lifted the veil on the carefully covered elitism that drives the national party’s agenda.

    • RedBaronCV 3.4
      29 October 2016 at 11:48 am

      Looks like the Herald reproduced most of it verbatim maybe so they couldn’t be sued and a lot of it is truly revolting. But printing this negative a story about a favoured commentator, now that is interesting, who or what is on the way out? I remember Bob Clarkson the MP getting similar treatment from the media.

      Also a few comments there that made me wonder if he was euphoric/ depressed and or had some other similar issues? The random relocations and reversing recent decisions were interesting.

    • Brigid 3.5
      29 October 2016 at 4:29 pm

      That’s hilarious. The man is fucked in the head. His synapses are misfiring all over the where.

    • Richard Rawshark 4.1
      29 October 2016 at 9:40 am

      God James three/four days the admins have set up a dedicated US election thread and you still post in the daily one about the US election.

      and have blaring notifications on every thread telling you.

      Get with the program foooool.

  5. Herodotus 5
    29 October 2016 at 9:48 am

    After finding about Max Keys idea of what real men do.
    Joe Jackson may help out …
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA65lg1HWt4
    http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/joe+jackson/real+men_20072749.html
    ps I like JJ, even when he plays a supporting role to Capt. Kirk
    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5m76m_william-shatner-sings-pulp-common-p_music

    • Heather Grimwood 5.1
      29 October 2016 at 10:54 am

      to Herodotus at 5: Thanks for introducing this usually with-it great-gran to Joe Jackson! great video to show to growing kids, or to remind others who never progress from being one, that they could see the way to become a citizen of worth.
      I was in process of commending Bryan Gould’s ‘Real Men’ as a hugely competent article on same theme, when I found your comment. If it has already been on TS somewhere, I apologise….been bit busy this week to scan at leisure.

  6. greywarshark 6
    29 October 2016 at 9:52 am

    I have found this discussion with illustrations with satirical cynical cartoons.
    Rules for Rulers – about 19 mins and should be seen by all particularly the teenagers who would see it as part of civic and political education. Never saw or heard anything so cogent while I was at school.
    (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs

    This brings the name CGP Grey to my attention and it seems there is more from this site with the cartoon background. I guess others have already found this site and have opinions about it. It sees different and fresh. Deceptively simple.

  7. Incognito 7
    29 October 2016 at 1:49 pm

    A good piece in the NZ Herald yesterday Elizabeth Stanley: ‘Responsibility’ won’t fix poverty but caring might.

    I highlight some of the most salient sentences but I recommend reading the whole article.

    Responsibilisation has become a dominant feature of the Government’s approach to significant social problems.

    …

    This data passes above our heads like the digital statistics that wrap around our stock exchange. Constantly updating, but ever present, the knowledge of endemic poverty has become normalised.

    …

    However, our best research repeatedly tells us that other crimes, including family violence or youth crime, are linked to poverty and inequalities.

    …

    Our current talk on responsibilisation insists those communities with the highest levels of poverty have to deliver solutions for their “risks”.

  8. UncookedSelachimorpha 8
    29 October 2016 at 3:52 pm

    Great news in a landmark ruling from from the UK employment court, on a case taken by the GMB Union. This could hopefully have a flow on effect to NZ.

    https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/28/uber-uk-tribunal-self-employed-status

    Uber is no longer allowed to pretend its workers are “self-employed contractors”, thus evading minimum wages, holiday pay etc. This phony “contracting” is rife in NZ also.

    Uber is valued at $60+ billion, while its workers can end up taking home wages that are well below minimum wage. Of course Uber are appealing…

    • Siobhan 8.1
      29 October 2016 at 6:36 pm

      Best story all week. Actually possibly one of the best ‘Workers Fight Back” of the year.

  9. Richard Rawshark 9
    29 October 2016 at 4:00 pm

    SO Yesterday HNZ comes out and says it only evicted 5 people from HNZ housing for Meth, today it’s 117, because HNZ only counted those they used a bailiff to get out, the rest they served 90 day notices on.

    This is how our government tells us the people the truth and if for no other reason alone why this government should quite frankly be arrested pending investigation into what they really have been up too.

    Enoughs e fucvking nuff

  10. Richard Rawshark 10
    29 October 2016 at 5:42 pm

    When I first started using the internet it was mostly comprised of dialing up universities or BBS’s, for forums and news, then it developed for years it was lovely and peaceful I could get good accurate info and browse in peace.

    Now every time I start reading something suddenly blaring video’s and noise start piercing my ears. What’s with all the damn adverts.

    • BM 10.1
      29 October 2016 at 7:07 pm

      Use an ad blocker Richard.

      Also, this maybe of interest

      Google Scholar is an online, freely accessible search engine that lets users look for both physical and digital copies of articles. It searches a wide variety of sources, including academic publishers, universities, and preprint depositories looking for: Peer-reviewed articles. Theses.

      https://scholar.google.co.nz/

  11. Muttonbird 11
    29 October 2016 at 6:36 pm

    Car crash of an interview with a drunk Paul Henry in the Herald today.

    Farrar of course went into bat for his soulmate and thinks the whole thing is a great joke, from the expletive laden bashing of ordinary Kiwi travellers to the sexual subjectification of the women at the next table.

    I’m in the publicity business so my question to the publicist, who was there the whole time presumably to reign in the worst of Henry’s excesses, is ‘were you also drunk?’

    Also, why is it that the libertarian crowd like Henry, Farrar, and Hooten not accept that not everyone has the same experiences as them? If I didn’t travel much I’d be unsure, confused, and intimidated by the security process but these clowns use that as a stick to beat people who are not as ‘worldly’ as they.

    Make me wonder if the far right has any idea what it is like too be a regular person on the modern world.

    It can only be a matter of time before the Paul Henry phenomenon implodes. He really seems unhinged.

    • Richard Rawshark 11.1
      29 October 2016 at 7:32 pm

      I wish he was, he’d be easier to get rid.

      Thinks it more the fact the naughty little boys can get away with it.

      As for Hooten… he must think he’s bulletproof the amount of people after his hide.

  12. xanthe 12
    29 October 2016 at 7:36 pm

    https://archive.fo/1inAb
    Interesting discussion of war and propaganda

    For example
    ” These organisations are known as the liberal media. They present themselves as enlightened, progressive tribunes of the moral zeitgeist. They are anti-racist, pro-feminist and pro-LGBT.
    And they love war.
    While they speak up for feminism, they support rapacious wars that deny the rights of countless women, including the right to life.”

  13. Morrissey 13
    29 October 2016 at 8:43 pm

    Al Jazeera’s outrageously biased “news” is a scandal.
    Al Jazeera News, Saturday 29 October 2016, 8 p.m.

    Shameless black propaganda, like rust, never sleeps. As ISIL terrorists in Aleppo step up their attacks in Aleppo, the official television outlet for the ISIL-supporting Qatari dictatorship is pulling no stops.…

    PETER DOBBIE: [reading slowly, striving to achieve maximum gravitas] Syrian forces in Aleppo are preparing for the final assault against what THEY call “terrorists.”

    Dobbie intoned darkly about “the Syrian regime and its main military guarantor, Russia”, then notably brightened to inform viewers how the brave “opposition fighters” (in fact, ISIS) are “responding with car bombs and rocket attacks.”

    Of course, anyone wishing to learn something about the Syrian insurrection, as opposed to accepting this dismal misinformation campaign masquerading as news from the likes of Peter Dobbie and Rory Challands, will consult serious and credible writing, such as the following….
    http://www.democracynow.org/2016/5/17/noam_chomsky_on_syria_conflict_cut

    • Richard Rawshark 13.1
      29 October 2016 at 8:54 pm

      Several things I don’t like about your post M, and one is it starts with racism, secondly I’ve always found AJ reasonably middle of the road.. though I have’t watched lately.

      Thirdly thanks for the advice on better opinions, but a selection would have been better it feels like your saying this is shit, watch this as that’s what YOU should believe. Kind of… dictatorial you might say.

      • Stuart Munro 13.1.1
        29 October 2016 at 10:48 pm

        A lot of kiwis work for Al Jazeera. They are by no means a facile propaganda organ.

        • Morrissey 13.1.1.1
          30 October 2016 at 8:35 am

          A lot of kiwis work for Al Jazeera.

          Yes they do, and apart from Kamahl Santamaria, who always seems horribly out of his depth, they do a competent job.

          They are by no means a facile propaganda organ.

          The facile propaganda is mouthed by the likes of Peter Dobbie and the large number of other former BBC hacks, who have fitted into delivering anti-Russian, anti-Syrian, anti-Iranian and anti-Houthi propaganda with the same sinister smoothness that they once employed on anti-Irish propaganda.

      • Morrissey 13.1.2
        30 October 2016 at 8:31 am

        Several things I don’t like about your post M, and one is it starts with racism

        I assume you are joking?

        secondly I’ve always found AJ reasonably middle of the road..

        Al Jazeera is middle of the road in the same sense Fox News is middle of the road.

        … though I have’t watched lately.

        That explains it then.

        Thirdly thanks for the advice on better opinions, but a selection would have been better it feels like your saying this is shit, watch this as that’s what YOU should believe. Kind of… dictatorial you might say.

        I don’t mind if anyone wants to watch Al Jazeera—hell, I do after all! I am simply pointing out that, in spite of all its excellent documentaries, its “news” is consistently and outrageously biased in favour of ISIS in Syria.

  14. adam 14
    29 October 2016 at 9:17 pm

    If you need any proof this government is the government of selfish then have a look at this. The Good country index, when first done New Zealand was 5th. We have slipped to 12th under this mob of selfish, self indulgent Tory’s. I’m going to say, if national get another term we will drop down even more.

    I’ll leave you with this, — We are getting more selfish, and that is the enemy of good.

    https://goodcountry.org/index/overall-rankings

  15. marty mars 15
    29 October 2016 at 9:42 pm

    If you like space, science and exploration – watch – this could be totally doable

  16. weka 16
    29 October 2016 at 11:21 pm

    [In order to keep OM and DR free for other conversations, all comments, link postings etc about the US election now need to go in the dedicated US election discussion here.

    If you are unsure, post in that thread rather than here. It’s not possible for moderators to shift comments from OM to there, so any comments here may get deleted – weka]

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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Daily school attendance data now available
    A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour.  The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ambassador to United States appointed
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America.    “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says.    “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New permit proposed for recreational gold mining
    The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • NZ and the UAE launch FTA negotiations
    Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand Sign Language Week an opportunity for anyone to sign
    New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Next stop NASA for New Zealand students
    Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • $1.9 billion investment to keep NZ safe from crime
    New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • OECD reinforces need to control spending
    The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli.   ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Agreement delivers Local Water Done Well for Auckland
    The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Gaza and the Pacific on the agenda with Germany
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today.    "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Decision allows for housing growth in Western Bay of Plenty
    The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Speech to New Zealand China Council
    Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today.    Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Modern insurance law will protect Kiwi households
    The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government recommits to equal pay
    The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says.  “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Transforming how our children learn to read
    Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.  “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • NZ not backing down in Canada dairy dispute
    Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Stronger oversight for our most vulnerable children
    The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Streamlining Building Consent Changes
    The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.      “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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