Open mike 30/01/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, January 30th, 2011 - 57 comments
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57 comments on “Open mike 30/01/2011 ”

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  1. Chris73 1
    30 January 2011 at 8:52 am

    Can someone explain something to me…

    Phil Goff was cabinet minister during the Lange Govt which sold off 100% of some SOEs, Trev Mallard recently stated hes in support of public-private partnerships yet Phil Goff and other MPs are now saying its wrong to sell off 49% of certain SOEs

    So which is it? Is it ok to sell them off or not ok to sell them off?

    • The Voice of Reason 1.1
      30 January 2011 at 9:12 am

      Chris. PPP’s are not sell offs, they are partnerships for the building of infrastructure, so there is no contradiction between Mallard’s position and the opposition to privatisation.

      Labour’s sell offs were 25 years ago and wrong. Don’t blame Goff, who was relatively junior at the time and, as I recall, in charge of portfolios not directly related to the privatisations. Blame Douglas, Prebble and a gutless Lange for those mistakes all those years ago and congratulate Labour for recognising the mistake and moving on.

      • Chris73 1.1.1
        30 January 2011 at 9:30 am

        I agree with you…partially (excuse the pun) I don’t agree with 100% sell offs, in fact I’d rather not see any sell offs at all BUT

        NZers (Aucklanders mostly) don’t want major mining to go ahead

        Limiting WFF would be a political no-no (I’d drop the threshold substantially)

        Putting a limit on how long you can claim the unemployment benefit and investigating the sickness benefit rorts (i mean claiming you cant work because of an addiction to weed?!?!?!) would galvinise the left

        All fines/debts/monies owed to the govt to be automatically garnished from wages and benefits, no exceptions would also get the lefties up in arms

        These are the sort of things I’d like to see before any asset sales but not likely to happen…maybe in Nationals third term

        • Lanthanide 1.1.1.1
          30 January 2011 at 9:55 am

          What I’d like to see before any asset sales was a committed and focussed attempt to increase employment and job opportunities in NZ. But we won’t see that from National, either.

          • Chris73 1.1.1.1.1
            30 January 2011 at 9:57 am

            I’m pretty sure increased mining would have generated jobs

            • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.1.1.1
              30 January 2011 at 10:43 am

              Not really, it would have increased the amount of our wealth that went foreign corporations though.

            • Lanthanide 1.1.1.1.1.2
              30 January 2011 at 12:48 pm

              Yes, so now that increased mining isn’t going to happen, could we please have an alternative policy to increase jobs? Thanks.

              • orange whip? …
                30 January 2011 at 8:19 pm

                Nope it’s mining the national parks or nothing. Come on, you know National campaigned for years on a “mine the national parks” platform.

                Why, when I think back to the last 2 elections it seems like all they ever talked about was mining the national parks.

            • KJT 1.1.1.1.1.3
              30 January 2011 at 7:40 pm

              So would increasing our housing stock, extending rails lines, research into green tech and keeping manufacturing local. And we would have something to show for it at the end.

            • Bob 1.1.1.1.1.4
              31 January 2011 at 2:29 am

              YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING . what part of tailings dams /cyanide treatment/ acid mine drainage do you really want to embrace ?
              especially when the companies leave it up to the regional council to pick up the costs years later .

        • The Voice of Reason 1.1.1.2
          30 January 2011 at 10:03 am

          A couple of big calls there, Chris!

          I don’t think the opposition to open cast mining/any mining on DOC land is limited to AK, there are plenty of Coasters who don’t want their backyard fucked over, and mining was never going to be underpinning NZ’s economic future anyway.

          I think you’ll find that most NZers are opposed to the results of time limits on the UB. There are enough burglaries already without forcing the long term unemployed into that trade. As for benefit fraud, it is a tiny, tiny problem. A very small percentage of beneficiaries rort the system and at a financial level that Bill English wouldn’t consider worth the effort. The gang guy you highlight has now had his benefit stopped and quite rightly, because as any fule kno, marijuana is not addictive. Tobacco, on the other hand …

          The fines etc. repayment I totally agree with. If you do the crime, then pay the fine.

          Have you considered joining Labour, Chris? The list of ideas you propose already puts you to the left of Chris Trotter.

          • Chris73 1.1.1.2.1
            30 January 2011 at 10:15 am

            Naah wouldn’t be a good fit if you knew my views on the death penelty and defence spending 😉

            But seriously this highlights the problem with democracy…we don’t have it, we point out other countries that have one party states but we’re not much better as we have a two party state (come election time what will it be Labour or National?)

            Which means I suspect theres quite a few people out there who agree with the views on both sides and then have to decide who to vote for on other factors which arn’t importent/good for the country such as blatent voter bribing or voting for a party because it has male/gay/women/hetro MPs etc etc

          • aotearoean 1.1.1.2.2
            30 January 2011 at 7:15 pm

            The vast majority of Aotearoeans opposed mining. There was noting in it for them, only for the foreign owned mining companies.

          • KJT 1.1.1.2.3
            30 January 2011 at 7:45 pm

            Thames. The site of the biggest area of industrial scale gold mining in NZ. After the mining stopped the town declared bankruptcy.

    • jcuknz 1.2
      30 January 2011 at 10:15 am

      This is the typical mind blocked attitude of the dumb. People can and do change their opinions in light of fresh knowledge and circumstances. I don’t mind partial sell offs or PPP’s so long as the shares are restricted to New Zealand residents. So the Maori offer may be a partial solution.

      On the other hand I had a concept come to me yesterday .. roughly it goes … profits from shares owned by Aussies shareholders go to Aussie and those shareholder then come to NZ as tourists and spend it here promoting NZ.
      Shares held by Kiwis enable NZders to spend the profits to travel overseas and promote other countries economies.
      All too complicated for me 🙂

  2. just saying 2
    30 January 2011 at 9:06 am

    Key might just be heading for a fall. He is getting wildly overconfident. As Danyl at the Dimpost says:

    “I don’t think you need to be a feminist to feel there’s something naff about the Prime Minister going on a radio show hosted by Tony Veitch and talking about which Hollywood celebrities he wants to fuck.”

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/news/4597545/John-Keys-celebrity-crushes

    If it has been Labour’s strategy to nurture Key’s ballooning narcissism with its ineptitude to date, it’s starting to work a treat. Now he is blindly in love with himself, it might be time to cut the pratfalls and reel him in.

    • Chris73 2.1
      30 January 2011 at 9:14 am

      Or hes just cemented his persona as “one of the boys” or “hes a politician but hes all right”

      But it is interesting the place honesty (or is it honesty because hes a politician…) has in politics

      • just saying 2.1.1
        30 January 2011 at 10:02 am

        God, I can hear another story about Goff and his power tools coming already.

        Anyway Chris73, the swaggering sports lad crowd is just one demographic, and I wouldn’t be too sure that all, or even most of the women the ‘lads’ associate with, really are laughing along with them on this occasion.

        Still he may get away with it, and even boost his brand. I don’t understand the appeal so I wouldn’t know.

        • marty mars 2.1.1.1
          30 January 2011 at 10:15 am

          the goffice will have to be careful because whatever goff says key will take the piss out of him and then it will all be about key again being the big man. And if they say nothing he just gets a free ride.

    • Rosy 2.2
      30 January 2011 at 9:19 am

      Those Key comments are just about the most puke-inducing comments by a PRIME MINISTER that I have ever read. But then according to Dean Lonnegan I’m just jealous that I didn’t make his list! yep that’ll be it.

      • Chris73 2.2.1
        30 January 2011 at 9:32 am

        Oh no John Key finds attractive women attractive whatever next

        Its a non-event

        • Salsy 2.2.1.1
          30 January 2011 at 11:19 pm

          Who would ever admit to finding Angelina Jolie hot? Anyone whose read the womans weekly knows shes mentally unstable, into hard drugs, kinky sex and disgraced herself by passionately kissing her brother in public.. Hows that for a headline Herald? “Key’s admits lust for kinky sex, black magic, heroin and incest” lol..

    • ianmac 2.3
      30 January 2011 at 9:49 am

      Bizzarre isn’t it? At High School boys might drool over “hot Chicks” but the PM? Maybe the “power corrupts” has struck the PM and he is thinking about attracting the “hot” ones for a little slap and tickle in the Clinton or Berlusconi style?

      • jcuknz 2.3.1
        30 January 2011 at 10:20 am

        Look at the Italian situation …Bellasconi or something 🙂

        • Vicky32 2.3.1.1
          30 January 2011 at 6:33 pm

          My Italian friends, without exception, despise Berlusconi for his disgusting antics (one of them sent me an article from La Repubblica, comparing il nano’s activities to those of the Emperor Tiberius! (I can provide a link for Italian speakers, if anyone wants..)
          Is this a desperate attempt on Key’s part to be hated for something other than stuffing the economy?
          Or just an attempt to seem interesting?
          Deb

      • marsman 2.3.2
        30 January 2011 at 12:00 pm

        At High School is about the level of Key and his lot.

    • marty mars 2.4
      30 January 2011 at 9:51 am

      Yes js I saw that and was disgusted.

      It was a great insight when he talks about how he’d like to be tiger woods because of the money and “other benefits”. What a sleazebag.

      overconfidence and addiction to popularity – the fall will be messy and I can’t wait.

    • Lanthanide 2.5
      30 January 2011 at 9:57 am

      “”Obviously for the money I would be Tiger Woods. You get paid a truckload of money,” he said, adding “there are other benefits that clearly come with the job” too.”

      Says it all, really.

      • Chris73 2.5.1
        30 January 2011 at 10:01 am

        Yeah hes probably grabbed a few more votes from Labours voter base 🙂

        • ianmac 2.5.1.1
          30 January 2011 at 10:13 am

          Too right Chris 73. My wife too was overjoyed to read that John lusts after the glamour-persona/celebrities. Bromnia is tickled pink too. And those women who fought for Herceptin privileges just know that John is a real red blooded man. Why can’t you be like John Chris73? Oh. You already are. That figures.

          • Chris73 2.5.1.1.1
            30 January 2011 at 10:21 am

            Well I was referring to young, male and probably unemployed 😉

            But seriously its not strange at all, my wife knows I have a thing for Anna Faris and Scarlet Johan…(whatever her last name is) just like she has (my wife) the major hots for Ryan Reynolds and Mark Wahlberg

            Or is it you think all politicians should be humourless asexuals?

            • Draco T Bastard 2.5.1.1.1.1
              30 January 2011 at 10:56 am

              Well, as far Jonkey and the rest of the NACTs go, I’d prefer if they were humourless asexuals 😛

            • Lanthanide 2.5.1.1.1.2
              30 January 2011 at 11:11 am

              If I was young and unemployed (already the former), I don’t think John Key, or Goff, saying who they’d like to shag or be “because they’re rich” would make any difference to my choice of voting for them?

              Many who are young, male and unemployed won’t be reading about this, or have heard the original interview, anyway.

        • orange whip? 2.5.1.2
          30 January 2011 at 10:20 am

          I see you’re following the John Key PR strategy yourself there Chris.

          Say something boorish and ignorant then append it with a smile.

    • The Voice of Reason 2.6
      30 January 2011 at 10:07 am

      But does he think women can run the line? It’d be terrible if Key had to resign because he didn’t know the new offside rule.

      • Chris73 2.6.1
        30 January 2011 at 10:18 am

        I hope not because I’m not sure I understand it either

        • ianmac 2.6.1.1
          30 January 2011 at 10:22 am

          Oh? Well the rule is Chris73, that to lust after women because of their looks is offside especially if the bloke has painted the image of happily married family man.

  3. Rosy 3
    30 January 2011 at 9:49 am

    The Guardian’s profile on the new Egyptian vice-president makes me wonder if there has been a coup from within government. Mubarak may go, but there might be enormous repression afterward. A Soviet-trained head of intelligence capable of dealing with insurrection.
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/29/egypt-protests-government-live-blog#block-51

  4. joe90 4
    30 January 2011 at 11:48 am

    A moving interview with an Egyptian protesting outside the Egyptian embassy in London.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hBV0ApIh_4&feature=youtu.be

    ..freedom from the criminals who oppress us

  5. Marty G 5
    30 January 2011 at 12:18 pm

    while I remember, Tracy Watkins in the Dom yesterday mentioned by the by that Key’s office rang to complain when Stuff’s headline on his privatisation was ‘Key reveals plan for assets sales’ – they were sensitive about the media saying ‘asset sales’.

    what did stuff do? report this ridiculous interference to the public?

    No, they changed the headline to “$10b asset sale savings” – which doesn’t make any sense.

  6. Rharn 6
    30 January 2011 at 4:10 pm

    All it would take is for some ‘hot’ chick to comment that she has had an affair with Key. Just another dumb comment of Key’s that could have disasterious ramificaions be it true or not.

    • Chris73 6.1
      30 January 2011 at 5:20 pm

      In all honesty he probably has, just like most MPs (from both sides) probably have done the dirty but what happens in private should stay private…unless they do in fact portray themselves as something they’re not

      • Lanthanide 6.1.1
        30 January 2011 at 6:52 pm

        Um, I’m pretty sure philanderers would be in the minority in parliament. Worth apparently got thrown out for indiscretions, and look what a big fuss was kicked up around that. Similarly with Shane Jones and his porn. I think you’d have to be an idiot to think you could do that sort of thing and get away with it as a politician.

        • orange whip? 6.1.1.1
          30 January 2011 at 7:23 pm

          Interesting, what do you know about the reason Worth was sacked that the rest of us don’t?

        • Chris73 6.1.1.2
          30 January 2011 at 7:46 pm

          Are you serious?
          These are people who run the country, power is an aphrodesiac, and they spend alot of time away from their homes and families. You think its a coincidence that quite a few of their staff are young and attractive?

          As for being idiots I could give a number of examples of MPs being idiots that makes adultary seem like nothing

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    3 days ago
  • 2024’s unusually persistent warmth

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink My inaugural post on The Climate Brink 18 months ago looked at the year 2024, and found that it was likely to be the warmest year on record on the back of a (than forecast) El Nino event. I suggested “there is a real chance ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • National plan for 2000 more Kiwis a year in prison

    Open for allYesterday, Luxon congratulated his government on a job well done with emergency housing numbers, but advocates have been saying it‘s likely many are on the streets and sleeping in cars.Q&A featured some of the folks this weekend - homeless and in cars. Yes.The government’s also confirmed they stopped ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • I Found a Note in a Tree

    Hi,On most days I try to go on a walk through nature to clear my head from the horrors of life. Because as much as I like people, I also think it’s incredibly important to get very far away from them. To be reminded that there are also birds, lizards, ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Politicians need to lift their game

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    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Police say they won’t respond to bomb threats anymore as ‘it’s never anything’

    Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says that New Zealand’s police force will no longer respond to bomb threats, in an attempt to cut costs and redirect police resources to less boring activities. Coster said that threat response and bomb disposal was a “fairly obvious” area for downsizing, as bomb threats are ...
    The CivilianBy Ben Uffindell
    4 days ago
  • A dysfunctional watchdog

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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Climate Change: The threat of a good example

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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Vegas Baby

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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Why Entrust Needs New Leadership

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    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    4 days ago
  • London Bridge is falling down

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    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Govt may kick elderly out of hospitals

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Getting the nephs off the couch

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    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • De moralibus orcorum: Sargon of Akkad, Rings of Power, Evil, and George R.R. Martin

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    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #37

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    5 days ago
  • Salvation For Us All

    Yesterday, I ruminated about the effects of being a political follower.And, within politics, David Seymour was smart enough on Friday to divert attention from “race blind” policies [what about gender blind I thought - thinking of maternity wards] and cutting school lunches by throwing meat to the media. Teachers were ...
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    5 days ago
  • A warm embrace

    Far, far away from here lives our King. Some of his subjects can be quite the forelock tuggers, but plenty of us are not like that, and why don't I wheel out my favourite old story once more about Kiwi soldiers in the North African desert?Field Marshal Montgomery takes offence ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Literal clowns are running the place, we must put a timeout on this stupidity… right Aotearoa?

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    6 days ago
  • Fact brief – Does manmade CO2 have any detectable fingerprint?

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    6 days ago
  • Judge Not.

    Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Matthew 7:1-2FOUR HUNDRED AND FORTY men and women professing the Christian faith would appear to have imperilled their immortal souls. ...
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    6 days ago
  • Managed Democracy: Letting The People Decide, But Only When They Can Be Relied Upon To Give the Righ...

    Uh-uh! Not So Fast, Citizens! The power to initiate systemic change remains where it has always been in New Zealand’s representative democracy – in Parliament. To order a binding referendum, the House of Representatives must first to be persuaded that, on the question proposed, sharing its decision-making power with the people ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago
  • Looking For Labour’s Vital Signs.

    Flatlining: With no evidence of a genuine policy disruptor at work in Labour’s ranks, New Zealand’s wealthiest citizens can sleep easy.PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN has walked a picket-line. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has threatened “price-gauging” grocery retailers with price control. The Democratic Party’s 2024 platform situates it well to the left of Sir ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago
  • Forty Years Of Remembering To Forget.

    The Beginning of the End: Rogernomics became the short-hand descriptor for all the radical changes that swept away New Zealand’s social-democratic economy and society between 1984 and 1990. In the bitterest of ironies, those changes were introduced by the very same party which had entrenched New Zealand social-democracy 50 years earlier. ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago
  • Kōrero Mai – Speak to Me.

    Good morning all you lovely people. 🙂I woke up this morning, and it felt a bit like the last day of school. You might recall from earlier in the week that I’m heading home to Rotorua to see an old friend who doesn’t have much time. A sad journey, but ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Winning ways

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Street architecture adjustment, KolkataShare Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • 48 seconds on a plan that would reverberate for a million years

    Despite fears that Trump presidency would be disastrous for progress on climate change, the topic barely rated a mention in the Presidential debate. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Using blunt instruments and magical thinking to ignore evidence of harm

    The abrupt cancellations and suspensions of Government spending also caused private sector hiring, spending, and investment to freeze up for the first six months of the year. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāThis week we learned:The new National/ACT/NZ First Coalition Government ignored advice from Treasury that it didn’t have to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Is This A Dagger Which I See Before Me: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power Episode 5 (Seaso...

    Another week of The Rings of Power, season two, and another confirmation that things are definitely coming together for the show. The fifth Episode of season one represented the nadir of the series. Now? Amid the firmer footing of 2024, Episode Five represents further a further step towards excellent Tolkien ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    7 days ago
  • In Open Seas; A Book

    The background to In Open Seas: How the New Zealand Labour Government Went Wrong:2017-2023Not in Narrow Seas: The Economic History of Aotearoa New Zealand, published in 2020, proved more successful than either I or the publisher (VUP, now Te Herenga Waka University Press) expected. I had expected that it would ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 13

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the climate implications of the US Presidential elections; and special guests Janet ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Do or do not. There is no try

    1. Upon receiving evidence that school lunches were doing a marvellous job of improving outcomes for students, David Seymour did what?a. Declared we need much more of this sort of good news and poured extra resources and funding into them b. Emailed Atlas network to ask what to do next c. Cut ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Dangerous ground

    The Waitangi Tribunal has reported back on National's proposed changes to gut the Marine and Coastal Area Act and steal the foreshore and seabed for its greedy fishing-industry donors, and declared it to be another huge violation of ti Tiriti: The Waitangi Tribunal has found government changes to the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: National wants to cheat on Paris

    In 2016, the then-National government signed the Paris Agreement, committing Aotearoa to a 30 (later 50) percent reduction in emissions by 2030. When questioned about how they intended to meet that target with their complete absence of effective climate policy, they made a lot of noise about how it was ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Treasury warned Govt lower debt limits meant less ‘productivity-enhancing investment’

    Treasury’s advice to Cabinet was that the new Government could actually prudently carry net core Crown debt of up to 50% of GDP. But Luxon and Willis instead chose to portray the Government’s finances as in such a mess they had no choice but to carve 6.5% to 7.5% off ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Is the Media Complicit?

    This is a long read. Open to all.SYNOPSIS: Traditional media is at a cross roads. There is a need for those in the media landscape, as it stands, to earn enough to stay afloat, but also come across as balanced and neutral to keep its audiences.In America, NYT’s liberal leaning ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Black Friday

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    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 13-September-2024

    Ooh, Friday the thirteenth. Spooky! Is that why certain zombie ideas have been stalking the landscape this week, like the Mayor’s brainwave for a motorway bridge from Kauri Point to Point Chev? Read on and find out. This roundup, like all our coverage, is brought to you by the Greater ...
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    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #37 2024

    Open access notables Early knowledge but delays in climate actions: An ecocide case against both transnational oil corporations and national governments, Hauser et al., Environmental Science & Policy: Cast within the wide context of investigating the collusion at play between powerful political-economic actors and decision-makers as monopolists and debates about ‘the modern ...
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    1 week ago

  • Tourism on the table for Pacific Ministers’ meet-up

    Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey will meet with Trade and Tourism Minister of Australia Don Farrell and Fiji Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica in Rotorua this weekend for a trilateral tourism discussion. “Like in New Zealand, tourism plays a significant role in Australia and Fiji’s economy, contributing massively to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Young people report on family and sexual violence

    The Te Puna Aonui Expert Advisory Group for Children and Young People has presented its report today on improving family and sexual violence outcomes for young people, to the Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Karen Chhour.  The presentation at the Auckland event was an opportunity for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • $18 million being invested in the victims of crime

    The Government is putting more than $18 million towards improving the experience of the criminal justice system for victims, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Minister for Children Karen Chhour say. “No one should experience crime, but for those who through no fault of their own become victims, they need to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Landmark phonics check in te reo Māori

    For the first time, schools can use a purpose-built tool to check how a child is progressing in reading through te reo Māori. “Around 45 schools are trialling a New Zealand first te reo Māori phonics check, known as Hihira Weteoro. It will help kaiako (teachers) focus on what ākonga ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • New sea walls safeguard Ōpōtiki’s transformation

    Two new breakwater walls at Pākihikura (Ōpōtiki) Harbour will provide boats with safe harbour access to support the continued growth of aquaculture in Bay of Plenty, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones say. The Ministers and leaders from Tē Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea and other ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Kitmap to improve access to science infrastructure

    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced an online platform to optimise the use of New Zealand’s science and technology research infrastructure and to link the public and private sector. “This country is home to world-class science, technology, and engineering expertise. Kitmap is set to empower Kiwi innovators, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Driving the uptake of low emission heavy vehicles

    The Government has launched the Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund (LEHVF) to promote innovation and offset the cost of hundreds of heavy vehicles powered by clean technologies, Energy Minister Simeon Brown and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts say. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Speech on replacing the Resource Management Act

    Replacing the RMA Hon Chris Bishop: Good morning, it is great to be with you. Can I first acknowledge the Resource Management Law Association for hosting us here today. Can I also acknowledge my Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Simon Court, who is on stage with me. He has assisted me in establishing the ...
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    7 hours ago
  • Replacement for the Resource Management Act takes shape

    Two new laws will be developed to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA), with the enjoyment of property rights as their guiding principle, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Parliamentary Under-Secretary Simon Court say. “The RMA was passed with good intentions in 1991 but has proved a failure in practice. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Tough laws pass to make gang life uncomfortable

    Legislation passed through Parliament today will provide police and the courts with additional tools to crack down on gangs that peddle misery and intimidation throughout New Zealand, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “From November 21, gang insignia will be banned in all public places, courts will be able to issue non-consorting orders, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New levy rates set to ensure continued funding of FENZ

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the rates for the redesigned levy that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) from July 2026.  “Earlier this year FENZ consulted publicly on a 5.2 percent increase to the levy. I was not convinced that ...
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    1 day ago
  • Police allocate Officers to Beat and Gang Units

    The Coalition Government welcomes Police’s announcement today to deploy more police on the beat and staff to Gang Disruption Units.  An additional 70 officers will be allocated to Community Beat Teams across towns and regional centres.  This builds on the deployment of beat officers in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch CBDs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Consultation begins on significant updates to the biosecurity system

    Proposals to strengthen the country’s vital biosecurity system, including higher fines for passengers bringing in undeclared high-risk goods, greater flexibility around importing requirements, and fairer cost sharing for biosecurity responses have been released today for public consultation. Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says “The future is about resilience and the 30-year-old ...
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    1 day ago
  • Wānaka community to benefit from new overnight health service

    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says an Overnight Acute Care Service opening in October will provide people in Wānaka and the surrounding area with the assurance of quality overnight care closer to home.  “When I was in Wānaka earlier this year, I announced funding for an overnight health service – ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Preventing potholes with data-driven technology

    The Government is rolling out data collection vans across the country to better understand the condition of our road network to prevent potholes from forming in the first place, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is a key priority for the Government and increasing ...
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    1 day ago
  • GDP data shows effect of high interest rates

    Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data for the quarter to June 2024 reinforces how an extended period of high interest rates has meant tough times for families, businesses, and communities, but recent indications show the economy is starting to bounce back, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ data released today ...
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    1 day ago
  • NZ to host first Fiji, Australia trilateral trade Ministers’ meeting in Rotorua

    Trade Minister Todd McClay will host Fijian Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica and Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell for trilateral trade talks in Rotorua this weekend. “Fiji is one of the largest economies in the Pacific and is a respected partner for Australia and New Zealand,” Mr McClay says. Australia and New Zealand ...
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    1 day ago
  • NZ hosts Annual CER Trade Ministers’ meeting in Rotorua

    Trade Minister Todd McClay will meet with Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting in Rotorua this weekend.  “CER is our most comprehensive agreement covering trade, labour mobility, harmonisation of standards and political cooperation. It underpins an important trading relationship worth $32 ...
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    1 day ago
  • Government proposing changes to jury trials

    The Government is seeking the public’s feedback on two major changes to jury trials in order to improve court timeliness, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “The first proposal would increase the offence threshold at which a defendant can decide to have their case heard by a jury. “The second is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Business key to regional economic dialogue

    Local businesses and industries need to be front and centre in conversations about how regions plan to grow their economies, Regional Development Shane Jones says. The nationwide series of summits aims to facilitate conversations about regional economic growth and opportunities to drive productivity, prosperity and resilience through the Coalition Government’s Regional ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • More funding for Growing Up in New Zealand study

    The Government is investing $16.8 million over the next four years to extend the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) Longitudinal Study. GUiNZ is New Zealand’s largest longitudinal study of child health and wellbeing and has followed the lives of more than 6000 children born in 2009 and 2010, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tough targets for charter schools will raise achievement

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that Charter Schools will face a combination of minimum performance thresholds and stretch targets for achievement, attendance and financial sustainability. “Charter schools will be given greater freedom to respond to diverse student needs in innovative ways, but they will be held to a much ...
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    1 day ago
  • NZ votes for Middle East resolution at UN

    New Zealand has voted for a United Nations resolution on Israel’s presence in occupied Palestinian Territory with some caveats, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand’s yes vote is fundamentally a signal of our strong support for international law and the need for a two-state solution,” Mr Peters says.    “The Israel-Palestine ...
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    1 day ago
  • Honouring the legacy of New Zealand’s suffragists

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    1 day ago
  • Foreign Minister to travel to New York, French Polynesia

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is travelling to New York next week to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, followed by a visit to French Polynesia. “In the context of the myriad regional and global crises, our engagements in New York will demonstrate New Zealand’s strong support for ...
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    2 days ago
  • Thanking social workers on their national day

    “Today, on Aotearoa New Zealand Social Workers’ Day, I would like to recognise the tremendous effort social workers make not just today, but every day,” Children’s Minister and Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour says. “I thank all those working on the front line for ...
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    2 days ago
  • Minister of State for Trade heads to Laos for ASEAN meetings

    Minister of State for Trade Nicola Grigg will travel to Laos this week to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Ministers’ Meetings in Vientiane.   “The Government is committed to strengthening our relationship with ASEAN,” Ms Grigg says. “With next year marking 50 years since New Zealand became ...
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    2 days ago
  • Members appointed to retail crime MAG

    The Government has appointed four members to the Ministerial Advisory Group for victims of retail crime, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee say. “I am delighted to appoint Michael Hill’s national retail manager Michael Bell to the group, as well as Waikato community advocate and business ...
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    2 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation AGM and Conference 2024

    It’s my pleasure to be here to join the opening of the NZNO AGM and Conference for 2024.  First, I’d like to thank NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku, NZNO President, Anne Daniels, and Chief Execuitve Paul Gaulter for inviting me to speak today.  Thank you also to all the NZNO members ...
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    2 days ago
  • Improvements for New Zealand authors

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says changes to the Public Lending Right [PLR] scheme will help benefit both the National Library and authors who have books available in New Zealand libraries. “I am amending the regulations so that eligible authors will no longer have to reapply every year ...
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    3 days ago
  • Minister commends Police for gang operation

    Police Minister Mark Mitchell congratulates Police for the outstanding result of their most recent operation, targeting the Comancheros. “That Police have been able to round up the majority of the Comancheros leadership, and many of their patched members and prospects, shows not only the capability of Police, but also shows ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New appointments to the EPA board

    Environment Minister Penny Simmonds has announced a major refresh of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) board with four new appointments and one reappointment.   The new board members are Barry O’Neil, Jennifer Scoular, Alison Stewart and Nancy Tuaine, who have been appointed for a three-year term ending in August 2027.  “I would ...
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  • Enabling rural recovery works in Hawke’s Bay

    Cabinet has approved an Order in Council to enable severe weather recovery works to continue in the Hawke’s Bay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell say. “Cyclone Gabrielle and the other severe weather events in early 2023 caused significant loss and damage to ...
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    3 days ago
  • FamilyBoost childcare payment registrations open

    From today, low-to-middle-income families with young children can register for the new FamilyBoost payment, to help them meet early childhood education (ECE) costs. The scheme was introduced as part of the Government’s tax relief plan to help Kiwis who are doing it tough. “FamilyBoost is one of the ways we ...
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    3 days ago
  • Prioritising victims with tougher sentences

    The Government has today agreed to introduce sentencing reforms to Parliament this week that will ensure criminals face real consequences for crime and victims are prioritised, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. "In recent years, there has been a concerning trend where the courts have imposed fewer and shorter prison sentences ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Targets data confirms rise in violent crime

    The first quarterly report on progress against the nine public service targets show promising results in some areas and the scale of the challenge in others, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “Our Government reinstated targets to focus our public sector on driving better results for New Zealanders in health, education, ...
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    4 days ago
  • Asia Foundation Board appointments announced

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the appointments of Hone McGregor, Professor David Capie, and John Boswell to the Board of the Asia New Zealand Foundation.  Bede Corry, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has also been appointed as an ex-officio member. The new trustees join Dame Fran Wilde (Chair), ...
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    4 days ago
  • Endeavour Fund projects for economic growth

    New Zealand’s largest contestable science fund is investing in 72 new projects to address challenges, develop new technology and support communities, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. “This Endeavour Fund round being funded is focused on economic growth and commercial outputs,” Ms Collins says. “It involves funding of more ...
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    4 days ago
  • Social Services Providers Whakamanawa National Conference 16 September 2024

    Thank you for the introduction and the invitation to speak to you here today. I am honoured to be here in my capacity as Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, and Minister for Children. Thank you for creating a space where we can all listen and learn, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Parihaka infrastructure upgrades funded

    The Government will provide a $5.8 million grant to improve water infrastructure at Parihaka in Taranaki, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka say. “This grant from the Regional Infrastructure Fund will have a multitude of benefits for this hugely significant cultural site, including keeping local ...
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    4 days ago

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