Panama Papers whistleblower cites Pacific isles, NZ, for good reasons

Written By: - Date published: 6:37 pm, May 8th, 2016 - 23 comments
Categories: john key, tax - Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jürgen Mossack (photo: Jandrade97/Creative Commons)Panama Papers whistleblower “John Doe” in his “manifesto” published Friday  drew attention to Pacific island tax havens for the same good reason he singled out New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, as the only national leader to be named.

Doe noted Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca, whose 11.5 million files revealed a tsunami of tax dodging around the globe, “used its influence to write and bend laws worldwide to favour the interests of criminals over a period of decades.”

“In the case of the island of Niue, the firm essentially ran a tax haven from start to finish.”

He noted Key had been “curiously quiet about his country’s role in enabling the financial fraud Mecca that is the Cook Islands”.

Key dismissed this accusation as “confused” because the Cooks use the New Zealand dollar.

The Cook Islands “Wine Box” tax haven scandal was very familiar to all New Zealanders in the 1990s – it was a by-product of the fast and loose financial culture introduced to New Zealand by fourth Labour Government Finance Minister, Roger Douglas.

The Wine Box documents which came into the hands of some journalists and NZ First leader Winston Peters, bore much similarity to the 11.5 million documents leaked from Mossack Fonseca and include similar taxpayer rorts, just like New Zealand’s current policy of not taxing foreign entities registered here.

The Wine Box papers detailed extensive tax avoidance and evasion schemes run through Cook Islands offshore companies associated with a special purpose company, EPI, owned by the then New Zealand state bank, Bank of New Zealand, merchant bank Fay Richwhite & Co, whose principals Michael Fay and David Richwhite, were closely connected to both the Labour and National parties.

The Commission of Inquiry into Certain Matters relating to Taxation, better known as the Wine Box inquiry, after a tortuous three-year investigation, controversially concluded that no fraud was committed. Legal appeals to that ruling taken by Peters partially overturned the conclusion with the PrivyCouncil stating there was a prima facie case of fraud.

By then the whitewashing action had achieved its purpose.

In the aftermath of the Wine Box, the Cooks, which are constitutionally part of New Zealand, agreed that it would allow New Zealand oversight of its tax affairs.

Journalist Fran O’Sullivan, a key figure in the Wine Box affair, noted on Q&A yesterday, that a dump of Cook Islands documents in 2013 showed little had changed.

The whole concept of establishing the Cook Islands as a tax haven was overtly and covertly supported by the likes of Roger Douglas and his successor Ruth Richardson on the precept that the islands would become more self sufficient and less dependent on aid.

That philosophy – of trying to build businesses rather than alleviate poverty — essentially is still followed today, as evidenced by the recently revealed tawdry affair in Niue, whereby New Zealand company Scenic Hotels was in 2014 awarded the contract to run Matavai Resort, funded to the tune of $7.5 million by New Zealand aid.

It transpired Scenic’s founder, Earl Hagaman, donated $101,000 to the National Party. Foreign Minister Murray McCully denies any connection but in the words of Christine Keller’s famous phrase, “well, he would say that wouldn’t he.”

The Cook Island tax haven model was imitated by Niue, Samoa and Vanavatu among others.

Mike Field, a journalist who knows more about dark activities in the Pacific islands than anyone, has, since the Panama Papers scandal has erupted, written two detailed articles outlining their nefarious operations in different Pacific islands.

Back in the 1990s, he exposed Mossack Fonseca’s Pacific activities, and he will be surely one of the only journalists to get a full interview with Mossack’s German principal, Jürgen Mossack, , who he likened to the Waffen SS staffer Jürgen father was.

For the Nikkei Asian Review, he noted that by the time Mossack turned his attention to the South Pacific, the Cook Islands, Vanuatu and Nauru were already deeply into the offshore financial sector business.

Nauru had 450 “banks” registered to a single government mailbox through which $70 billion of Russian mafia money passed in 1998, according to statements by the Russian central bank.

Mossack bypassed those islands after reaching a 20-year exclusive deal in 1996 to handle offshore incorporations for Niue, a dependency of New Zealand with a population of under just over 1,100.

Niue received $100 a year from each of the 6,000 international business companies set up by Mossack Fonseca over eight years. Local lawyer Peleni Talagi, daughter of the current prime minister, became the firm’s agent.

Niue registration offered “total secrecy and anonymity,” with no need to file annual returns, the firm’s web ads bragged. . There were no requirements to disclose beneficial owners, nor any need to to file annual returns. “Complete business privacy and confidentiality” was assured. Opaqueness was enhanced by allowing company creation in Chinese characters as well as Cyrillic or Russian script.

Such was its success that by the late 1990s Niue’s activities were attracting the attention of the Group of Eight, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the U.S. State Department’s 1999 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report which said: “Niue’s thriving offshore financial sector has been linked with the laundering of criminal proceeds from Russia and South America.”

Credit card activities were blocked threatening its tiny tourism industry. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand saw Niue, because it used the New Zealand dollar, as a threat to the currency.

New Zealand’s Labour Government in 2000 tried to close down Niue’s haven business which led to Jürgen Mossack’s visit, but Foreign Minister Phil Goff refused to meet him.

Jürgen Mossack denied to Field his Niue operation was laundering “criminal receipts” as there was no banking system there. He told Field his business involved people “trying to avoid paying taxes in their home countries” – crucially “avoidance”, “unlike evasion”, is within the law, he said.

The OECD was using money laundering as a pretence to go after tax, he claimed. Niue had been offering “unfair tax competition” to the OECD.

He suggested the rich should protect their tax base in their own countries, not by beating up Niue.

“If OECD countries want to be serious about unfair tax competition they are going to have to close down their own operations first.”

According to data compiled from Mossack Fonseca’s files by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the firm’s use of Niue as a tax haven peaked in 1999 with over 6000 accounts, and Mossack shut down its operations in 2004, though the island still ranks as the fifth most-used tax haven by the firm since 1977, according to the ICIJ’s calculations.

Mossack relocated its regional operations to Samoa, taking advantage of local legislation on international financial operations that had been in place since 1987. Samoa ranked as the sixth most-used tax haven by Mossack Fonseca. Nine other trustee companies are licensed by the Samoan Government.

In response to the publication of the papers, the Samoan government said the sector complied with international standards and “made assurances that Samoa will redouble its efforts to ensure Samoa cannot and will not be used by money launderers and tax evaders.”

Field notes Samoa has been less than cooperative in the past. According to documents cited by the Australian Financial Review, a member of the ICIJ team, a 2007 letter from the chief executive of the Samoa International Finance Authority wrote to Mossack Fonseca saying, “As you are aware, we have been deliberately stalling the proposals from OECD countries to enter into Tax Information Exchange Agreements.”

Field, in his colourful Spinoff article cataloguing his career in the Pacific, reveals how Nauru, under corrupt former president Bernard Dowiyogo became even more of a Wild West for tax havens than Niue. Over 450 banks were registered to a single Nauru mailbox, which was a money laundering front, used, according to the Russian Central Bank, to launder over US$70 billion of Russian mafia money in 1999, with the actual money channelled through accounts in the Bank of New York.

Field’s sources revealed that around a third of the 450 “banks” were of Middle Eastern origin, including Al-Qaeda fronts. The same names turned up again a few years later, when Tonga instituted a flag of convenience shipping scheme.

In 2001, after the 9/11 attacks the dying Dowiyogo was pressured to close down the tax haven in return for treatment in the US.

Field comments on the hypocrisy of Pacific leaders, espousing Christianity, but who are happily complicit to establishing schemes of malfeasance, and sometimes blatant criminality that rip off nations which are invariably their main aid donors.

“They would justify it by saying places like Hong Kong and Delaware were doing it. There were no victims, they would say,” Field says

Mossack correctly stated in Field’s interview that money laundering via “states” like Nauru could only be done with the aid of the world’s big banks such as HSBC and Bank of America which have recently been convicted for money laundering. HSBC last year paid a fine of 40 million Swiss francs in return for shutting down an investigation into its laundering.

Field points out that vast amounts of Mexican drug money was laundered via US-based banks using shell New Zealand company fronts, mostly set up by father and son operation Geoffrey and Michael Taylor, who have registered a huge percentage of companies registered in New Zealand.

“Every operation of that scale needs the intervention of the big international banks,” Jurgen Mossack told Field. “When they see an unusual operation they must know it, and if they then continue the business it is because either they are not interested in the morals of the story, or they see it as good business to continue these operations.”

“If you have figures of that sort… then the international banks know what they are doing.”

Mossack claimed his firm was being picked on because it was from Panama and he may be right. “Why is somebody who is based in Panama any different, any worse, than somebody based in the United States or Europe? Panama is a country like any other, it is an on-shore country, it is not an island in the middle of nowhere.”

If Pacific leaders are hypocritical being Christian while running these operations, there are equally hard questions to be asked about New Zealand’s politicians, especially of Key.

He is simply wrong both to say that John Doe is confused about the Cooks, or that it is not New Zealand’s responsibility.

Constitutionally, New Zealand has a “special relationship” and the influence over Niue is even more powerful. We may not have constitutional influence over Samoa but the influence is undeniable. Neither Key, nor Helen Clark before him, were prepared to wield the aid card.

As Winston Peters said on The Nation today, given that Key was a “financial whizz” in his former role with Merrill Lynch, he can’t have been unaware of what the Cooks, Niue and co have been up to.

New Zealand’s own laws facilitating foreigners’ tax avoidance are also untenable.

It comes down to this – why are Key and his mates both here and abroad, not just content to tolerate, but are active in setting up these “legal” means to allow criminal tax evasion, avoidance and money laundering? The answer is this – they want to avoid paying their fair share of tax.

The ICIJ, that has been given access to the Mossack Fonseca files, plans to publish a “map” on the documents linking all the companies and the officers involved with them on Tuesday NZ time. We await with interest.

(Simon Louisson formerly worked for The Wall Street Journal, NZPA, Reuters, The Jerusalem Post and was most recently a political and media adviser to the Green Party)

23 comments on “Panama Papers whistleblower cites Pacific isles, NZ, for good reasons ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Paul Campbell 1
    8 May 2016 at 7:08 pm

    “John Doe” the Panama Papers leaker has drawn attention to National’s changes to our trusts laws in 2010 as being responsible for us becoming a tax haven, as usual Key keeps trying to pin the blame on earlier changes by Labour but this focuses us back on what National has done and why.

    I think we’ve been sidetracked by Key’s connection to his lawyer, his foreign trust activities, the good old boys, smoked filled rooms, insider lobbying … National business as usual. We can also remember Key publicly championing NZ as a southern hemisphere centre for international finance ….

    What I think we’re not looking into is how and why did those 2010 changes happen – who lobbied Key? was it his ‘lawyer’ who runs Key’s ‘blind’ trust? who else? was it’s Key’s idea that these changes should happen? who else championed the changes? what connections do they have? who donated money to the Nats during that time?

  2. Gangnam Style 2
    8 May 2016 at 7:38 pm

    No wonder Mr Angry (Hooton) is spinning wildly on Twitter, just saw this tweet from Bryce Edwards, “Nicky Hager, TVNZ, and RNZ will release NZ-related #panamapapers research tomorrow at 6am.” … Could be very interesting!

    • Paul 2.1
      8 May 2016 at 7:41 pm

      Thought it was Tuesday…

    • Anne 2.2
      8 May 2016 at 9:21 pm

      Love this tweet from you know who:

      Matthew Hooton ‏@MatthewHootonNZ
      I don’t take the word of an anonymous criminal. Hand over papers to tax authorities for proper investigation

      Well, isn’t that why the papers are being released? So that the tax authorities can look into the data for any possible illegal or criminal activity? Why, didn’t Key say he expected the IRD to investigate anything “unusual” about 24 hrs ago?

      Anyway Matty boy… a lot of people don’t take your word for anything much either.

      • save nz 2.2.1
        9 May 2016 at 12:07 pm

        But the NZ tax authorities also have their nose in the trough!

        TVNZ reveals the New Zealand operation centres on an accountancy firm called Bentleys, run by Roger Thompson, a former Inland Revenue executive.

        Bentleys, in downtown Auckland, is the New Zealand agent for Mossack Fonseca.

        Bentleys charges NZ$4000 to set up trusts for wealthy foreigners who then use New Zealand’s limited disclosure rules to stay anonymous even to IRD. Bentleys charges another $2000 a year to send a one page form to IRD to confirm the trust clients don’t need to pay any tax under New Zealand law.

  3. Alan W 3
    8 May 2016 at 7:52 pm

    you leap from fact to conjecture in your second to last paragraph, got any evidence to back that up?

    • lprent 3.1
      9 May 2016 at 12:34 am

      I think at this point the onus of proof is pretty much on our public servants like politicians to prove that they aren’t screwing other taxpayers.

      That is particularly the case for John Key bearing in mind that his “personal lawyer” was a shill for at least tax avoidance schemes here. It is pretty clear that John Key doesn’t want to disclose that kind of information. I’m afraid that is unacceptable bearing in mind what has been disclosed with other public servants world wide.

      There are far too many opportunities for public servants like John Key to feather their own nests and those of their friends by their decisions made when they don’t disclose their interests.

      • Henry Filth 3.1.1
        9 May 2016 at 5:04 am

        No, I think that here, as everywhere else, the burden of proof is on the accuser. That’s a principle, not ” . . . particularly the case for John Key”.

        Assertion is not argument, and accusation is not evidence.

        On the other hand, should the evidence be found, impeach the little b*gger.

        • Gristle 3.1.1.1
          9 May 2016 at 6:46 am

          HF there already is recognition that politicians need to have greater financial disclosure. This is the basis for the register in parliament. Further, the use blind trusts by PM’s shows they recognise the need to isolate their financial interests from their ability to influence outcomes favourable to their financial interests.

          The surprising thing with Key’s blind trust is that he can actually look into it and see the disposition of its assets.

          The question being asked now is does that disclosure level have to up a level to show tax records. For NZ tax records are private whereas this is not the case throughout the western world.

          As to your position on the burden of proof, I think many issues inside the tax regime have already shifted the burden of proof onto the taxpayer.

  4. Nick 4
    8 May 2016 at 8:54 pm

    The Panama leaks get right to the core of how people like ShonKey make their millions. Hopefully enough NZers realise in time for the electionthat this guy has been scamming his whole life and is now scamming the whole country.

  5. AmaKiwi 5
    8 May 2016 at 9:07 pm

    Little says he would shut down foreign trusts.

    Good work, Andrew. Clear and unequivocal. Excellent timing.

    Another excellent article by Simon Louisson. Thank you.

    • Whateva next? 5.1
      8 May 2016 at 9:55 pm

      Seconded

    • NZJester 5.2
      8 May 2016 at 10:12 pm

      I would say what about all the tax we will loose from the income of the ones running the trusts. But then I remembered they are running trusts to help others avoid tax and so very likely know how to hide their own income from tax. Looks like all we have to loose is our label as a tax haven.

      • Hanswurst 5.2.1
        9 May 2016 at 8:14 am

        “Lose”. Please, for the love of God, it’s “lose”, not “loose”. Sorry to single you out, but I’ve been seeing that particular misspelling so often that it’s really starting to set my teeth on edge.

        • Ed 5.2.1.1
          9 May 2016 at 2:01 pm

          Would that we could “loose” some tax from all those legal tax avoidance schemes. Good on you for raising the spelling issue.

  6. seeker 6
    8 May 2016 at 11:14 pm

    Was john key singled out by the Panama Papers hacker because he is now the chairman of the right wing International Democratic Union, as well as pm of New Zealand, so could have extra fish to fry?

  7. save nz 7
    9 May 2016 at 8:05 am

    Also of note is that One News last night made sure to say that trusts had been happening since the 1980’s i.e. Labour does it too!

    Nothing like having biased news here in little corrupt NZ!

    Also forget about tax avoidance being legal, it is pretty clear these lawyers and their clients have crossed the line into tax evasion and money laundering which is NOT legal.

    Even worse and scary is that politicians and lobbyists have bought themselves power to change legalisation so that they change the laws to steal tax payers money and resources and then use the weasel words “but it is legal” with laws they put in themselves to steal the money and assets and make corruption legal!

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/07/10bn-dollar-question-marcos-millions-nick-davies

  8. Venezia 8
    9 May 2016 at 10:26 pm

    Yes. The John Doe manifesto helps us join the dots. The links between rapidly growing global social inequality, the seeming inability of those with power to do anything to change it, the skimming off from the tax base of countries desperate for funds to develop their economies, the rise and rise of the fortunes of the 1% – all assisted by the financial power plays of foreign trusts and shell companies. John Key and his mates may keep saying it is all legal, but ethical and moral? Mossack Fonseca have been shown to be very dodgy. The vehicles they tout in the financial market place assist a variety of serious crime. Let us see what is uncovered in the weeks and months to come………

    https://panamapapers.icij.org/20160506-john-doe-statement.html

  9. Jack Ramaka 9
    10 May 2016 at 1:50 pm

    The legal profession in NZ has been extremely dodgy since year dot=Fact.

  10. webbrowan 10
    11 May 2016 at 5:04 pm

    I don’t think the issue is having all a person’s finance in a trust. It’s the lack of disclosure isn’t it? I mean at the end of the day, it shouldn’t matter where you put your money and what benefits you’re getting from putting your money in a particular place as long as you are truthful and honest about it right?

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    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    2 days ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 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
    3 hours 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
    20 hours 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
    22 hours 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
    22 hours 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
    23 hours 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
    23 hours 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
    24 hours 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
    1 day 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    3 days 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
    3 days 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
    3 days 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
    3 days 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
    3 days 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
    4 days 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
    4 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
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    5 days ago

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