Parliament’s tie issue

Written By: - Date published: 7:29 am, February 10th, 2021 - 90 comments
Categories: maori party, Parliament, twitter - Tags:

This is a weird issue for the Maori Party to get ready to die in a ditch about.

Having one of your two MPs being silenced in the people’s chamber for not wearing a decorative strip of material around your neck when all other males are seems at first to be pretty retrograde.

By all means make your stand and fight your battles but save them up for the big issues.

Child poverty, inadequate housing, environmental devastation, treaty breaches, fill your boots.  The Maori electorate has a particularly focussed and painful experience of these issues and will cheer you every time you make a stand.

But neck ties?  You are just filling bandwidth and the twitterverse with irrelevant chatter.

Having said this Parliament does need to change the rules.

As a lawyer I have worn a tie every time I have gone into court during the last 36 years.  Does it help me do my job? No.

And in the People’s house of representatives this artificial historic requirement is so arbitrary.

But suit with tie, without tie, good old westie black shirt with jeans and maybe a dress jacket for style, these should all be sufficient.

The People’s house should mark its members by the quality of their work and the quality of their representation.

And if they do not live up to expectations then there is the right of the electorate to vote them out at the next election.

I hate to agree with Claire Robinson.  Her comments are always fashioned to be critical of Labour and supportive of National.  She deserves her Spin Doctor moniker.

But on this issue I agree with her.  The requirement for male MPs to wear a tie is an anachronistic distraction.

Let us just require our MPs to turn up to work wearing something tidy and presentable.

And hope that they concentrate on dealing with issues such as child poverty, inadequate housing, environmental devastation and treaty breaches.

90 comments on “Parliament’s tie issue ”

  1. lprent 1

    I turn up for work in everything from tee shirts that say "Grey Lynn" to ones that say "Programmer looking for work, willing to do windows". From jeans to shorts. After going to work in a car, to sweating in through the door after biking to work on a humid day. Running shoes or sandals. They're usually tidy if you have blurry. Always clean until after lunch.

    But my job is mostly inherently back end and, apart from the odd zoom call, usually far away from the customer. If customers see me, it is because I'm fixing some horrible screw-up that has been defeating others.

    Last time I wore a tie was probably a wedding back in the 1980s. My partner certainly commented on how bloody old and out of date they looked after she spring cleaned my clothes and threw them out a decade ago.

    So I agree with Rawiri Waititi at a personal level. In fact the requirement to wear such a stupid monstrosity was one of the things that I considered decades ago when I decided that pursuing an interest in politics was way less interesting than an obsession with programming.

    On the other hand, it is a kind of uniform. I've worn those in the army. I've worn them been doing management jobs. When I have been doing technical sales. When I have been a barman. And even when doing the odd appearance at social occasions like weddings.

    They're functionally designed to allow you to blend in. Like a gillie suit for a sniper.

    I argue against them loudly when they're silly. But I won't stop working in a principle over them.

    Only a narcissistic dickhead wanting to stand out would die in a ditch to change that. I guess that defines Rawiri Waititi.

    Plus he is probably enabling the dinosaur culture war warriors to cling to their authority to hold on to a non-functional dress standard for more decades.

  2. kejo 2

    And I would say that 0.00005% of Maori find a tie relevant and class this as an appropriate and colourful "up yours" towards a Speaker of the House with an 1840,s sense of reality. Regards, Keith

  3. Treetop 3

    Being silenced in the people's chamber for not wearing a tie is going to far.

    Mallard is acting like a school principal using a school dress code against someone.

    The tie rule is the issue and Rawari Waititi is challenging it.

    • Tricledrown 3.1

      Mallard wearing an Americas cup logo shouldn't be allowed.

      Then don't we have equal rights women should have to wear ties as well.

      • Treetop 3.1.1

        What a silly rule wearing a tie is. There is no rule saying you need to wear make up or dye your hair if it is going grey or regrowth coming through. The justice department had a change in barristers wearing wigs some years back.

  4. Siobhan 4

    As someone of Scottish heritage…I consider cultural battles over dress are, infact, important… however the fact that the Māori Party co-leaders did not submit on the business attire dress code seriously weakens their position.

    The argument not to submit…"If two of us in the Māori Party were to put in a submission to say we didn't agree with ties, that would get lost amongst the very system that keeps our people in second place: democracy."….makes me wonder why the Maori Party have even accepted a seat within Parliament where everything is subjected to the always flawed rules of Democracy.

    Again…I am not saying the Maori Party leaders are wrong on either issue, in fact I agree with them generally…..There are many powerful and valid reasons to fight your cause by remaining outside of the power structures (something they should have learned after their partnership with National). But trying to be …one foot in..one foot out…with the plodding rules and systems of Parliament, and parliamentary change/evolution, just doesn't work.

    • weka 4.1

      that quote makes more sense if you read the whole thing.

      "As the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, we're still having to go to the white man to make a submission about how we should dress in a place that has been consented by my ancestors through Te Tiriti o Waitangi," Waititi said.

      "If two of us in the Māori Party were to put in a submission to say we didn't agree with ties, that would get lost amongst the very system that keeps our people in second place: democracy.

      "When it suits everybody democracy works, but when it doesn't suit everybody, you know, we get overpowered by the majority.

      https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018782850/my-taonga-is-my-tie-maori-party-co-leader-rawiri-waititi

      Maybe there is an issue of mana there. That it is diminished in multiple ways.

      He may also be pointing to participatory democracy rather than majority rules. Choosing to not engage in certain aspects of the flawed model can be a choice of empowerment. Mallard's defence that he asked for submissions seems weak to me, because he didn't explain how that process was done. Was it a vote? Or was he taking advice and making a decision? Were TMP's voices likely to be heard? I'm guessing probably not.

      I'm also suspicious of the idea that most people said keep the ties, it suggests the process was flawed and lots of people didn't submit. Or maybe it was how the question was asked. Who knows.

  5. Roy Cartland 5

    I think it's a stupid thing for the speaker to [make someone] die in a ditch over. Did someone complain? Make it an issue then, and turn it to the idiotic complainer, rather than make an ass of himself, and Waititi.

    • David 5.1

      The Speaker has shown a poor sense of judgement on this and more significant issues recently. His credibility in the role is at a very low ebb.

      • Peter 5.1.1

        "The Speaker has shown a poor sense of judgement on this…"

        He went with what the majority wanted after consultation.

        Would you rather he just go within his own personal opinion on everything, his gut feeling? And would you then be addressing his dictator attitude?

        • DukeEll 5.1.1.1

          Must suck to be a cultural minority…. but whatever, as long as the majority can perform their tyranny

          • mac1 5.1.1.1.1

            The majority thing is how Parliament, and democracy, works with hopefully due regard to the rights of the minority.

            The Speaker is bound by such rules, even though his personal preference would be to dump ties.

            • DukeEll 5.1.1.1.1.1

              In the institution that has specific Maori seats to specifically address the issue that Maori were and are under-represented by Maori in said institution, Maori aren't allowed to dress as Maori, only as Pakeha, because they are a minority?

              Good to know.

              That majority wouldn't be partly comprised of Labour MP's disgruntled that the Maori party took Waiariki from them would it?

              • mac1

                I'm not sure that I know how Maori should be dressed 'in business attire" as the Speaker ruled yesterday.

                I do know that hei tiki are worn with ties.

                But to suggest that MPs would be so churlish as to stymie a man's chosen snazzy garb because he won a seat from one of their own?

                BTW, though your point about the need for retention of Māori seats is valid, yesterday in the House it was pointed out that Māori, while comprising 14% of the population (my understanding is 17%), are represented by a larger % in the House.

                What's happening out in the District Councils is a different matter. One MP argued she had never seen a Māori councillor in her area in 29 years. Waititi's colleague argued convincingly enough in that debate. And her tie looked quite sharp……

                • DukeEll

                  But as long as the majority approve of the individual items that define business attire, you agree? diversity until otherwise allowed I guess.

                  <i> But to suggest that MPs would be so churlish as to stymie a man's chosen snazzy garb because he won a seat from one of their own? </i>

                  Well, The majority in parliament is Labour and the Greens, so there must be at least some in either of those parties responsible.

                  • mac1

                    They will sort it out. What I think is immaterial. What I was challenging was that we all know how MPs should be dressed, or that we can impute childish and vengeful motives to parliamentarians, without challenge.

                    "You beat me in one of our seats so you have to wear a tie nyah nyah na na nyah!” Really?

                    Another point- if there are rules, someone has to judge whether they are followed- judge, umpire, schoolteacher, parent, whoever. And be criticised for doing so, as always there will be those who disagree with the rules. In the House, they’re called Speaker, responsible to the House and enforcing its members’ rules.

        • Treetop 5.1.1.2

          It does not make it right just because the majority wanted ties to be worn. An exemption could be granted.

        • Louis 5.1.1.3

          It is odd that the Maori party, that wanted the tie rule gone, didnt bother to submit to the review.

  6. Stuart Munro 6

    Meh – his tiki thing fills the tie role adequately – it's his hat I'd throw him out for: it's not from any NZ culture. Mind, his 2ic's hat is great – it's the stuff that fills it that struggles.

    • Roy Cartland 6.2

      With you there re hat.

    • McFlock 6.3

      It's definitely a blatant "out" for Mallard to say "same diff, ties and tiki show equal respect for the House".

    • woodart 6.4

      completley agree, raving on about having to wear an item of european clothing ,while wearing an item of american clothing shows huge amounts of hypocrisy, and very little consistency.

    • georgecom 6.5

      I thought similar Stuart Munro. Maybe a tiki is appropriate under Tikanga Maori as a replacement for a tie. If that is so I am fairly relaxed about Waititi wearing that in substitute for a neck tie or bow tie. The 'colonial noose' as he calls it.

      How about the 'pax americana crown' he wears however, the symbol of post war american economic imperialism. Latin America and to a lesser extent the Middle East and for a period South East Asia being a play thing for US economic imperialism.

  7. Sabine 7

    Yeah, cause being silenced by a white fellow for not wearing what is essentially a white men fashion statement/ adornment must be the fault of the not white guys.

  8. Ad 8

    At least Winston Peters knew how to dress. It starts with a double-breasted and finely tailored dark suit.

  9. Robert Guyton 9

    So many people talking about Rawiri Waititi and Te Pati Maori!

    He pai tena!

  10. Sacha 10

    It is a useful symbolic issue about our colonial institutions.

    https://twitter.com/Publicwrongs/status/1359058689647284227

  11. Incognito 11

    The tie should be thrown on the bonfire of regulations together with all other rules that are deemed silly or unnecessary by at least one MP. Did Simon Bridges walk in solidarity with his brother when he got ejected from Parliament?

  12. Barfly 12

    Heh – Rawiri Waititi in my opinion is firmly following the principle of "all publicity is good publicity" – nothing more.

  13. Foreign waka 13

    Storm in a tea cup. There are more pressing issues that need attention.

  14. Robert Guyton 14

    The Maori wards issue is far more interesting.

  15. Sanctuary 15

    Homer noted in the Odyssey that Ulysses tidying up his appearance gave him "…the air of the gods who dwell in the wide heaven." while Erasmus in 1508 tells us “vestis virum facit (clothes make the man).” Mark Twain in "The Czar’s Soliloquy" says “[One] realizes that without his clothes a man would be nothing at all; that the clothes do not merely make the man, the clothes are the man; that without them he is a cipher, a vacancy, a nobody, a nothing… There is no power without clothes.” And any number of sumptary laws also tell us of the importance of appearance.

    And of course this advice might offer a clue to any Instagram influencer annoyed as to why it might be that no one takes her pronouncements seriously when given in her postage stamp bikini.

    I think then that we can dispense with the ridiculous idea that clothes are unimportant, especially when dealing with a body such as parliament that derives some of dignity (from which some part of it's authority is attained) from the example of it's sartorial display to those it presumes to rule.

    Following the rules and wearing a tie is part of the conventional sumptary display voters clearly expect from their MPs. This is only a problem if you want to make it one, or perhaps you wish to signal you don't take your $180,000PA taxpayer funded job seriously. The Maori party so far it all it's behaviour has indicated it isn't interested in being serious about it's job or indeed in taking parliament as the legislative body that sets our laws and governs the land seriously. I get it is playing to it's perceived support base – a gallery of resentful and arrogant Maori nationalists keen for the trappings of executive power but not particularly interested in democratic responsibility – but I have to observe that a party that spent from 2008-2017 propping up the government of the bespoke be-suited (and presumably be-decked with a splendid array of couture attacher) settler capitalist class that made every metric of Maori life worse (except for new the Iwi elites) makes it faux outrage a ridiculously thin gruel to me, at least.

    My advice to the Moari party therefore is put the fucking tie on and do your fucking jobs for poor and badly housed Maori and stop behaving like unserious larrikans. Voters have no interest in your stupid parliamentary parlour games. Or if you are not interested in being serious about being in parliament, piss off and get someone who is.

  16. Anne 16

    To put a few commenters straight: Mallard consulted with the parliamentarians about the issue. A significant majority wanted the tie rule to continue. That [presumably] means all the Nat. and ACT MPs and maybe a few from Labour.

    Mallard himself is on record in the past few days noting that he personally supported the dropping of the tie rule, but since the majority of parliamentarian wish it to continue he has no choice but to uphold the rule.

    Get your facts right folks and blame the parliamentarians who insisted on the tie rule remaining – not the Speaker.

    • Red Blooded One 16.1

      yes

    • KJT 16.2

      Yep. It seems Mallard has acted perfectly correctly in this instance. Puzzling why the Māori party didn't object when it was decided. They could have persuaded MP's that ties could be substituted with Taonga, or Bolo's.

      This is one of many issues that shows the value of “Consensus” decision making.

    • Enough is Enough 16.4

      Maybe a few from Labour?

      Considering the massive majority they hold in Parliament, along with the Greens, then certainly Labour MPs wanted the tie to stay.

      That's how democracy works.

      Suck it up and lets get on with fixing some real issues.

      • Anne 16.4.1

        Suck it up and lets get on with fixing some real issues.

        Agreed. I couldn't care less if they wear ties or not. Provided they show respect for the chamber and appear clean, tidy and reasonably soberly attired let them wear what they like.

        I was just correcting a few people here, who seemed to think it was Mallard throwing his weight around. He was following an apparent majority decision by MPs to keep the tie tradition in place.

    • Gabby 16.6

      What a disappointing, shallow bunch the majority of parliamentarians are.

  17. KJT 17

    Time we got rid of elitist colonial relics such as ties anyway.

    This is as rediculous as schools dictating pupils haircuts.

    As I get older I have less and less regard for rules and conventions that have nothing to do with achieving the task on hand. Even less for ones that came from a much cooler climate than ours.

    At one stage ties, and suits. were the male management uniform in the job I was doing at the time.

    After a bit I stopped wearing one, and bought comfortable trousers and a polo shirt. Just dressed neatly and tidily.

    You know what. Nobody noticed for a while, then they started turning up themselves in what is usually called, "smart casual".

    The sky did not fall in!

    Noting that anyonene who has tried to rip me off or climb over me on corporate ladder, while giving me a kick on the way up, has worn a suit and tie.

    Never had anything but help from those in working clothes, with tattoos and T shirts, or even Bikie leathers.

  18. Drowsy M. Kram 18

    Mallard’s treatment of a duly elected NZ parliamentarian is the bad look, imho.

    Speaker to consider dropping ties from Parliament's dress code

    Parliament dress code review: Wellington fashion icon on ties and workplace attire [27 Nov 2020]

    "I welcome this discussion for our New Zealand Government and I hope that they can come to a solution that suits the Government of today.

    "What we don't want to do is create limitations and blocks for people, and to be more comfortable and open."

    The phallic necktie is an outdated symbol of white male rule in New Zealand's parliament

    Parliament Dress Code Changed For First Time Since 1963

    Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka has made a historic ruling regarding how Senators are allowed to dress in the house.

    During a session on Tuesday, November 10 [2020], Speaker Lusaka stated that legislators would now be allowed to access Parliament's debate chambers and attend house business in traditional African attire.

    I think it's only fair that the same rules apply to someone who’s in the chamber to someone remotely. Hence why I am very worried about Michael Fabricant’s pink shorts.

    This MP Was Shamed For Wearing A (Very Nice) Dress In Parliament
    Rempel, for one, says she won’t let the trolls win. She plans to wear the dress again and again. “I bought in two more colours,” she says.

    South Korea's National Assembly plans to enforce dress code

    Ryu's party later said she was the victim of sexism and that her outfit was an act of defiance against a conservative political culture.

    "The authority of the National Assembly is not built upon those suits," Ryu had said.

    On Wednesday, the National Assembly research service said it is reviewing dress codes that apply to parliaments in Britain, France, Germany and Japan and the U.S. Congress.

    https://twitter.com/nzparliament/status/1310739241928806400?lang=en

  19. Peter 19

    Waititi's comments could be used by anyone arguing against school uniforms.

    The comments by many about 'cultural relics' and being imprisoned by the colonial past? In New Zealand that's why traditional old English public school type uniforms are held in high regard. It's why the expensive private schools here seem to try top replicate their old English cousins. It's tradition, it's a sign of class.

    Last week in the hot weather a group of high school girls crossed the road on a pedestrian crossing in front of me. Girls from the kura, in the hot weather, in Northland, wearing black stockings. It struck me as crazy but someone thinks it's a great idea and I guess they all go along with it.

  20. Incognito 20

    IMHO, a much more interesting debate would be about what we can rightfully expect from our Parliamentarians in terms of standards of behaviour and (moral) conduct. Not just in the House, but in public (e.g. in the media), on-line (e.g. social media), even in private, and when they’re wearing their many different ‘hats’. To turn this into Tiegate seems another futile beat-up.

  21. McFlock 21

    Ties, like most uniform elements, are arbitrary relics.

    I never wear one these days. But I used to.

    When I was doing venue security, I worked two type of job: pubs where they gave you a "crew" or "security"-labelled tshirt as an identifer, and formal events. For the latter I wore a tie.

    I found that each assisted me in adopting the appropriate character for the role I was about to play. Mannerisms changed, even verbal reactions. "Mate" became "sir", "what the hell" became "good god" (that ws a heck of a sight. Normally we caught the courting couples before they got anywhere near that far).

    Parliament should be a better place than it is. Members should dress accordingly. But the actual effort is what is important, not the arbitrary symbols used to express it.

    • Sacha 21.1

      Normally we caught the courting couples before they got anywhere near that far

      Big Day Out? 🙂

      • McFlock 21.1.1

        Formal function lol. Pretty usual for folks to try to sneak off down dark corridors into "unused" (read "less used") parts of the function centre. Dunno about now, but in those days the building was sectioned off using particle board partitions.

        The funniest one was a couple we didn't catch at the time, but someone was wearing a feather boa. A thin trail of feathers past a partition and down the hall, then left into the ladies… and an explosion of feathers around the sink bench lol. CSI: School Formals lol

  22. AB 22

    More importantly – and this is the great issue of our age – are ties 'speech' ? (There are joke ties that actually play recorded words, but I don't mean them)

    • mac1 22.1

      Ties can be loud, they can say something about the wearer, or the giver, and in Parliament's setting should be seen and not heard…..

  23. Reality 23

    Well if a professional appearance is outdated and anything goes, perhaps the All Blacks could toss on any random jersey/shorts they had worn for practicing in. Air crew could grab anything they first laid eyes on in their wardrobe. The military could dispense with their smart uniforms and buy cheap track pants/sweat shirts in bulk from the Warehouse, as could the Police.

    I recall a low decile sports team a few years ago being so pleased they had finally got blazers to wear to sports fixtures, just the same as all the other school teams.

    Some respect for tradition is surely necessary even in today's more relaxed environment.

  24. bwaghorn 24

    So hes got a no doubt expensive object that actually means something to him tied!!! around his neck but it's not a tie,

    Ok then🙄🙄

    Can some point to a standing order that clearly defines what makes the grade

  25. Jilly Bee 25

    Is there any reason why the Speaker can't ask for a vote from the floor – the Ayes and Nos would be then available for us all to see and, just perhaps it would put an end to the matter. There is probably some rule or standing order which would prohibit such a vote.

  26. Macro 26

    As a lawyer I have worn a tie every time I have gone into court during the last 36 years. Does it help me do my job? No.

    This one is for you Micky laugh

    I notice the cats not wearing a tie either!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGOofzZOyl8

  27. Andre 27

    Bring back the powdered wigs!

  28. Roy Cartland 28

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/436143/rawiri-waititi-allowed-to-speak-in-parliament-without-neck-tie

    Mallard came to his senses. Now let's see if the Standing Orders Committee will too.

    • Louis 28.1

      "Mallard said he had a discussion with co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and they agreed a truce until the committee had met.

      "I did have an undertaking that he wouldn't be speaking, that he'd only be present, but we're going to deal with these matters at 7.15pm"

      Waititi asked a question therefore didn't keep his word.

    • Louis 28.2

      "To put a few commenters straight: Mallard consulted with the parliamentarians about the issue. A significant majority wanted the tie rule to continue"

      See Anne's full post at 16.

  29. Treetop 29

    Ties are unhealthy, they can reduce blood flow to the brain and play a part in some eye disorders. That might be the reason for some of the behaviour in parliament, I cannot recall that, I did not see that… In hospitals they can transmit infection.

    No doubt there is a lot more to add about how unhealthy ties are.

  30. pdm 30

    I can live with a no tie rule as long as proper dress shirts are worn with ties required for the Opening of Parliament etc.

    The hat is a different issue – it is just plain bad manners for any man to wear a hat indoors. Even military people remove their hats when inside a building.

    • Cinny 30.1

      YES, a man should always remove his hat in such surroundings as a sign of respect.

      Re the tie, my own personal opinion, love a man in a suit in tie. But no tie in parliament isn't a big deal for me.

  31. What about the elephant in the room ? The American cowboy hat , perhaps the ultimate internationally recognised symbol of Honky culture ……..

  32. Muttonbird 32

    Bizarre.

    The AM Show tie debate: MP wearing tie hails end of rule, while MP without tie says keep them compulsory

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/02/the-am-show-tie-debate-mp-wearing-tie-hails-end-of-rule-while-mp-without-tie-says-keep-them-compulsory.html

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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
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