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 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. lprent 1
    10 February 2021 at 8:03 am

    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
    10 February 2021 at 8:04 am

    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
    10 February 2021 at 8:35 am

    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
      10 February 2021 at 9:06 am

      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
        10 February 2021 at 2:46 pm

        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
    10 February 2021 at 8:38 am

    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
      11 February 2021 at 10:28 pm

      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
    10 February 2021 at 8:41 am

    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
      10 February 2021 at 9:50 am

      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
        10 February 2021 at 11:06 am

        "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
          10 February 2021 at 11:17 am

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

          • mac1 5.1.1.1.1
            10 February 2021 at 12:03 pm

            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
              10 February 2021 at 2:28 pm

              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 …
                10 February 2021 at 3:02 pm

                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 …
                  10 February 2021 at 3:15 pm

                  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 …
                    10 February 2021 at 6:39 pm

                    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
          10 February 2021 at 2:49 pm

          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
          10 February 2021 at 7:28 pm

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

  6. Stuart Munro 6
    10 February 2021 at 8:43 am

    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
      10 February 2021 at 10:02 am

      With you there re hat.

    • McFlock 6.3
      10 February 2021 at 12:25 pm

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

    • woodart 6.4
      10 February 2021 at 12:44 pm

      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
      10 February 2021 at 9:28 pm

      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
    10 February 2021 at 8:54 am

    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
    10 February 2021 at 9:12 am

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

  9. Robert Guyton 9
    10 February 2021 at 9:14 am

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

    He pai tena!

  10. Sacha 10
    10 February 2021 at 9:36 am

    It is a useful symbolic issue about our colonial institutions.

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

  11. Incognito 11
    10 February 2021 at 9:36 am

    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
    10 February 2021 at 9:44 am

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

  13. Foreign waka 13
    10 February 2021 at 9:45 am

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

  14. Robert Guyton 14
    10 February 2021 at 9:55 am

    The Maori wards issue is far more interesting.

  15. Sanctuary 15
    10 February 2021 at 10:11 am

    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
    10 February 2021 at 10:38 am

    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
      10 February 2021 at 11:48 am

      yes

    • KJT 16.2
      10 February 2021 at 12:35 pm

      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
      10 February 2021 at 2:12 pm

      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
        10 February 2021 at 4:19 pm

        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
      10 February 2021 at 11:01 pm

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

  17. KJT 17
    10 February 2021 at 10:40 am

    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
    10 February 2021 at 11:13 am

    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
    10 February 2021 at 11:19 am

    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
    10 February 2021 at 12:24 pm

    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
    10 February 2021 at 12:42 pm

    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
      11 February 2021 at 8:17 pm

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

      Big Day Out? 🙂

      • McFlock 21.1.1
        11 February 2021 at 9:05 pm

        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
    10 February 2021 at 1:05 pm

    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
      10 February 2021 at 1:13 pm

      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
    10 February 2021 at 1:12 pm

    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
    10 February 2021 at 1:22 pm

    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
    10 February 2021 at 1:45 pm

    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
    10 February 2021 at 2:01 pm

    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
    10 February 2021 at 3:22 pm

    Bring back the powdered wigs!

  28. Roy Cartland 28
    10 February 2021 at 4:26 pm

    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
      10 February 2021 at 6:41 pm

      "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
      10 February 2021 at 6:46 pm

      "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
    10 February 2021 at 6:53 pm

    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
    10 February 2021 at 7:21 pm

    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
      11 February 2021 at 6:26 pm

      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. philip evans 31
    11 February 2021 at 2:40 pm

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

  32. Muttonbird 32
    12 February 2021 at 1:33 pm

    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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    Buzz from the Beehive The Minister of Defence has returned from Noumea to announce New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting and (wearing another ministerial hat) to condemn malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government. A bigger cheer from people who voted for the Luxon ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • ELIZABETH RATA: In defence of the liberal university and against indigenisation
    The suppression of individual thought in our universities spills over into society, threatening free speech everywhere. Elizabeth Rata writes –  Indigenising New Zealand’s universities is well underway, presumably with the agreement of University Councils and despite the absence of public discussion. Indigenising, under the broader umbrella of decolonisation, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the skewed media coverage of Gaza
    Now that he’s back as Foreign Minister, maybe Winston Peters should start reading the MFAT website. If he did, Peters would find MFAT celebrating the 25th anniversary of how New Zealand alerted the rest of the world to the genocide developing in Rwanda. Quote: New Zealand played an important role ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • “Your Circus, Your Clowns.”
    It must have been a hard first couple of weeks for National voters, since the coalition was announced. Seeing their party make so many concessions to New Zealand First and ACT that there seems little remains of their own policies, other than the dwindling dream of tax cuts and the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 8-December-2023
    It’s Friday again and Christmas is fast approaching. Here’s some of the stories that caught our attention. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered some of the recent talk around the costs, benefits and challenges with the City Rail Link. On Thursday Matt looked at how ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago

  • End-of-week escapism
    Amsterdam to Hong Kong William McCartney16,000 kilometres41 days18 trains13 countries11 currencies6 long-distance taxis4 taxi apps4 buses3 sim cards2 ferries1 tram0 medical events (surprisingly)Episode 4Whether the Sofia-Istanbul Express really qualifies to be called an express is debatable, but it’s another one of those likeably old and slow trains tha… ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 8
    Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro arrives for the State Opening of Parliament (Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)TL;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:New Finance Minister Nicola Willis set herself a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand’s Witchcraft Laws: 1840/1858-1961/1962
    Sometimes one gets morbidly curious about the oddities of one’s own legal system. Sometimes one writes entire essays on New Zealand’s experience with Blasphemous Libel: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/blasphemous-libel-new-zealand-politics/ And sometimes one follows up the exact historical status of witchcraft law in New Zealand. As one does, of course. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • No surprises
    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    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

  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago

  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago

  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    7 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Post-Cabinet press conference
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  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
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