Peters vs Key

Written By: - Date published: 8:27 pm, August 18th, 2010 - 53 comments
Categories: national, nz first - Tags: ,

TV3 is reporting Winston Peters will standing at the next election… against John Key in Helensville. Those are candidate meetings I for one wouldn’t want to miss! According to TV3:

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is taking the gloves off.

Sources close to him have told 3 News that Mr Peters is going to fight Prime Minister John Key in his very own electorate Helensville at the election next year.

It’s a fight that just might see Mr Peters back in Parliament, after he and New Zealand First failed to make it in 2008.

Sources close to Mr Peters have told 3 News of his plans, and Mr Peters today refused to rule it out, saying it was “interesting proposition” that would force Mr Key to answer questions and turn up for a debate.

And further…

Mr Key ruled out working with Mr Peters last election – that hurt Mr Peters and NZ First failed to make it back.

Mr Peters hasn’t forgotten that – now he’s readying himself to take on the Prime Minister in his own backyard.

What a brilliant PR stunt. Even if Peters doesn’t end up standing he’s won yet another media round. But come on, wouldn’t it just be a great bit of fun for us lefties to watch Key and Peters duke it out?

We all know who’d come out with a black eye.

(I have some thoughts on Peters and the latest problems with ACT, which I’ll share in some detail tomorrow)

53 comments on “Peters vs Key ”

  1. BLiP 1

    Mocking is such an pleasant characteristic of the Left. Now that I have risen above the divide, I see clearly now the way ahead, perhaps others can also begin to glimpse the falling into place of our grand plan. Yes, its about putting New Zealand first!

    Muhahahaw !

  2. Rex Widerstrom 2

    But come on, wouldn’t it just be a great bit of fun for us lefties to watch Key and Peters duke it out?

    Oh come on, you “lefties” have made it plain that most of you wuld be rooting for Winston so he could prop up the “power at any cost” Labour Party.

    Loved the satirical line yesterday that had Hide saying (about Boscawen) “Don’t give me that, at least he’s not Garrett”. That’s exactly the line I get back when I mention Labour’s attitude to NZF around here… “at least they’re not Act”.

    If Winston stands against Key the electorate has a guarantee he won’t be part of any National government. That’s the ideal opportunity for Goff to step up and say Labour won’t countenance government with NZF. Hopefully it’d have the effect of making a portion of NZF support realise the party is too toxic to ever have any infuence in government again, and going looking for someplace else for their protest vote, thus forcing them beneath 5%.

    But does he have the courage and principle? Or has waiting round like Prince Charles for his shot at the prize left him so determined to get there that there’s no position too low?

    • The Voice of Reason 2.1

      I kinda think this is a great opportunity for Goff to rule nothing out at all. Just say something anodyne like “we’ll let the people decide whether Winston is back next term” and then take the piss out of Key by saying “I heard John Banks, Bob Parker and Heather Roy are standing too!”

    • Oh come on, you “lefties’ have made it plain that most of you wuld be rooting for Winston so he could prop up the “power at any cost’ Labour Party.

      I would rather gnaw on my fingers.

      Peters is naturally right. He is bigoted and superficial and the people he gathers around him are, well strange. They believe that, for instance, climate change is not happening.

      Labour went into coalition with him because that was the logical result of the 2005 election.

      I thought Helen did an extraordinarily good job with Peters. She kept him focussed and on track and his performance as foreign minister was actually really good. The previous two administrations he was a member of ended in tears, the 2005 Labour Government went full term although Winston had his challenges.

      But I for one will not be rooting for Winnie. Go Greens, Go Greens …

  3. IrishBill 3

    Peters will fight dirty at an electorate level which will mean Key will have to spend more time fighting fires at home and less time campaigning nationally. That could be very damaging for National’s party vote.

    I was talking with a mate about strategies for Winston a couple of months ago and we came to the conclusion his best bet would be to stand in Helensville as a platform to reach 5% but I never thought he’d do it.

    What a cunning old prick.

    By the way Rex, you’ve clearly been drinking the ACT/DPF cool-aide if you think lefties like Winston. We just don’t hate him quite as much as you do.

    • Rex Widerstrom 3.1

      I really can’t let that pass IB, though in doing so I fear I’m going to be seen as attacking particular people and that’s not my intent. I’ve just chosen a few comments to illustrate my argument.

      The “lefties” response to Winston is almost universally “Ewww, yuck… but if he knocks Act off and is willing to work with Labour, we’ll hold our noses…” a strategy neatly summed up by Tane in a post prior to the last election:

      …John Key’s big gamble of ruling Winston Peters out of any future coalition may well turn out to be one of the stupidest plays in New Zealand’s political history… For Labour, Winston’s presence provides an insurance plan. If he gets in there’s another three years of mild centre-left government; if he doesn’t then a genuine Left government incorporating the Greens and the Maori Party is that much easier to form.

      – Tane 19 September 2008

      The “get rid of Act at any cost, even if the price is the return of Winston” meme was dragged out again by Sam Cash in a post in January this year:

      In a delicious piece of irony Rodney Hide might have opened the door for his nemesis to come full circle, return to national politics and knock the NACT government off its perch.

      – Sam Cash, 23 January 2010

      and by Michael Foxglove three months later:

      Just to make it clear, in no way do I support NZ First’s stance on most issues especially Maori and immigration. Yet you’ve got to wonder. Peters is good. Very good. It’s not far fetched to think he might pick up the extra 2% (on current polling) needed to get back into Parliament in 2011.

      Rodney Hide’s worst nightmare may yet still come true.

      – Michael Foxglove 10 April 2010

      and again by r0b earlier this month:

      I don’t like Winston Peters and I don’t like his narrow minded nasty opportunistic racism. I think Parliament is better off without him and his kind (of which there are far too many in National and ACT). On the other hand, however, I also don’t like the extraordinarily vicious and deceitful campaign that the right wing attack poodles ran against Peters in 2008. They painted him as a minor satan for “crimes’ that National and ACT were (and still are) every bit as guilty of themselves.

      – r0b 4 August 2010

      That’s certainly not the only reason I went after him, nor is that true of most of the journalists I spoke to at length during that whole saga. It was the lies, the hyocrisy, the threats and the allegations of bribery that motivated them, and me, not just a few concealed donations.

      This excuse-making extends to many commenters too. A selection from just one post, all published on the 28th or 29th of July this year:

      tc: Clark only formed the gov’t with Winnie as she was obligated to under MMP (y’know those rules thingy you RWNJ’s forget conveniently)…

      Pundit X: That’s the problem with MMP. You have to get into bed with the most obnoxious politicians to form a government.

      No, you don’t have to, you can choose not to.

      coolas: A high price to pay to have that nasty, bigoted prick in Parliament, but is he
      any worse than Hide and Garret, and most of the current cabinet?

      Maybe, maybe not. But there’s a world of difference between being able to do nothing to stop them (other than winning resoundingly) and being able to stop Winston and doing nothing.

      mickysavage: The funny thing about MMP is that you need a majority. The only way that Labour could get a majority is going into coalition with NZF. Really sad, I know, I would have preferred that they go into coalition with the Greens but democracy is a bugger sometimes.

      Oops, we let in a lying bigot who now represents our country internationally, we gave him a media paltform for his ideas and a chance to rort the entire political system. Never mind, we got our baubles out of it. Yeah, just the kind of principled attitude we want from our leadership.

      Adrian: Like him or loath him, Winston is the only politician in NZ who has the ability to counter the Crosby/Textor bullshit in an election campaign…

      Then go hire some decent advisors and/or select some decent candidates for a change.

      This cartoon “battered wife” stuff – “I know he’s violent brute but he’s better than my last husband and anyway, he buys me nice things” – is wearing thin. Grow a pair, you lefties.

      (As I said, I’m not aiming this particularly at the people I’ve quoted… in fact I got tired of cutting and pasting examples, so prevalent is this attitude amongst the left).

      • IrishBill 3.1.1

        Yep. you’re bitter all right.

        Here’s one to add to your collection: I’d rather a left-wing government with Peters in it than the right-wing one we’ve got. That’s because National-Act are causing more harm to more New Zealanders than vain little Winston ever could.

        Of course what I’d rather see is Peters and Hide and Key at each others throats.

        • Mickysavage 3.1.1.1

          What Irish said.

        • Rex Widerstrom 3.1.1.2

          I’ll own to my bitterness, but my experience also gives me a level of personal insight into character that very few have. And I can tell you that Winston’s danger isn’t his vanity, it’s his laziness and thus his susceptibility to capture by anyone willing to do the work and who has his trust. I know… I was once that person, and frankly just made shit up when asked by the media, which was then adopted as policy.

          I always had a copy of the party’s Principles beside me, and tried to make a point of canvassing issues I thought might arise with as many senior figures in the party as possible. I hope the results were relatively benign… they were certainly popular with a fair number of my fellow NZers.

          But put that power into the hands of, say, a Michael Lhaws…

          Coupled with his vanity and arrogance – which means he will brook no suggestion he’s wrong (even though the thooughts he’s advancing usually aren’t his own) – this leads to games of brinkmanship. And if the other side blinks, Winston’s puppeteer du jour wins.

          If the rumours about Lhaws are right – and I personally think they are – that combination will make Hide, Garrett et al look positively benign.

          Of course it needn’t be Lhaws… any malign and dangerous “adviser” who captures Winston poses a similar danger.

          • Pascal's bookie 3.1.1.2.1

            But put that power into the hands of, say, a Michael Lhaws

            Coupled with his vanity and arrogance which means he will brook no suggestion he’s wrong (even though the thooughts he’s advancing usually aren’t his own) this leads to games of brinkmanship. And if the other side blinks, Winston’s puppeteer du jour wins.

            If the rumours about Lhaws are right and I personally think they are that combination will make Hide, Garrett et al look positively benign.

            Rex, can you see a NZF party with Lhaws in it actually choosing to go into govt with the Labour party, even if the LP would have them?

            Can you see Winston enjoying the prospect of campaigning against Key in his electorate, and then propping up a Key govt on the ‘principled’ basis that ‘Nat got more votes then Labour’, thereby rubbing Key’s 08 position in his face and getting cold handed revenge on both ACT and the media?

            If NZF gets into parliament and ACT doesn’t, which is probaby the only way NZF would be kingmaker anyway, then that situation would be on the cards.

            The presence of Lhaws would make me think that would be the plan, similar to the way he went with National in his first incarnation as kingmaker, after pretty much explicitly campaiging against them.

            • Rex Widerstrom 3.1.1.2.1.1

              Rex, can you see a NZF party with Lhaws in it actually choosing to go into govt with the Labour party, even if the LP would have them?

              Yes, absolutely. I was advising Hirschfeld, Moore et al in 1996 during the country’d first ever coalition negotiations remember. Lhaws was advising Winston. It was quite clear that it was simply an auction of power (for Lhaws and his hand-picked lackeys) and baubles (to keep Winston happy). There was no principle involved for Peters or Lhaws.

              Certainly all other things being equal their preference was for National… which is why they kept coming back to Labour saying “National have offered… can you match that?” till Labour folded. But if they’d kept upping the ante beyond what National were prepared to put up… history would have been very different.

      • r0b 3.1.2

        Say Rex, what’s your issue with what I said about Peters as you quote it above?

        • Rex Widerstrom 3.1.2.1

          As I said under the original post, very few people who lined up against Peters (in fact everyone aside from Act a predicatable handful of the commentariat, I’d say) did so without ulterior motives and because they were concerned about very much more than just donations.

          The whole Owen Glenn saga simply started a snowball rolling… the stuff that was added – new stuff, reminders of old stuff, stuff which arose out of the way NZF decided to handle the issue itself (including Ron Marks’ cowardly smearing of me under Parliamentary privilege)… painted a very stark picture of a very ugly party.

          To write it off as an “extraordinarily vicious and deceitful campaign” run by “right wing attack poodles” belittles the seriousness of Peters’ behaviour both then and over time, and the courage that it took for many people to come out and oppose Peters and his boot boys. Journalists were abused and threatened too, as were the occasional blogger and potential witness.

          Viscious it may have been, but not nearly as viscious as the treatment handed out in return. And what was deceitful (other than some of those opposed to him denying their own political advancement as a motive)?

          • r0b 3.1.2.1.1

            As I said in the text you quoted, and as I say again now, Peters was guilty of nothing that National and ACT were not also guilty of. If you need reminding, just go an re-read The Hollow Men, and for topical flavour take a wander through the just leaked Heather Roy notes.

            Now, you have your own issues with Peters and NZF based on personal history. A messy story. You anger is completely understandable. But it blinds you to the fact that National and ACT, the main body of those attacking Peters, were every bit as bad as him, and twice as hypocritical (or as I said in the quoted text, deceitful).

            • Jum 3.1.2.1.1.1

              What Rob said.

            • Rex Widerstrom 3.1.2.1.1.2

              But it blinds you to the fact that National and ACT, the main body of those attacking Peters, were every bit as bad as him, and twice as hypocritical (or as I said in the quoted text, deceitful).

              r0b, I’m not sure which one of us is blind here. I’ve acknowledged, back on the original post and elsewhere, that National and Act were every bit as deceitful as Peters when it comes to donations, and equally deserving of being attacked on that point. So yes, it follows that their attacks on Peters on that issue reeked of hypocrisy.

              However focusing solely on that ignores the vast amount of related and unrelated corruption, lying, initimidation and other unacceptable behaviour in which various facets of NZF had indulged and which was exposed as a result. It went far beyond whatever the Spencer Trust might or might not have got up to… remember the helicopter? Tommy Gear? The probable sale of the Monaco Consulship? I could go on, but clearly no one’s listening.

              Maybe if I simplify it: National / Act: very bad indeed. NZF: that plus even worse. Or perhaps you’d prefer: just because National and Act didn’t cop it too doesn’t mean NZF didn’t deserve every bit of it.

    • Monty 3.2

      Key will do the only sensible thing and ignore the corrupt Prick that despite his lies was propped up by Helen Clark in the dying days of her Government. Key needs to make it very very clear that under no circumstances will he entertain a deal with Winston no matter what. (Goff actually needs to do the same).

      Key can win the Hellensville seat and retain all the Party vote with nil effort. Do not forget that Winston has no money, no parliamentary backing, and a dying support base.

      Winston destroys governments and it is only the sign of a very desperate party that would entertain doing a deal with him.

  4. swimmer 4

    Aaaah so that’s why he’s doing it. It’s sure to be a great circus to watch.

  5. Excellent excellent excellent.

  6. felix 6

    Pass the popcorn please.

  7. Santi 7

    The liar against an even worse liar. These two crooks deserve each other.

  8. Santi 8

    “…if you think lefties like Winston.”

    Of course lefties love him for the mere fact Peters was Clark’s accomplice and staunch supporter (at a price).

    • IrishBill 8.1

      Not all lefties liked Clark either. It’s an odd black and white world some of you live in.

    • Ari 8.2

      Uh, I think the closest I ever came to supporting Winston on anything is when I said he shouldn’t have been kicked out of Parliament due to the threshold, even though I was glad to see him gone.

      Please, paint us all with the same brush. 😉

      The good part about this news is that no matter who loses, we (the people that is, not the left) win. 😉

  9. nilats 9

    Should be fun. I will be there being in Greenhithe.
    A question or 2 for Peter’s I will raise.
    1. Susan Crouch is still poor so what happened to the $158K owed to the taxpayer?
    2. We all know he knew of the Owen Glenn donations and WP knew of this before July 2008. That is unless the un-kangaroo court is to be beleived. The question I have is as follows:
    ‘Why did you [WP] use the still warm corpse of your mother to lie to the NZ public on 18 July 2008 about knowing of this donation? This was the day before the NZF part conference?
    Links:
    1 NBR – WP mum dies – http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/winston-peters-mother-dies-eve-party-conference-33190
    2. WP finally divulges he found out about the OG donation – NZH – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10522347
    The same date folks. We all know politicians are liers but WP is the first one iN NZ I know to use the still warm corpse of his mother to lie to the public to garner sympathy.
    Absolute wanker.

    • Pat 9.1

      And absolute lier. It was classic Peters on TV3 tonight – Garner caught him red-faced and off balance so Peters just did what he does best – smiles and lies.

      Key needs to make a stand again, and leave him for Labour.

  10. Descendant Of Smith 10

    The reason I voted for MMP was not to have a Labour Government as an alternative to a National Government or vice versa but to have diversity in our government.

    Regardless of his more recent behavior I will maintain til the day I die that NZ owes Winston Peters a debt of gratitude for The Winebox inquiry and it’s revelations. As a result I don’t have a problem having him around.

    I’ll never vote for him but can live with the fact that others might. I don’t agree with all Green policy either but am quite happy to have them there. I’m also quite happy to have National party politicians there as well – despite disagreeing with most of their current policies.

    I remember the damage done to this country by a Labour government in the 1980’s – a government that did things that many National MP’s opposed including Muldoon. The platform for the rightwing free market madness that we have today was set up by that Labour government.

    Left leaning and Labour are not necessarily the same thing for many of us now.

    It’s not that we compromised our beliefs it’s that Labour compromised theirs and the way we view politics as a result is much less black and white (or red and blue) as you might desire us.

    The facile nature of the last Labour government showed in the fact that they re-instated the $20-00 per week cut on NZS but not on benefits. That was cynical and vote catching and they should hold their heads in shame.

    In saying that there will reach a point where he’ll do enough stuff that I don’t agree with and he’ll lose any support I have for him. Siding with Lhaws will probably be the straw that breaks that particular back.

    • loota 10.1

      Left leaning and Labour are not necessarily the same thing for many of us now.

      It’s not that we compromised our beliefs it’s that Labour compromised theirs and the way we view politics as a result is much less black and white (or red and blue) as you might desire us.

      A few nails, few sore heads.

    • Jenny 10.2

      Descendant Of Smith has made a great comment that obviously comes from the heart, yet still manages to be objective.

      In detailing his views on the failings of the various parliamentary parties, my only wish is that Descendant Of Smith would extend his comment to give us his insights into the remaining other two current parliamentary parties.

      capcha – views

  11. Adrian 11

    Just for the little gems like last nights quip at Key ” It’s not a ‘moss commercial’, just spray and walk away! ” we need Winston. Which is my point about him being the only polly who can get cut-thru on the Crosby-Textor Cloak of Invincibility. No body else (except probably David Lange) could get TV time on that quote. I don’t agree with much he says but every polly has some value and in his case better deals for the aged, blowing the whistle on resthome transfer pricing rip-offs, the Winebox and remember from a few years ago, compulsory super. So somewhere in his supposedly dark satanic heart is a corner reserved for the strugglers and less well off, and inarguably he is 100% for New Zealanders.

  12. Anthony Cribb 12

    Love Winston or hate him, he did a lot for his core constituency with the SuperGold Card, which I was sceptical about at first but seems to have a number of good social and health outcomes for the oldies.

    • Inventory2 12.1

      That’s true Anthony, but it also underlines Winston’s biggest obstacle; his key constituency is, quite literally, dying!

      • Carol 12.1.1

        Ah, yes, but there’s more where the older-dying off ones came from… endless supply.

        • comedy 12.1.1.1

          Carol if you are suggesting that inevitably we must all one day grow into Winston voters I think we should seriously consider bringing in compulsory euthanasia to replace superannuation.

          • felix 12.1.1.1.1

            Yeah, ‘cos that’s what she said. We *all*…

            /facepalm

            • Carol 12.1.1.1.1.1

              Thank-you, felix. And conversely, comedy, are you assuming all of the elderly are NZF/Winston voters?

              PS: A clue, how old are Roger Douglas, Jim Anderton, Brian Edwards…. and Peters showed himself on TV3 last night, to be able to adjust to different audiences from students to grey power. Don’t under-estimate his cunning.

              • comedy

                No……. but all Winston First voters are elderly.

                I’m also sure that Roger Douglas, Jim Anderton, Brian Edwards are not Winston First supporters………… I’m also sure that a majority of NZers would support them being euthanised regardless.

            • comedy 12.1.1.1.1.2

              I love you and want to have your babies

  13. joe90 13

    My dad is 82 and is in the mid phase of dementia but last night when I told him WP was standing the lights went on and he asked me when the election was. No matter to the old boy that WP is standing in a different electorate, Winston is back and that’s all that matters. So now he’ll be on the phone every second day asking when the election is.

  14. tea 14

    Is it wrong to say I think the guy is great?

    Standing against Key. Amazing.

    Couldn’t find anybody or anyone (ie Hide or any other cretin) who would have the kahunas to stand against Clark.

    He’s a genius, a showman and an entertainer. He’s unique in a way that nobody else currently in politics is, with the possible exception of Banks.

    I’m so astounded I’m not sure that I can even coment on anything else.

    Only perhaps, could this incarnation of Labour manage a coalition with NZF quite as well as the previous one? And who would he bring in on his coat tails this time if he makes it?

    And can you be quite sure this means no National? I don’t think either Peters or Key are that dogmatic that they wouldn’t work together if the other option was to lose a chance at power.

    Just see Key and the Maori Party .

  15. atp3 15

    I’m with the guy who said we still owe Winston for the Wine Box. But that was yesterday. The world is imperfect and politics is the art of the possible.

    Helensville should be interesting.

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    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days 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
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours 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
    11 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
    13 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
    14 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
    1 day 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
    6 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
    6 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
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