POAL falling apart

Written By: - Date published: 2:29 pm, March 30th, 2012 - 47 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, class war, jobs - Tags: , ,

Things are not going so well for Ports of Auckland.

Judge Travis has stated that they are arguably in breach of the Employment Relations Act. The full ruling is here, and a summary of some of the key findings here (Thanks Frank).

Then there is news today that POAL Director Rob Campbell has resigned over a “difference in views on board strategies” – in other words Campbell has had enough.

And now just breaking, “Ports of Auckland lifts lock-out amid board rift“.

POAL tactics have been rotten from the start, and it’s no surprise to see their position falling apart. The cost and disruption to the workers, the port, the city, and indeed the country, was all unnecessary. What a waste.

47 comments on “POAL falling apart ”

  1. Draco T Bastard 1

    Thinks are not going so well for Ports of Auckland.

    Mistype or an auto-correct error?

    The cost and disruption to the workers, the port, the city, and indeed the country, was all unnecessary.

    And for that they should all be fired. No golden handshakes, no redundancy, no comeback and probably banned from being a director/manager for at least 5 years (we really can’t afford such incompetence).

  2. Tom Gould 2

    Reportage of this development has been pathetic, painting POAL as the heros ‘turning the other cheek’ for the greater good of Auckland and the economy, whereas they have been found to have screwed up totally and on the edge of complete humiliation. I guess the juniors writing this nonsense have their ‘riding instructions’ from their Tory bosses, but really, a nod in the direction of ‘fair, balanced and accurate’ would be nice.

    • shreddakj 2.1

      Yeah it’s been like this since the start. You’d see a TV segment about the dispute, and they’d show 4-5 clips of Pearson and co. explaining why they need to cut workers hours, and only one soundbite from MUNZ.

  3. vto 3

    It is called karma. Ignore at your peril… as these fools seem to have done.

  4. Curious 4

    Curious, will it still be considered a victory if less people are employed ?

    • Blighty 4.1

      why would fewer people be employed (or more correctly, fewer hours worked) than under the counter-factual of contracting out, where the Port would have complete freedom to employ people for as few hours as it likes?

  5. Te Reo Putake 5

    My read of the last 24 hours at POAL is that they had a meeting yesterday to discuss their tactics for today’s hearing and the majority of the board indicated they were shaken by the tone of Judge Travis’ words in his reasoning for granting the injunctions and wanted to settle. Rob Campbell obviously wanted to see it through to the bitter end, but was overuled or outvoted and has quit as a result.
     
    The rest of the board have now run up the white flag, while instructing Pearson to put out a media statement that tries to retain as much dignity as possible as they go into mediation to negotiate the terms of surrender.
     
    Hopefully, MUNZ will now drive a harder bargain and rescind their earlier acceptance of some aspects of casualisation. That should ensure more permanent work, while they can still offer some flexibility within the framework of guaranteed job security.
     
    This really is a vindication of MUNZ’s strategy and a major victory for local and international solidarity. It’s not over yet, but this has got to be a real blow to the NACTM governments plans to turn the NZ workforce into a 3rd World/thirties depression style employment pool.
     
    I hear David Shearer’s next big speech is going to be on industrial relations and work. It should be very interesting, indeed.

  6. From Frank Macskasy’s summary:

    I find that there is a seriously arguable case that the actions of the defendant in allegedly threatening to and then deciding to contract out the work on which the union employees were engaged under the expired collective agreement whilst collective bargaining was on foot for a new collective agreement was likely to undermine and arguably has undermined the bargaining. It will also, arguably, undermine the bargaining in the future. It is therefore seriously arguable that those actions have breached s 32(1)(d)(iii) of the Act.

    I recall sitting watching 3News reporting that employment lawyers gave MUNZ little chance of success in court because they didn’t have a leg to stand on, and thinking “Wtf? Little chance of success? How can these PoAL morons not be in breach of the good faith bargaining provisions of the Act?”

    • Craig Glen Eden 6.1

      The media has been bias from the start just look at that ridiculous story about John Walkers wife being threatened. The headlines scream that its to do with the POAL and MUNZ dispute but read it and you find no such thing. The picture of John Walker with his gold medal run in the back ground, then we find out the threat was not against his wife but the threat was that the caller was going to take him John Walker to court. WHHOOOAAAA big bloody deal. But its a great Headline to misinform the punter leaving the impression of the Union being the bully. Same old shit!
      Interesting that this is on the same day that the article comes out with the actual judgement which is a big slap in the face to POAL and its Board. Granny Herald strikes again.

    • Adele 6.2

      Psycho,

      I have worked with the Employment Relations Act for both employer and employee, and I thought MUNZ held a very good case to bring forth under good faith bargaining. I’m surprised employment lawyers offering independent advice would have said otherwise – but then lawyering is always part bullying.

      • DH 6.2.1

        I expect you’re far from being the only one thinking that way Adele. A lot of employers & professional managers will have been watching this with interest and wondering what POALs angle was. The employment court ruling was common sense to most anyone who follows our labour laws. Was POAL bluffing all along or were they perhaps led to believe they’d get a compliant judge?

        What I find hard to comprehend is the high risk nature of POALs approach, the stakes were very high and if they lost it was always going to cost the port owner a fortune. You don’t hire managers to risk your investment in this manner, what really is going on there?

        • Colonial Viper 6.2.1.1

          the stakes were very high and if they lost it was always going to cost the port owner a fortune.

          Won’t cost POAL management and Board a fortune though, will it. All care but no responsibility.

          Bottom line is that neither their Board nor management have been acting in the best interests of the port or its shareholders. And Len Brown has been, in public, fine with it.

          • DH 6.2.1.1.1

            To be fair to Len Brown the legal side of employment law is likely beyond him. He’s a mayor, not an employer, and you’d need to be in a professional capacity like Adele above to really see how arguable & risky POALs actions were. Brown could only have addressed the moral & ethical issues, not the professional ones.

            I agree with your point and I think ACIL needs to be held responsible as well. The left could turn this to their advantage if they play it right; when the dust settles and the final bill comes in play the blame game & clean out some of Hide’s appointments.

            • Colonial Viper 6.2.1.1.1.1

              To be fair to Len Brown the legal side of employment law is likely beyond him.

              ????? Excuse me for being briefly harsh.

              seriously? Brown gets paid a quarter million plus a year, has a whole legal team at his beck and call, personally interviews and selects his own senior office staff, has 23 people in the mayoral office, and the best you can come up with is that employment law is beyond him?

              Dude, even a corner 24/7 dairy owner who hires part timers has to understand the really difficult employment principles of “due process”, “fairness”, “genuine consultation” and “non-prejudgement”

              Fuck talk about setting low to negligible expectations that a mayor who got voted in on supporting the working class should actually go ahead and support the working class.

        • aspasia 6.2.1.2

          “The employment court ruling was common sense to most anyone who follows our labour laws.”

          It seems so to anyone who comes from a pluralist perspective on labour law. For an absolutely fascinating insight into the probable legal advice given to POA watch the second half of the Court Report Series 4 number 0ne. Just skip right through the Collins interview.

          http://tvnz.co.nz/the-court-report/s4-ep1-video-4793338

          These two senior members of the Employment Law bar also (unwittingly?) provide chilling analysis as to why the forthcoming changes to our employment legislation must be fought with every resource available.

          If David Shearer’s next policy speech is on industrial relations will it recognise the seriousness of the situation?

          • DH 6.2.1.2.1

            I’d hardly call my view pluralistic, just rational. The arguments about contracting out being separate don’t make sense and are irrelevant anyway. The stated intent to contract out created a take it or leave it scenario in the negotiations which is in conflict with the principle of good faith bargaining. You can’t bargain in good faith when you’re holding the sword of damocles over the other party’s head can you.

            It’s that simple IMO and it looks to me like the judge saw it that way too.

            Interesting link, thanks for that. Goes to show just how wrong the lawyers can be doesn’t it. Not hard to pick whose side they’re on is it?

    • Vicky32 6.3

      I recall sitting watching 3News

      Typical of  3 News!

  7. ad 7

    Pretty amazing it took the Mayor this long to say he was going to “write a letter” to the Auckland Council Investments Board. The Mayor is clearly far weaker and more recalcitrant than the neutral judiciary at every point in this saga. Which unfortunately frames h is politics clearly. Ooooh, write a letter.

    If that 1980s turncoat Rob Campbell can see how bad it is and get out of the Ports Board, then surely the Mayor can have the courage to act.

    Why is the Mayor so incompetent and weak at governance issues?

    • Draco T Bastard 7.1

      Why is the Mayor so incompetent and weak at governance issues?

      Probably never needed to govern before.

      • mike e 7.1.1

        ACT Rodney Hide set up these council owned businesses and appointed the boards and now they are pushing Act policy through the back door!

  8. Rosemary 8

    Does this mean Slater will have to concede one point to MUNZ? Doubt it. What a fool he is.

  9. bad12 9

    A serious arguable case that the Ports of Auckland has breached its legal obligation to bargain with the Wharfies in good faith,

    We have this to say,hats off to all those up there that stood together on this,the Wharfies,their families and those from near and far and wide who have supported their actions during this dispute,

    To Lefty Len Brown we have this to add,what price those chains Len the total disregard of the rights of those you supposedly support and who have put you where you now sit???

    Sack them all,the board of Ports of Auckland we are talking about here Len,appoint a new board for the ports company and make damn sure that the present CEO takes the same walk as the board,

    Man up Mr Mayor your tenure so far has you looking more akin to a cheese eating rodent than a ”leader” of a super-city,

    Re-unionize the ports whole work-force,we are damn sure that this can be achieved and still give the City its yearly 30 pieces of silver in return….

    • coolas 9.1

      Well said. Huge lack of ethic of Len’s part. It was obvious from the start this dispute was about union busting. Len should have seen that. Organised labour is the only way to protect workers from exploitation. Free market place of workers must be resisted at every turn. Len doesn’t get it. Helen Kelly does. She’s been brilliant.

    • burt 9.2

      Re-unionize the ports whole work-force

      Cool, then we can have strikes and not care about the costs – but lockouts are so expensive we must not have them….

      • bad12 9.2.1

        Every worker who takes strike action feels the costs first,on a more personal level, and, for longer than those not involved so NONE of the workers we have ever met who have voted for and been involved in ANY strike action have ever taken strike action AND NOT CARED ABOUT THE COST,

        It is our opinion that employers stoop to locking out parts or all of its workforce in an attempt to break collectives of workers to the will of those employers to impose conditions upon such collectives of workers which in the course of a bargaining taking place from a position of good faith by both employer and collective of employees the employees would never agree to such conditions,

        Our further opinion is that befor an employer can issue lock-out notices to workers or collectives of workers leave of the Employment Court should have to be sought showing both fair and reasonable grounds for locking out the workers and with the employer giving an undertaking that such a lock-out is in fact not an act of bad faith in the bargaining process with the workers…

      • Draco T Bastard 9.2.2

        You do realise that all the expense so far has been incurred solely due to the actions of the board don’t you?

  10. Tc 10

    Epic fail on lens part, he’s never going to be wanted by the right and his inaction has devalued his stock with the left.

  11. outofbed 11

    The whole problem started when Poal slashed its rates for one of its larger clients (Mersk i think) in 2007 to unsustainable levels.
    They were trying to get work from Taraunga. This strategy failed when all the other shippers wanted reduced rates. and left the operation of a profitable Auckland port marginal.
    POAL keeps on keeping on with piss poor management

    • burt 11.1

      Piss poor management indeed – they don’t even have control over the terms their workforce operates under.

      • bad12 11.1.1

        Once again the ”model” of competitive capitalism fails abysmally to evolve instead opting for a attempt at diving headfirst back to the labor management and employment policies of the Victorian era…

      • Psycho Milt 11.1.2

        The whole point of a union is to prevent absolute management control over working conditions. And anyone who considers absolute management control over working conditions to be a good thing is either stupid or evil.

      • Colonial Viper 11.1.3

        Piss poor management indeed – they don’t even have control over the terms their workforce operates under.

        Wow…you do understand that an employment agreement infers meaningful input and influence into the contract from both sides right?

  12. Wharfie 12

    There will not be less labour,volumes are increasing by an average of 8% per annum and if there is no union man will go.There also was never any concessions given in respect to casualisation.The focus will now be on getting a collective document that will be future proofed in terms of ensuring a secure future for the membership particularly in light of the fact the Port when running is nearing capacity and plans are in place for the next 40 years.TAKE NOTE NO CASUALISATION AND NO REDUCTION OF LABOUR.

    • burt 12.1

      Wharfie

      When does the intimidation of the other people just trying to feed their families stop?

      IrishBill: When does the righties trying to spread PoAL lies in our blog comments stop? Hint: for you, right now. Take a week off.

      • Colonial Viper 12.1.1

        When does the intimidation of the other people just trying to feed their families stop?

        When they stop trying to do it by effectively starving other families, and in the end, worsen the deal for themselves too with their short sightedness and lack of solidarity.

  13. For those looking for a chance to show some financial and fun times support for the wharfie whanau – there’s a special screening of The Muppets (not the ones from POAL!) on on Tuesday night in Auckland: http://www.facebook.com/events/377436645624537/

    You can get a ticket (or more than one!) for yourself or buy a solidarity ticket to shout a wharfie or whanau for $20 by emailing julie.fairey@gmail.com for details. If any Standardistas wanted to put up a post about it that’d be choice – while hopefully we can slow down on the fundraising now, there’s still been over a month without pay for almost 300 families and it’s not over yet.

    • Tom Gould 13.1

      Is this the one starring the brain dead chooks covering the dispute in the MSM? Like that guy who spends time up at the casino? The one who values privacy so much? Is he in it?

  14. Bruce 14

    National campaigned on stemming the flow of Kiwis to Australia (half of my family are over there). I didnt vote for this shit. I voted for the Labour party in support of working people in NZ. In light of the poor support of NZ workers by Labour in the last few years, I am leaning towards the Greens now.
    Give NZ employers too much power and this is the result.

  15. prism 15

    I noticed Rob Campbell has stepped down from PoL. On radio reports his union connection was mentioned. I looked at a report on 1984 and Lange’s short day followed by Douglas et al. These are quotes about the changes.

    Economist Peter Harris, who led the charge for the unions against what became known as Rogernomics….Rob Campbell, who at the time worked for the unions alongside Harris as an opponent of Rogernomics but later became a cheer leader, said the labour movement had expected a traditional Labour programme.
    (But the programme was revolutionary.)
    It transformed an economy from what Lange described as operating like a Polish shipyard into one of the most deregulated free market economies the industrialised world has known.

    Link – http://www.sharechat.co.nz/article/07c29b10/opinion-the-rogernomics-revolution-20-years-on.html

    So the present PoL dispute has connections way back. The ports were known to be tightly controlled and it was thought they got better wages and conditions than was reasonable. There didn’t seem to be a way to work with union to modernise, control costs and improve handling rates. It seems that business has now achieved that, has a well functioning port, so why contract out and lose steady jobs that people can build a life around?

  16. Fortran 16

    It is understood that Rob Campbell was one the leading Board members who wanted Contracting Out to continue.

    He resigned not because of his one time Union affiliation, but because the Board climbed down.
    Put Cathy Casey on the Board Len. Then we will see some real action.
    The Battle’s won but not the War.

    • Kotahi Tane Huna 16.1

      Rorting Rodney’s hand-picked crop of abject failures couldn’t beat the union even after four years of NAct attacks on workers’ rights. Rob Campbell is the only person to lose his job so far, but I think we can be confident the board will be shedding some more gangrenous limbs soon.

      Still, I admire your loyalty Fortran.

    • prism 16.2

      Rob Campbell doesn’t appear to have had any concern for his erstwhile union mates for a long time. Rob has does wonderfully well for himself as a director of this and that and union affiliations wouldn’t have had any lustre in that background.

    • Vicks 16.3

      Och poor Rob, do you think he might be consulting his union about workplace bullying and wrongful dismissal…!!!

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    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 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
    5 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
    6 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
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    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
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
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    5 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
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    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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