Pragmatically, the tax changes need to go

Written By: - Date published: 6:29 am, March 2nd, 2009 - 17 comments
Categories: uncategorized - Tags:

The debate around whether we should go through with National’s tax adjustments (they’re only cuts for the rich, they’re increases for middle and low incomes) has re-ignited as the commentariat suddenly cottons on that they are unfair and unaffordable, thanks largely to Fran O’Sullivan. As always, we at The Standard like to try to inject some facts into the argument:

This is the only calculator anywhere that shows you how much you and your family gain or lose from National’s tax adjustments and Kiwisaver cuts. Try it out.

Some other facts relevant to the debate:

– 80% of National’s cuts go to the wealthiest New Zealanders.

– Anyone earning less than $44,000 who gets Working for Families or some other state payment (and that’s around half of workers, most families, plus the retired and beneficiaries) is worse off because National cancelled Labour’s movements of the bottom bracket from $14,000 to $20,000.

– The economics is clear: giving a tax cut to the rich paid for by increasing tax on the poor is going to take money out of the economy. Contrary to the voodoo economics of ‘trickle-down’, the rich don’t spend, they save. The most stimulus bang for your buck comes from increasing the incomes of people on lower incomes. That’s why Obama is cutting low income taxes and increasing them on the most wealthy.

– Because of the worsening economic situation, every dollar of any tax cut now made will have to be borrowed. Borrowing is not always bad – borrowing for a long-term investment like the Superannuation Fund makes sense since the long-term return on investment will exceed the cost of borrowing, borrowing to inject stimulus into an ailing economy to kickstart it out of recession makes sense (note to John Roughan, that’s the difference between macro- and microeconomics, between an economy and a household). Borrowing to give more money to those who already have plenty and who will just put it in their savings makes no sense.

These are the wrong tax adjustments at the wrong time. The only reason to go through with them is ideological. Let’s hope some of that legendary Key pragmatism shines through.

17 comments on “Pragmatically, the tax changes need to go ”

  1. RedLogix 1

    I’ve spent much of yesterday wrapping my head around this article (it’s in a blog but it’s far too long to be called a post.

    The guy writing is an Australian economist Steven Keen, who has some well-developed strong non-orthodox ideas, especially around something called endongenous money supply. (He might also be broadly lassoed in with the Post-Keynsian Economists).

    One thing is certain, unlike all his Milton Friedman influenced Neo-Classical colleagues, Keen made a clear prediction about the current crisis several years ago… based not on wild eyed doom-mongering…. but on solid theoretical ground, derived from prior work by stellar names like Hyman Minsky and back further Irving Fisher in the 1930’s. Both of these major economists reject the idea that markets are inherently self-correcting and will always reach new equilibriums along a stable growth path.

    In essence endogenous money theory can be boiled down to this:

    Banks play a special role in the economy as trusted bookeepers, enabling ordianry real world transactions to proceed smoothly and efficiently based on the issue of credit.

    The classic fiat money model where a Central Bank prints money supply (M0), say $1000, which when deposited and is subsequently divided by the Reserve Ratio (say 10%) to ultimately become $10,000 dollars of credit. (M3).

    What the endogenous guys argue (and Keen is not alone), is that this process which is central to NeoClassical theory, is only a small and anciliary part of what really happens in the money system.

    In fact during normal times, and in the absence of regulation that preventing them from doing so, banks will hugely increase their profits by simply creating as much credit as consumers can be persuaded to accept. The Reseve Banks simply act AFTER the fact to print enough cash to preserve enough inactive reserves to prop up nominal Reserve Ratios. Although in recent years they haven’t even bothered to do that. The Federal Reserve even stopped publishing M3 a few years back. Not only have they failed to regulate, they didn’t even bother to monitor.

    That clearly is what has happened in the world’s recent economic history, as it happened previously in the runup to the Great Depression and numerous financial crises beforehand. In its aftermath, we are now experiencing a “credit crunch’—a sudden reversal with the cavaliers going from being willing to lend to virtually anyone with a pulse, to refusing credit even to those with solid financial histories.

    Keen details all the consequence of all this with a set of formal graphs that appear to quite accurately model the systemic crisis of a Great Depression. By contrast, the Friedmanite NeoClassicals are entirely mute. He concludes with these paras:

    In fact, thanks to Milton Friedman and neoclassical economics in general, the Fed ignored the run up of debt that has caused this crisis, and every rescue engineered by the Fed simply increased the height of the precipice from which the eventual fall into Depression would occur.

    Having failed to understand the mechanism of money creation in a credit money world, and failed to understand how that mechanism goes into reverse during a financial crisis, neoclassical economics may end up doing what by accident what Marx failed to achieve by deliberate action, and bring capitalism to its knees.

    Neoclassical economics—and especially that derived from Milton Friedman’s pen—is mad, bad, and dangerous to know.

    Keen demonstrates that excessive debt that has become unrepayable is the root core of the problem. As more and more debts default, lenders stop lending simply because they no longer trust anyone to repay them. But in an economy absolutely dependent on credit to function, this loss of trust amounts to a fatal stopping of the heart.

    Public sector fiscal stimulus which simply creates MORE debt does not help. Pragmatically there is only ONE solution to excess debt… less debt. Fortunately Bill English inherits from his very wise predecessor, relatively low public sector debt. All he has to do is not increase it. With Corporate and GST taxes falling, PAYE will have to rise in order to compensate. Within a few months the entire agenda will have changed. Unemployment will be on a trajectory to reach 20-30%. Tax cuts mean nothing to someone without a job.

    The problem is that debt that cannot be repaid, WILL not be repaid. As long as that hangs over the system, nothing can improve. Within a year or so, after trying all the wrong things, eventually the big central banks will get around to doing the right thing, explode the myth of ‘sanctity of contract’, and simply forgive vast trillions of unrepayable debt. And then regulate the hell out of the finance system to prevent it from happening again.

  2. Santi 2

    “The only reason to go through with them is ideological.”

    I would correct you: The only reason to go through with them is not ideological.
    Of course, SP, as a good Labourite you’re an expert in announcing tax cuts (chewing gum and others) and not delivering them.

    Why would the new government have to follow the despised socialist Labour administration?

  3. the sprout 3

    stealing from the poor to give to the rich.

  4. Ari 4

    Interesting Red, looks like from the same background as us he’s coming to the opposite conclusion. Does he have anything to say on how paying back government debt would flow on to the rest of the economy?

    Santi- Then argue your case instead of yelling “NO YOU!” 😉

  5. vidiot 5

    Perhaps we could have had both (tax cuts and raising of tax thresholds), if only we hadn’t plowed over $2.2Bn in to Kiwi Rail.

    Oh the benefit of hind sight.

  6. Peter Johns - bigoted troll in jerkoff mode 6

    Now SP, you would not want JK to break his election promise would you? I am sure you will be the first to post about this if he did.
    Looking forward to the post on Kiwirail and how we cannot afford this lemon farm we inherited under Kullen.

  7. RedLogix 7

    looks like from the same background as us he’s coming to the opposite conclusion.

    Initially I was quite put off by exactly that sentiment. We usually assert according to Keynes that during the course of the normal business cycle it is the role of the govt to inject a stimulus to counterbalance the loss of activity in the private sector, even if it has to increase public debt to do so. In normal circumstances, if say Total Debt to GDP ratios were at sane levels of less than 100% (currently the world is running mad ratios over 300%, not counting the vast unmonitored, unknown obligations in the derivative markets)… then increasing public debt to inject liquidity into the economy is a reasonable thing to do.

    But this is NOT a liquidity crisis. Bernanke has been printing money like mad for months, trillions of dollars, and nothing is getting better. It is a credit crisis. An unregulated banking sector, seeking to maximise it’s profits has simply created far too much of it. So much that it can never be repaid. As I said above, once lenders no longer trust that they will be repaid, they stop lending. The banks have been given huge lumps of cash, but all they have been used for is to shore up the banks losses and sit as inactive reserves. The velocity of that money has fallen to zero. It may as well never have been printed in terms of its stimulus effect.

    This is very similar to what SP is saying above, tax cuts for the wealthy are just transfers of debt from the private to the public sector. But the total amount of debt that needs to be unwound is vastly greater than any conceivable tax cut. It simply amount to pissing into the face of an Aussie wildfire.

    Does he have anything to say on how paying back government debt would flow on to the rest of the economy?

    I think you may have a crossed wire here… Keen is saying is that unrepayable debt whether private or public is the root cause of the problem, and that until that total debt is erased, the economy will not recover. Merely exchanging an irrelevantly tiny portion of private sector debt, for public sector debt, via tax cuts or ‘stimulus packages’ is at this point…futile.

    • Ari 7.1

      Yeah I think I misread your post. I had a look through the link: great stuff and it definitely reminds me (worryingly enough) of the fact that although my father likes to talk about goods, he never really talks about money.

      I disagree that stimulus is futile, but I do agree it’s not all that’s necessary. That lovely but scary word- “reform”- is hanging in the air around now.

      • RedLogix 7.1.1

        I disagree that stimulus is futile, but I do agree it’s not all that’s necessary.

        Fair enough. I was getting a bit carried away there. What I should have said is that these much touted ‘stimulus packages’ by themselves will only have a secondary palliative effect. They will be useful to reduce the symptoms at the margins, but will do nothing to address the root causes.

        Reform = The permanent burial of the the insane notion of self-regulating free markets.

  8. Lanthanide 8

    If that is exactly the same spreadsheet you put up last time, I’d just like to advise you that it has several mistakes in it that actually give wrong calculations, and is just badly done in general.

    I’ve got a sheet I made based on this one that corrects all the problems and gives much more information. Unfortunately it is on my home computer, and I am at work presently, so I can’t send you a copy of it.

  9. gingercrush 10

    Borrowing is not always bad – borrowing for a long-term investment like the Superannuation Fund makes sense since the long-term return on investment will exceed the cost of borrowing

    Too bad such logic is nonsense and doesn’t make sense.

    • Matthew Pilott 10.1

      You might want to explain your reasoning behind that one, GC. It’s a perfectly simple concept, and pretty simply explained.

      Tell you what – tel us what is giving you such trouble and i’m sure someone will be able to explain it for you.

      For starters, why is it not a good idea to borrow if the return will be more that the cost of borrowing at the time?

  10. gingercrush 11

    Because if someone told you to borrow lets say $100, 000 and to put that into the sharemarket at a time when sharemarkets around the world are shaky. Would you be stupid enough to invest in the sharemarket at that time? When the cost of borrowing will surely be much more than the return you’ll get? So what happens to that $100, 000 is it blows out further and futher while the price of those shares largely stay the same. One real weakness in SP’s argument is that eventually that money will be worth twice/three times as much. But lets wait a minute. One problem many people have right now, many people who are about to retire. Is that their retirement schemes etc have been swallowed up in this crisis. Shares around the world have fallen and thus the money those retirees depended on isn’t worth what it was two-three years ago.

    Yes it is usually the case that by investing in shares, in 20 years they’ll be worth a lot more than they are now. But if SP really believes in issues such as peak oil, debt problems around the world, global warming etc etc. Then does he really believe that for the next 20 years or so there will be no crisis in financial markets?

    The simple truth is, you don’t borrow to save. That is what SP is saying. And such a thought process at this time is truly maddening.

    [I don’t like this fucking new reply system it confuses the shit out of me]

    [lprent: Well that is one vote against so far. BTW: It confuses me as well for reading, but I like it for replying]

    • RedLogix 11.1

      Normally I would have totally disagreed with you GC, but you may have a point. The problem is that many equities, however well priced they are at this point in time, may well be simply wiped out by the enormous pile of shit bearing down on us all.

      If this were a more ordinary sort of recession, or it was simply a matter of a govt that had promised huge tax cuts and now needed to balance it’s books… I would fully agree with SP and Matthew. But this time my gut feeling is not so good. It’s not going to be another 1972 Oil Spike, 1988 Share Market Crash, or 2000 Dotcom this time. This time things are going to be reset good and hard.

      In fact within a year or so I suspect we will be grappling with far bigger things, and the Cullen Fund will be pretty much forgotten about. (Which gives me no pleasure to say.)

    • Felix 11.2

      Oh what you do is press the button marked “reply” under the comment you wish to reply to.

      To achieve this, just move your mouse so that the “cursor” arrow is hovering over the word “reply” and click the button on your mouse (there’s probably only one button on your mouse if you need help with this).

      Now your reply will appear nested within the original comment, just like this one is.

      Hope that helps.

  11. Redlogix. Yup. i think I wrote that too somewhere. The Cullen Fund makes sense unless this is the end of the market economy as we know it, in which case there are bigger issues to deal with. And even then a large pool of wealth owned by the public, which the Cullen Fund effectively is, might come in handy.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-29T08:02:34+00:00