Predatory delay on climate action by Fonterra, Dairy NZ and Federated Farmers

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, September 13th, 2023 - 2 comments
Categories: climate change, ETS, farming, farming, russel norman - Tags: ,

I agree with Norman’s conclusion that change needs to be led from outside of parliament by the climate movements. But we also need the right people in government to implement change in legislation, policy and funding, so please vote accordingly. The Green Party and Te Pāti Māori with more MPs in a Labour-led government will be able to do that. They would be just as essential in Opposition. – weka

First published at Greenpeace by Russel Norman 11 May 2023.


The ETS, emissions pricing, agribusiness, and the politicians who taught an industry that it is far cheaper to invest in lobbying than emissions reductions

A few months out from the election, the New Zealand Government still has not introduced any kind of emissions pricing of agricultural climate pollution. This is in spite of promising to do so when they entered government five and half years ago, in spite of agribusiness being by far the biggest climate polluter, and in spite of government ministers repeatedly claiming that pricing emissions is a key policy to cut emissions. It is also in spite of a climate movement that has pushed this government hard to do the right thing on climate.

So what went wrong? How did Labour Prime Ministers Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins and Green Climate Minister James Shaw kick the climate can down the road for five and a half years and do nothing substantive on New Zealand’s biggest polluting industry?

The story of the failure of this government to price agricultural emissions is part of a bigger story – it is the latest chapter in the story of how New Zealand’s biggest polluting industry successfully stopped a price on their pollution for twenty years.

Industry climate strategy

Climate-polluting industries face two basic investment choices when it comes to responding to the climate crisis. One option is to invest in methods to actually cut their pollution, which may involve significant disruption to their business model. The other option is to invest in lobbying to prevent regulatory measures that will require them to cut pollution.

Which of these two kinds of investments dominates their strategy will be heavily influenced by the response of regulators and the political system. If polluting industries believe that regulators can be pressured not to introduce regulations to cut pollution, then they are very likely to continue to invest in lobbying ahead of actual emissions cuts. However, if a polluting industry becomes convinced that regulators are determined to press ahead with meaningful rules, then at a certain point, it makes sense to move to actually cut emissions.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, over the last 20 years, this strategic choice has played out in the interplay between agribusiness and government over pricing emissions. About 50% of New Zealand’s emissions are from the agricultural sector – and it is the surge in dairy cows and synthetic nitrogen fertiliser that have been the number one cause of New Zealand’s 19% increase in emissions from 1990 to 2021.

Gross greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 by sector, sub-category and gas type

Gross greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 by sector, sub-category and gas type. Breakdown of emissions by sector (Agriculture, Energy, Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU), and Waste) and sub-category, and greenhouse gas by type. The emissions contribution from Tokelau is too small to be shown in the figure.
Breakdown of emissions by sector (Agriculture, Energy, Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU), and Waste) and sub-category, and greenhouse gas by type. The emissions contribution from Tokelau is too small to be shown in the figure.

For decades, pricing of emissions has been identified as a critical tool to cut pollution, yet still, the sector does not face a price. There have been three separate attempts by two different governments to introduce agribusiness emissions pricing, and each time the leadership of Fonterra, Dairy NZ and Federated Farmers have fought off the proposals – putting their profits ahead of a stable climate.

This is a story about how the leadership of a highly polluting industry invested in lobbying to block policy that would have required them to face a price on their emissions. It is the story of how a series of governments rewarded that behaviour and locked in an agribusiness leadership that is not only determined to block action on climate but can show to their constituency that investing in political lobbying works. Anyone in the sector who has argued for meaningful attempts to cut emissions has been sidelined by those who can legitimately show that predatory delay and lobbying has been a successful strategy.

Climate denial and predatory delay: 2003 – 2017

The first attempt to place a price on agricultural emissions was back in 2003 when the Government tried to introduce a levy to fund research to cut emissions. The agribusiness sector and right-wing parties mobilised against what they called the ‘Fart Tax’, and ultimately the Labour Government backed down. The sector was led by climate deniers who were rewarded for their efforts to block climate pricing.

The second attempt came in September 2008 when the New Zealand Parliament passed the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading) Amendment Act, which set up the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The stated aim of the ETS was to put a price on carbon pollution to encourage businesses and consumers to cut their pollution. After considerable lobbying from agribusiness, agriculture’s entry into the ETS was delayed until 2013 under this legislation. This five year delay provided ample opportunity to potentially stop it, especially as there were two elections between the passing of the law and when agriculture would come into the ETS.

The ETS legislation was a compromise between Labour, New Zealand First and the Green Party. It required all three parties to vote for the legislation for it to pass.

I was the Co-Leader of the Green Party at the time, and we were very uncertain as to whether we should provide the necessary votes given that we supported a policy of a straightforward carbon tax, rather than a trading scheme. We also believed that while pricing was one part of the climate policy mix, it wasn’t the only part or even the most important part. The ETS was a very weak policy, but in the end, we voted for it so as to have something rather than nothing. The problem was that as the ETS was even further weakened over the years, it remained in place and gave the appearance that the government had some kind of climate policy when in reality, they didn’t.

As it came to pass, agribusiness didn’t need to wait for two elections before they could dispose of the attempt to make them pay. In December 2009, only a few months after the legislation was passed, there was a change of government, and the new John Key National Party-led Government quickly moved to weaken the ETS. In November 2009 with the support of the Māori Party, the National Government passed the Climate Change Response (Moderated Emissions Trading) Amendment Act which further delayed the entry of agriculture into the ETS until 2015.

A further amendment was made to the ETS in November 2012 when the National Government passed the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Act which delayed the entry of agriculture into the ETS indefinitely.

A decade after the defeat of the ‘Fart Tax’, the industry strategy of investing in lobbying, combined with a strategy of predatory delay, produced the desired result – there was no pricing of agricultural emissions and no serious policy to cut emissions out of the sector. The leadership of the sector was vindicated.

A window opens for action: 2017-19

This situation of predatory delay remained the status quo until the 2017 election, which elected a Labour, NZ First, Green Party Government. The Labour leadership campaigned on a platform of taking action on climate change and had a policy of bringing agriculture into the ETS.

As part of the October 2017 Coalition Agreement between Labour and NZ First, agriculture was to enter the ETS, if the new Climate Change Commission recommended it, but it would only have to pay for 5% of its emissions. NZ First was always opposed to putting agribusiness into the ETS so it took serious negotiations and concessions in other areas to get this policy into the Agreement. In April 2019 the interim Climate Commission did recommend that agriculture enter the ETS, at least as an interim step.

It seemed that after 16 years of effective lobbying to stop a price on their emissions, 16 years of predatory delay by agribusiness, agriculture was about to finally enter the ETS and face a small price to encourage them to cut their climate pollution.

It seemed that the reward structure established by successive governments was about to change and those in the sector who had fought all efforts to seriously cut emissions would face a defeat. This could open the door to a new set of leaders who wanted to lead a low emissions food producing sector.

But… just when it seemed that agribusiness would finally have to invest in cutting emissions rather than invest in lobbying to stop policy that would make them cut emissions, they came up with a masterstroke of predatory delay – a new strategy called He Waka Eke Noa, which roughly translates as ‘we paddle the canoe together’.

In the He Waka Eke Noa proposal, agribusiness switched tactics away from climate denial. They said they now believed that we needed action on climate, and they were willing to accept some kind of climate pricing. However, they argued, it was just not the kind of pricing that the government proposed, not the ETS. They were no longer overtly adopting the narrative of climate denial, rather they switched to the need to seek consensus between government and agribusiness as a reason for not introducing prices – at least not right now and not via the ETS.

The new strategy was a kind of greenwashing predatory delay and it was to prove effective beyond their wildest dreams.

Greenwashing predatory delay

In October 2019 agribusiness and the government announced a joint proposal called He Waka Eke Noa. It was a five-year scheme to once again delay emissions pricing to 2025 while they developed an industry-led emissions pricing system.

The industry-led plan would have the point of obligation for emissions pricing at the farm rather than the processor. The ETS had a processor-level point of obligation that created a concentrated financial incentive for processing companies like Fonterra to drive carbon efficiency from their farm suppliers in order to cut the cost of carbon. The farm-level point of obligation would mean that tens of thousands of farm managers would need to manage their emission liabilities with the government rather than a dozen large-scale processing companies doing the work. It was a recipe for complexity in the system, with much higher compliance costs for individual farm managers who had fewer resources for the scheme’s required administration. In short, it was a proposal that would take years to develop, was likely to be highly complex, and guaranteed to generate loads of farm-level opposition. It was, in summary, a proposal made in heaven for those intent on predatory delay.

In announcing this decision to cave in to industry lobbying pressure and move away from the ETS, the Government said that if industry did not develop a satisfactory plan to price agricultural emissions, then they would be put into the ETS by 2025 or even as early as 2022. This was the stick that was supposedly hanging over He Waka Eke Noa to ensure that the industry took it seriously. But 2025 was a long way away, and once again, the industry was presented with a two-election delay before any potential pricing might come into play.

The first draft HWEN proposal for emission pricing outside the ETS didn’t come out for two years. In November 2021,the agribusiness representatives released two options for pricing, both of which cut emissions by less than one percent. This was plainly not a serious effort to cut emissions and there was quite a bit of criticism.

The final HWEN proposal for emission pricing came out in June 2022. The methane emissions reductions from the price proposal were once again less than 1%. But this time they took greater care to hide this miserly reduction by adding imagined emissions reductions of 3% to 4% that came from as yet unknown technological developments. To these ‘silver bullets’ they added the emissions reductions from the freshwater regulations (which Federated Farmers were actively challenging) and the methane emissions reductions from the waste sector, to claim a ten percent emissions reduction. The ten percent headline number was the PR handle the government needed.

The government responded to the HWEN proposal in October 2022 and released its draft proposed approach to pricing agriculture emissions. By this time, it was five years since the coalition agreement to put agriculture into the ETS, three years since the start of HWEN, and, vitally, only about a year out from the election. The delay tactic was delivering.

The Government’s October 2022 proposal was a version of the farm-level HWEN proposal. In addition, it provided $485m in government subsidies to help the industry reduce its emissions- paid for in part from ETS revenues paid by other businesses and consumers, an ETS that agribusiness insisted it must not be part of. This was on top of a further $517m in subsidies to the sector via the Sustainable Fibre and Food Fund. But still, the proposal was attacked by agribusiness because agribusiness didn’t have full control of the pricing mechanism, amongst other complaints.

The only leverage that the government had over the sector was the threat of putting them into the ETS as a backstop if HWEN did not deliver. However, Climate Minister James Shaw said he didn’t support putting agriculture into the ETS, leaving a version of the complicated HWEN scheme as the only option, and hence the government with no power over the sector.

Federated Farmers, realising their strong position, walked out of He Waka Eke Noa, and the government backed down further and made new concessions to the sector. Dairy NZ demanded changes, Fonterra was not happy, and the sector was united in opposition. This was in spite of the reality that the government’s draft scheme was almost identical to that proposed by HWEN.

On December 21 2022, four days before Christmas in the middle of the silly season, the government released its final proposal on pricing agricultural emissions outside the ETS. The government promised the lowest price possible, fixed for five years, with all revenue recycled back to industry. It was a weakened version of their earlier proposal though it still included the added sweeteners of millions of dollars in taxpayers subsidies to agribusiness, paid for through taxes and ETS revenues. The scheme was essentially a version of HWEN, which Treasury had concluded would cost taxpayers dearly and not cut emissions.

Yet still, Beef and Lamb was unhappy with the whole thing and sought further indefinite delay. Federated Farmers opposed the Government’s plan and Dairy NZ opposed key elements of it. After four years of delay, after the government adopted the industry’s own plan, industry now didn’t support it, in spite of all the promises made at the start of the process.

As if to make clear just how superficial was agribusiness commitment to climate action, the President of Federated Farmers went on radio to say that maybe climate change was real but we would only know in 50 years and he didn’t accept the methane reduction targets anyway. A few months later he announced that he was standing as a Parliamentary candidate for the climate-denying Act Party, following in the footsteps of other leading members of Federated Farmers.

Government said that they would make final decisions in early 2023. Indeed, you would think the climate-charged wreckage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 would seem to have added pressure to take action on cutting emissions.

But as of May 10 2023, the Labour Government has not announced any decision. We are now only five months away from the general election, and agribusiness representatives are calling for all decisions to be delayed until after the election in the hope that a bit more predatory delay will once again remove the need for them to face a price on their emissions.

It has been twenty years since the first attempt to price agricultural emissions, it is fifteen years since the introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme, ten years after agribusiness was first scheduled to enter the ETS, nearly six years after the Labour-NZ First coalition agreement to bring agriculture into the ETS and four years after the launch of He Waka Eke Noa to supposedly develop a consensus between industry and government on pricing agricultural emissions. At every step of the way, agribusiness lobby groups opposed these attempts.

He Waka Eke Noa was simply the latest in a long string of delay tactics drawn from the long list of industry delay strategies. Agribusiness never had any intention of agreeing to the pricing of their emissions.

A failure of industry and political leadership

The leadership of New Zealand’s agribusiness sector has been consistently appalling on environmental issues and has fought every attempt to protect the environment, whether in freshwater or climate. They have denied the basic science, focussed on short-term profits, simply not told the truth about their true intentions, and lacked the imagination to see that the world is changing.

We have agribusiness leaders whose strategy of climate denial, greenwashing and predatory delay has been successful in blocking pricing efforts to change their industry for decades. The success of the leadership in Fonterra, Dairy NZ and Federated Farmers in blocking these measures has left the New Zealand food production sector woefully inadequately placed to deal with climate change, one of the biggest threats to the planet and their industry. For those at Fonterra who do understand climate science, they are taking an approach of being a free rider – yes they understand the need to cut emissions, they just don’t want to have to do it at Fonterra, they want other companies to cut emissions. And if everyone is a free-rider then nothing will change.

I am very familiar with all this as I have engaged with their leadership and membership on many occasions over many years. Their position is not amenable to change through consensus for Upton Sinclair’s simple reason: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” I remember giving an address to the Federated Farmers annual conference in 2011 where I presented the wealth of evidence on the science showing that agricultural intensification was causing water pollution, scientific study after study. The questions from the floor that followed were simply a litany of denial. I have given similar speeches to Fonterra and met with the leadership of Fonterra, the Feds and Dairy NZ on countless occasions. They are not all bad people, they simply have a profound financial incentive to protect their position and will not change unless the government (or potentially their markets) forces them to change.

But while the sector as a whole bears the responsibility for that, it is also true that the Government has helped make them what they are by not standing up to them. By caving in to industry pressure time and time again, the Labour, National and Green parties have taught the agribusiness sector that it makes more sense to invest in lobbying and pressuring the Government to block regulation and pricing than it does to actually embrace low emissions food production.

Change or Consensus

In that sense, it is also a story about a Labour and Green Party leadership that exercised a deliberate blindness in order to avoid a confrontation with the most powerful sector in the country. The idea that the government should back down on bringing agribusiness into the ETS in order to find consensus with the current agribusiness leadership on pricing agriculture emissions was plainly not credible. The sector obviously never intended to sign up to a real pricing plan. One can only assume that Labour and the Greens signed up to this charade because it meant they didn’t have to confront the political power of agribusiness in Aotearoa New Zealand.

In parallel with this political lack of courage, the leaders in Labour and the Greens espoused a theory of change through consensus. We were told that consensus with the polluting industries was essential to making progress on climate. James Shaw, at the announcement of He Waka Eke Noa, said ‘nothing about us without us’ in reference to the need to get the consent of the polluting industries before introducing agricultural emissions pricing. But this just isn’t true. No serious change happens without opposition. Whether it is votes for women, nuclear-free NZ, eliminating CFCs and saving the ozone layer – these campaigns were won by overcoming the opposition of existing power-holders and polluters, who benefitted from the status quo. Making climate policy hostage to the agreement of climate polluters is simply saying you don’t intend to do anything serious about climate.

At the time of the announcement of He Waka Eke Noa in 2019, I called it a ‘sellout’ by Labour and Greens on climate change. I knew that once the leaders of Fonterra, Federated Farmers and Dairy NZ got Ardern and Shaw to back down on this core issue, they would know they had the upper hand. And then they would simply drag the whole show out until it was too late. And so it has come to pass. The reality is that serious change never happens through consensus – the old order always resists change.

The climate movement is the only way to fix this thing now. Real change always comes out of civil society – government and business follow kicking and screaming. We fought hard to win the fight over new oil and gas exploration in Aotearoa New Zealand and eventually, the political process caught up. Now we need to win the fight over the transformation of the global food system for both climate and biodiversity reasons.

 

 

2 comments on “Predatory delay on climate action by Fonterra, Dairy NZ and Federated Farmers ”

  1. Ad 1

    Norman would make more sense if he explained why our dairy industry has the power it does.

    • AB 1.1

      The history as Norman lays it out is grim reading – and I would guess mostly accurate. The question is why. I don't think putting it down to Labour (principally) and Greens being "gutless" is adequate – nobody is gutless if they do not face dangers. The answer must be that our economies are houses of cards: disrupt something somewhere and there is a disastrous cascade of consequences. (Ask Liz Truss). Houses of cards seem to be the inevitable outcome of systems build on competition, operating efficiency and profit. But this answer is too high-level to be useful.

Leave a Comment

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • “Financially reckless” Parker ignores election
    Environment Minister David Parker is pressing ahead with a report which will almost certainly advocate greater rights for Maori over water allocation. Parker has set up a working group to investigate allocation, and he has done so only 12 days before an election. And just over three weeks ago ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    48 mins ago
  • At a glance – Climate scientists would make more money in other careers
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    10 hours ago
  • Chris Trotter: Nostalgic for a joyous Left
    I WAS A CAPTAIN COOK MAN, Grant Robertson was a Robbie Burns man. If you know anything about the great student pubs of Dunedin in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, those allegiances should tell you a lot. While I was at varsity, the “Cook” had a reputation for entertaining more ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    12 hours ago
  • Spray, spray, spray. There we go. Problem solved.
    Good old WD40. Is there nothing it can't do?Door squeaking? No problem, WD-40.Chewing gum stuck to the carpet? No worries, WD-40. Crayon marks? Spanner rusted up? Zipper won't undo? WD-40. WD-40. WD-40. It can even waterproof your shoes, I hear.(More Than A Feilding makes no warranty as to the efficacy of WD40 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    13 hours ago
  • Taxpayers might be piste off, as govt lending to ski field is lifted to $50m – but more corporate ...
    Buzz from the Beehive The distributions of two dollops of corporate welfare have been proudly announced in government press statements today, but neither mentions or relates to the further taxpayer funding for ski fields on the skids. The government’s official website tells of $7 million being provided to boost aerospace ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    14 hours ago
  • The police know they suck at the OIA
    In recent years I've done a long series of posts poking into police OIA data and how it hides how badly the police suck at carrying out their obligations under the Act. And in a response to a recent request, it seems the police have been doing the same. A ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    14 hours ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s disdain for the Press debate
    Christopher Luxon evidently thinks this election is SO in the bag that he can afford to spurn the still-undecideds, the entire South Island, and the old Christchurch money that still reads the Press and shops at Ballantynes. We should all shed a tear for the National Party candidates across the ...
    16 hours ago
  • ELIZABETH RATA: Two Treaties of Waitangi – the Articles Treaty and the Principles Treaty
    Elizabeth Rate writes – There are two versions of the Treaty of Waitangi.  The first is the 1840 Treaty – the ‘Articles Treaty’. The second is what I call the ‘Principles Treaty’. It dates from 1986 when the principles were first included in legislation. Astonishingly, the parliamentary ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    19 hours ago
  • Tuesday’s Chorus: When it's ok to borrow to invest
    Mayor Wayne Brown, a Northland land-banker himself, appears relaxed about borrowing to invest in land but not in, for example, transport infrastructure and services. File photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: You couldn’t make this stuff up. A mayor determined to cut council debt by selling shares in a monopoly business because ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    20 hours ago
  • How well do our Rapid Transit Stations perform
    As we invest in our public transport network, it’s critical that we not only invest in transformative projects like the City Rail Link, but that we also get as much use as we can out of the network we already have – which will also maximise the outcomes of those ...
    22 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Ten reasons Labour’s support has halved
    The Labour Government was elected with 50 per cent of the vote three years ago, but current opinion polls show their vote could halve in this year’s election, which would be one of the biggest plunges in political history. Most polls have Labour on about 26 per cent. And the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    22 hours ago
  • Elizabeth Rata: Two Treaties of Waitangi: The Articles Treaty and the Principles Treaty
    Commentary There are two versions of the Treaty of Waitangi.  The first is the 1840 Treaty – the ‘Articles Treaty’. The second is what I call the ‘Principles Treaty’. It dates from 1986 when the principles were first included in legislation. Astonishingly the parliamentary representatives who inserted the word ‘principles’ ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    22 hours ago
  • Climate Emergency!
    It’s hard not to become a bit blasé towards climate change headlines. Flooding kills hundreds - blah. Catastrophic droughts - blah blah. One-in-a-hundred year events happening every year - blah blah blah.The earth had its highest temperature on record - again. Think we’ve read that one.So many articles telling us ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    23 hours ago
  • The Kākā Project: The economics of sufficiency
    The Kākā’s climate correspondent and had a chat with environmental historian and author Catherine Knight about why ‘feel good' actions like recycling and owning an electric car are unlikely to be enough to create a transition to zero emissions, let alone a just one. Knight says comments like ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    24 hours ago
  • Chippy misses a chance
    National leader Christopher Luxon has pulled out of any rescheduling of tonight’s Press debate, which has had to be cancelled because Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has Covid. The cancellation has given National an excuse to avoid a debate, which was always going to be a risk for Luxon. But ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • The Angry Majority.
    The People's Champion vs The People's Prosecutor: It is the news media’s job to elicit information from politicians – not to prosecute them. Peters’ promise to sort out TVNZ should be believed. If he finds himself in a position to carry out his threat, then it will only be because ...
    2 days ago
  • Verrall is chuffed by govt’s latest push into pay equity while Woods enthuses about an $11m spend ...
    Buzz from the Beehive The headline on a ministerial press statement curiously expresses the government’s position when it declares:   Government shows further commitment to pay equity for healthcare workers. Is it not enough to declare just one commitment? Or is the government’s commitment to pay equity being declared sector by ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • A very worthy coalition partner for Seymour and Luxon
    There have been 53 New Zealand Parliaments so far. The 39th of them was elected in 1978. It was a parliament of 92 MPs, most of them men. The New Zealand Music Awards that year named John Rowles Male Vocalist of the Year and — after a short twelve months ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Labour still protecting the status quo
    Aotearoa has a cost of living crisis. And one of the major drivers of this crisis is the supermarket duopoly, who gouge every dollar they can out of us. Last year, the Commerce Commission found that the duopoly was in fact anti-competititve, giving the government social licence to fix the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s myths about the desolated state of the economy
    Familiarity breeds consent. If you repeat the line “six years of economic mis-management” about 10,000 times, it sounds like the received wisdom, whatever the evidence to the contrary. Yes, the global pandemic and the global surge in inflation that came in its wake occurred here as well – but if ...
    2 days ago
  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Hapless Hipkins and his racism
    Michael Bassett writes – Without so much as batting an eyelid, Chris Hipkins told an audience on Saturday that there had been “more racism” in this election campaign than ever before. And he blamed it on the opposition parties, National, Act and New Zealand First. In those ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: The ‘recession’ has been called off, but some households are still struggling
    While the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates. Brian Easton writes – Last week’s announcement of a 0.9 percent increase in volume GDP for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Monday’s Chorus: Richie Poulton's lament
    “You can't really undo what happens during childhood”, said the director of the Dunedin longitudinal study. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Richie Poulton, the director of the world-leading Dunedin longitudinal study showing how devastating poverty in early life is, died yesterday. With his final words, he lamented the lack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • North-western downgrades
    This is a guest post from reader Peter N As many of us know, Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi are well into progressing works on the northwestern interim “busway” with services to kick off in just over a month from now on Sunday 12th November 2023. Some of the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago
  • Has Webworm Found New Zealand’s Weirdest School?
    Hi,Before we talk about weird schools people choose to send their kids to, a few things on my mind. I adored the Ask Me Anything we did last week. Thanks for taking part. I love answering your weird and nosy questions, even questions about beans.I am excited and scared as Mister ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Another mother of a budget
    A National government would make spending cuts on a scale not seen since the 1990 – 96 Bolger government.That much was confirmed with the release of their Fiscal Plan on Friday.Government spending is currently high as a percentage of GDP — as high as it was during the Muldoon ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • A crucial week starts as early voting opens in the NZ Elections … it’s been a ride so far. Are y...
    Chris Hipkins down with Covid, at least for 5 days isolation, National continue to obfuscate, ACT continues to double-down on the poor and Winston… well, he’s being Winston really. Voters beware: this week could be even more infuriating than the last. No Party is what they used to be ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #39
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 24, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 30, 2023. Story of the Week We’re not doomed yet’: climate scientist Michael Mann on our last chance to save human civilisation The renowned US ...
    3 days ago
  • Clusterf**ck of Chaos.
    On the 11th of April 1945 advancing US forces liberated the Nazi concentration camp of Buchenwald near Weimar in Germany. In the coming days, under the order of General Patton, a thousand nearby residents were forced to march to the camp to see the atrocities that had been committed in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • The party of business deals with the future by pretending it isn’t coming
    Years and years ago, when Helen Clark was Prime Minister and John Key was gunning for her job, I had a conversation with a mate, a trader who knew John Key well enough to paint a helpful picture.It was many drinks ago so it’s not a complete one. But there’s ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • 2023 More Reading: September (+ Old Phuul update)
    Completed reads for September: The Lost Continent, by C.J. Cutcliffe Hyne Flatland, by Edwin Abbott All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque The Country of the Blind, by H.G. Wells The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles ...
    4 days ago
  • Losing The Left.
    Descending Into The Dark: The ideological cadres currently controlling both Labour and the Greens are forcing “justice”, “participation” and “democracy” to make way for what is “appropriate” and “responsible”. But, where does that leave the people who, for most of their adult lives, have voted for left-wing parties, precisely to ...
    4 days ago
  • The New “Emperor’s New Clothes”.
    “‘BUT HE HASN’T GOT ANYTHING ON,’ a little boy said ….. ‘But he hasn’t got anything on!’ the whole town cried out at last.”On this optimistic note, Hans Christian Andersen brings his cautionary tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” to an end.Andersen’s children’s story was written nearly two centuries ago, ...
    4 days ago
  • BRYCE EDWARDS: The vested interests shaping National Party policies
      Bryce Edwards writes – As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: A conundrum for those pushing racist dogma
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – The heavily promoted narrative, which has ramped up over the last six years, is that Maori somehow have special vulnerabilities which arise from outside forces they cannot control; that contemporary society fails to meet their needs. They are not receptive to messages and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER:  The greater of two evils
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.   Chris Trotter writes – THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 30
    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:Labour presented a climate manifesto that aimed to claim the high ground on climate action vs National, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • The ‘Recession’ Has Been Called Off, But Some Households Are Still Struggling
    While the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates.Last week’s announcement of a 0.9 percent increase in volume GDP for the June quarter had the commentariat backing down ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: The wrong direction
    This week the International Energy Association released its Net Zero Roadmap, intended to guide us towards a liveable climate. The report demanded huge increases in renewable generation, no new gas or oil, and massive cuts to methane emissions. It was positive about our current path, but recommended that countries with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • “Racism” becomes a buzz word on the campaign trail – but our media watchdogs stay muzzled when...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Oh, dear.  We have nothing to report from the Beehive. At least, we have nothing to report from the government’s official website. But the drones have not gone silent.  They are out on the election campaign trail, busy buzzing about this and that in the hope ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Play it, Elvis
    Election Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t have time for. You’re welcome, etc. Let us press on, etc. 1.  What did Christopher Luxon use to his advantage in ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Pure class warfare
    National unveiled its fiscal policy today, announcing all the usual things which business cares about and I don't. But it did finally tell us how National plans to pay for its handouts to landlords: by effectively cutting benefits: The biggest saving announced on Friday was $2b cut from the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Ask Me Anything about the week to Sept 29
    Photo by Anna Ogiienko on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour, including:duelling fiscal plans from National and Labour;Labour cutting cycling spending while accusing National of being weak on climate;Research showing the need for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 29-September-2023
    Welcome to Friday and the last one for September. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted at the latest with the City Rail Link. On Tuesday, Matt covered the interesting items from Auckland Transport’s latest board meeting agendas. On Thursday, a guest post from Darren Davis ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • Protest at Parliament: The Reunion.
    Brian’s god spoke to him. He, for of course the Lord in Tamaki’s mind was a male god, with a mighty rod, and probably some black leathers. He, told Brian - “you must put a stop to all this love, hope, and kindness”. And it did please the Brian.He said ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Labour cuts $50m from cycleway spending
    Labour is cutting spending on cycling infrastructure while still trying to claim the higher ground on climate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government released a climate manifesto this week to try to claim the high ground against National, despite having ignored the Climate Commission’s advice to toughen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Greater Of Two Evils.
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very rarely is an opposition party elected ...
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
    Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or  not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...
    5 days ago
  • Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
    IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago
  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    6 days ago
  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    6 days ago
  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    7 days ago
  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    1 week ago
  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    1 week ago
  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    1 week ago

  • Youth justice programme expands to break cycle of offending
    The successful ‘Circuit Breaker’ fast track programme designed to stop repeat youth offending was launched in two new locations today by Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis. The programme, first piloted in West and South Auckland in December last year, is aimed at children aged 10-13 who commit serious offending or continue ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Major milestone with 20,000 employers using Apprenticeship Boost
    The Government’s Apprenticeship Boost initiative has now supported 20,000 employers to help keep on and train up apprentices, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni announced in Christchurch today. Almost 62,000 apprentices have been supported to start and keep training for a trade since the initiative was introduced in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Government supporting wood processing jobs and more diverse industry
    The Government is supporting non-pine tree sawmilling and backing further job creation in sawmills in Rotorua and Whangarei, Forestry Minister Peeni Henare said.   “The Forestry and Wood Processing Industry Transformation Plan identified the need to add more diversity to our productions forests, wood products and markets,” Peeni Henare said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Government backing Canterbury’s future in aerospace industry
    The Government is helping Canterbury’s aerospace industry take off with further infrastructure support for the Tāwhaki Aerospace Centre at Kaitorete, Infrastructure Minister Dr Megan Woods has announced. “Today I can confirm we will provide a $5.4 million grant to the Tāwhaki Joint Venture to fund a sealed runway and hangar ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Updated forestry regulations increase council controls and require large slash removal
    Local councils will have more power to decide where new commercial forests – including carbon forests – are located, to reduce impacts on communities and the environment, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “New national standards give councils greater control over commercial forestry, including clear rules on harvesting practices and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • New Zealand resumes peacekeeping force leadership
    New Zealand will again contribute to the leadership of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, with a senior New Zealand Defence Force officer returning as Interim Force Commander. Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced the deployment of New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New national direction provides clarity for development and the environment
    The Government has taken an important step in implementing the new resource management system, by issuing a draft National Planning Framework (NPF) document under the new legislation, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “The NPF consolidates existing national direction, bringing together around 20 existing instruments including policy statements, standards, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government shows further commitment to pay equity for healthcare workers
    The Government welcomes the proposed pay equity settlement that will see significant pay increases for around 18,000 Te Whatu Ora Allied, Scientific, and Technical employees, if accepted said Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. The proposal reached between Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • 100 new public EV chargers to be added to national network
    The public EV charging network has received a significant boost with government co-funding announced today for over 100 EV chargers – with over 200 charging ports altogether – across New Zealand, and many planned to be up and running on key holiday routes by Christmas this year. Minister of Energy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago
  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-10-03T16:47:42+00:00