Rambo has been constrained. Now about those other semi-automatics?

Written By: - Date published: 4:39 pm, March 21st, 2019 - 80 comments
Categories: jacinda ardern, Politics - Tags: , ,

From Radio NZ

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a ban on all military-style semi-automatic weapons and all assault rifles.

This afternoon, she announced that every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch last Friday would be banned under more stringent gun laws.

As of 3pm today an order in council took effect. The changes to the regulations would mean the firearms were now catergorised as needing an E-class licence endorsement.

This means no one will be able to buy the weapons without police approval. Ms Ardern said there was no point in applying for one.

For those who are already in possession of these weapons, Ms Ardern said the firearms would be tightly regulated, while for everyone else, the weapons would now be effectively out of reach.

She also said the government would be establishing a buyback scheme to take the firearms out of circulation.

There is quite a lot of detail more. (and you have to love the bad editing on ‘catergorised ‘ – someone needs a better spell-checker ).

Now that is a good first step. It is what can be done immediately  within the current legislation using an order in council. That gets a military style weapons from being sold (updated: and means most existing MSSA need to be turned in).

They will proceed to banning them, having a buyback, and giving substantial fines and prison sentences for possession of up to 3 years  via legislation. 

The Police Association has called for semi-automatic weapons to be banned, while Fish and Game said it supported a ban on military-style semi-automatic weapons.

I agree with the Police Association on this.

As much as I like working and playing with semi-automatic (and automatic) weapons, there is substantially no real difference between a military style semi-auto and other semi-autos. The self-arming mechanism is exactly the same. The MSSA style just have other features that make them easier to use.

But anyone moderately skilled with an enhanced magazine and a few judicial structural cuts with a non-military semi-auto firearm can get very close to the same fire rates and killing convenience.


Immediately Updated

My understanding updated via Dennis Frank:

Police Commissioner Mike Bush: “for many people, you will now be in unlawful possession of your firearm. Given this is an immediate change, there is an amnesty to allow the notification and hand in their firearms to Police.”http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1903/S00640/police-announce-process-to-hand-over-reclassified-mssas.htm

He then outlines what folks must do to become law-abiding. There will be thousands of attack weapons flooding in – I hope the media gets photos of the result, because it will have a profoundly positive effect on youngsters!

Of course that is the case. If someone has a class A gun license, they can no longer possess what is now a class E weapon. 

80 comments on “Rambo has been constrained. Now about those other semi-automatics? ”

  1. Jacinda Adern ,- our Queen Boudica of peace.

    Christchurch mosque shootings: Military-style semi-automatics and …
    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12214988

    • OnceWasTim 1.1

      /Agree.
      She hasn’t really put a foot or a knee jerk wrong. About the only thing a cynic like me can find fault with is that someone should tell her the difference between bought and brought. (Just in case she needs to pass IELTS level 7.5)

      And for those that now seek to circumvent the change, it’s pretty clear what the intent of the new legislation will be.

    • Chris T 1.2

      Hang on

      You just compared Jacinda Ardern to Boudica?

      Far out.

      • McFlock 1.2.1

        Funny how a little thinking time changes a quick skim.

        I was flicking through and thought “her of the scythed chariot? seems odd, but I guess ‘strong women’ yadda yadda”. Then this evening I see your comment and had another think, and it went from “odd” to “yeah, a bit off”, then I remembered the treatment of the captured cities and it all went “oh fuck no”.

        tldr: yeah fair call 🙂

        • WILD KATIPO 1.2.1.1

          That’s why i changed it from war to ‘peace’.

          Ie … warrior of peace.

          Remember the ‘Rainbow Warrior’ ?

          Enough said. Churlishness is not nice.

          • McFlock 1.2.1.1.1

            I just think that maybe you could have picked a comparison who didn’t slaughter thousands of innocent civilians – in this case, y’know?

  2. Rosemary McDonald 2

    Rambo can still get off fifteen rounds before having to reload….

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1903/S00135/nz-bans-military-style-semi-automatics-and-assault-rifles.htm

    “2. What semi-automatic firearms will NOT be affected by the ban?
    There is a balance to be struck between public safety and legitimate use. The changes exclude two general classes of firearms which are commonly used for hunting, pest control, stock management on farms, and duck shooting:
    • Semi-automatic .22 calibre rimfire firearms with a magazine which holds no more than ten rounds
    • Semi-automatic and pump action shotguns with a non-detachable tubular magazine which holds no more than five rounds”

    Hmmm…. and 100-200million to buy back the toys from the boys who can’t shoot straight.

    Because, like, we have to strike a balance.

    It’d be 1/2 the cost to buy less depreciation and if they’ve not been relinquished within four weeks ….

    • lprent 2.1

      Should be 3 years in prison for possessing or manufacturing or selling or trying to import magazines with more than that capacity without a license.

      I suspect that would get the attention of those with a limited understanding of obeying the law.

      • Rosemary McDonald 2.1.1

        I’m still struggling with a five (shotgun) and 10 (.22) round magazines when Fish and Game…

        ” Military style semi-automatic weapons could fire 15 to 20 shots without the need to reload, whereas duck hunters only needed three or four shots, he said.

        “We are supporting any limitation to the magazine capacity … on semi-automatic shotguns.

        “In some areas in New Zealand now, Fish and Game already has a regulation that you can’t have more than a two shot magazine.””

        So the new laws double this….why not set the limit lower, then make those who ‘need’ larger capacity magazines jump through mega hoops to get a permit….and then only under strict conditions.

        Methinks there have been major compromises made here, and I’d be very interested to know who were the stakeholders demanding the extra capacity.

        • Exkiwiforces 2.1.1.1

          Shooting animal and a person on the run is bloody hard and even bloody hard if your is body under stress or if you are on a two range which is even harder still.

          I shot a wild dog on run at just under or over 200m with my 30. 30 lever action in which I fired 3rds at it and hit it with the third rd which didn’t kill it until I finished it off with the 4th rd.

  3. WeTheBleeple 3

    A big shout out to all our political parties who have worked together for New Zealand on this matter.

    That’s some stellar leadership.

    Thank you.

  4. marty mars 4

    Good move. Love it. Well done.

  5. Stuart Munro. 6

    Next step would be to commission some artist to make surrendered guns into something uplifting.

    • Rosemary McDonald 6.1

      I was hoping the metal would be recovered and sold for scrap. The $$$ raised to go towards funding for much needed mobility equipment…?

      • Stuart Munro. 6.1.1

        Wouldn’t hurt – or they’d make great high spec rebar for the Christchurch rebuild.

        • WILD KATIPO 6.1.1.1

          Actually a monument dedicated to the victims made out of these things would not be too bad an idea. One dedicated to peace… such as several monuments in the USA between the Native Americans and the Federal govt… though,… that would involve so much… or may even be viewed by some as tacky and insensitive.

          Probably better just to destroy them.

          • WeTheBleeple 6.1.1.1.1

            It sounds a bit Game of Thrones. But a creative option.

            • WILD KATIPO 6.1.1.1.1.1

              Heh… I haven’t had a telly since about 2004… so all I hear is what others tell me and lookin’ things up on the net .

              I sure don’t miss TV.

              I just have found memory’s of this :

              Used to love Ena , Albert and Minie… highlights of the show…

              Ena Sharples and Albert Tatlock get drunk (3 November … – YouTube
              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FB1n175VQE

            • Dukeofurl 6.1.1.1.1.2

              Awful choice.
              If they are used for anything it should be for a monument for ‘stupidity ‘

      • Chris T 6.1.2

        Would have thought if you were going that way some sort of tributes outside the mosques would be more relevant but dig your idea

  6. Sam 7

    Never had a doubt

  7. marty mars 8

    I have to say thanks to Simon Bridges the National Party leader. Good work that man. So very pleased you are there not anyone else, really pleased in fact.

  8. I feel love 9

    Great leadership.

  9. joe90 10

    Now, about those weapons bought during the past week’s panic buying…

    • I feel love 10.1

      Did you see that story of the courier van left unattended with boxes of recently bought guns? I always thought we were a lucky country, but I now think we were just complacent.

    • McFlock 10.2

      heh

      hopefully they’re like cars – used price as soon as they’re driven off the lot.

  10. Dennis Frank 11

    Yes, I agree we ought to give credit to the Nat leader for his appropriate role in support of the ban:

    “National has been clear since this devastating attack that we support changes to our regime and that we will work constructively with the Government. We agree that the public doesn’t need access to military style semi-automatic weapons. National supports them being banned along with assault rifles. We also support the Government’s proposals to limit the access to other high powered semi-automatic weapons and ammunition,” he said. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12214988

    But this is an immense victory for the coalition plus Greens. Oz did it in 12 days, we did it in 6 days, and that demonstrates undeniable political competence at the top level. Those who are thinking `but wait, the legislation isn’t till early April’ may not be aware that the law has been changed by order-in-council. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_in_Council

    • Yeah it is overwhelming, though we don’t have states with the power of veto like Australia does… that aside,… despite political expediency and ‘image’… it is a good work that there is unanimity between the party’s.

  11. mac1 12

    “Brunetti had no interest in hunting, judging it an endeavour that was expensive, inconvenient and excessively loud. Further, experience as a policeman as well as his habit of reflecting upon human behaviour had too often suggested a frightening correlation between a man’s interest in firearms and feelings of sexual inadequacy.” P48 “Uniform Justice” by Donna Leon.

    Just happened to be reading this today……..

    The weapons announcements are a good move by this government. I listened to a replay of Parliament last night and am not surprised by the announcements today from what I heard, especially from Chris Bishop, National’s police spokesperson. He, like the dozen I heard, spoke very well, from the heart and with considered wisdom.

    I was very surprised by the quality. At the end, the Speaker announced a ruling that banned the use of coloured document boxes that adorned the tops of the desks. They had already gone I noticed by then.

    In line with what Seymour said about identity politics and how easy it is to go to a place where opponents are demonised and then killed, this is too a good move. It might force MPs into consideration of each other as human beings, as listening to each other’s hearts did yesterday, and following the superb lead from the PM also acknowledged by them yesterday.

    A good day in Parliament.

  12. Already the shit from the small balled die hard’s is starting.

    One lone Simon Lusk and co and his murky mates. The trainer for far right wing neo liberal Dirty Politics attack politics fame…

    Changes to gun law overseen by Jacinda Ardern criticised | Stuff.co.nz
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/…/changes-to-gun-law-overseen-by-jacinda-ardern-described-…

    • Rosemary McDonald 14.1

      WK….I believe you’re linking to a headline on Stuff describing the changes to the gun laws that came into effect before Christmas…

      “Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern oversaw recent changes which meant gun licence holders did not need to visit police stations when applying for permits for assault rifles, but could instead apply online.

      Previously under the Arms Act, if someone wanted to become a gun dealer, get a firearms licence, import a restricted weapon, or get a permit to buy a MSSA [military style semi-automatic], they had to physically deliver an application to their nearest police station.

      For example, if someone with an E-category endorsement was buying an MSSA, they would have to visit their police station for a permit, show the permit to the seller, and then take the weapon back to police.

      Under the changes, which came in just before Christmas, that process could be done online, and the firearm shown by video call. Police could ask to see the weapon in person if they were not satisfied they had identified it.

      A critic of the change, firearms lawyer Nicholas Taylor, said: “It’s been done for all the wrong reasons – this is exactly an example of the type of problem that’s caused this event [in Christchurch].””

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-shooting/111438784/changes-to-gun-law-overseen-by-jacinda-ardern-described-as-crazy

      Stuff’s coverage has been technically abysmal to the point of incomprehensibility.

      The video accompanying that piece has Simon ( everbody’s bff if you pay me enough) Lusk scaremongering over the potential $$$ cost to the gummint if the PM goes wild with reforms. He can breathe easy as the worst failed to happen.

      • Dukeofurl 14.1.1

        It would be a change driven by Police, while there would probably be a cabinet paper to cover that , it might have been numerous other changes included. I doubt if Ardern was even aware in more than a casual way that these things happen. Orders in Council are made by the Governor General plus some other senior cabinet ministers with a pile of paperwork after the cabinet decision. Technically cabinet is a sort of committee of ‘The Council’

  13. Sabine 15

    good.

    well done NZ government and opposition. It was the right thing to do.

  14. Morrissey 16

    Take them off our military and police as well. Haven’t goons like this fellow done enough damage?

    https://static2.stuff.co.nz/1264718680/915/3253915.jpg

    • Yeah , give the Police rubber bands to shoot at criminals armed with rifles and shotguns…. send our peacekeepers overseas with rolled up newspapers…

      I’m sorry but… hey…

      • Morrissey 16.1.1

        Yeah , give the Police rubber bands to shoot at criminals armed with rifles and shotguns….

        I never suggested that, of course. Argumentum ad absurdum: the lowest form of sarcasm.

        … send our peacekeepers overseas with rolled up newspapers…

        “Peacekeepers”? New Zealand’s notorious SAS thugs are under investigation right now for provoking firefights, for strapping the corpses of their victims to the bonnets of military vehicles and driving them into villages to intimidate the locals, for kicking in doors, and flexi-cuffing innocent civilians. How is that “peacekeeping?”

        https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-disturbing-story-behind-willie.html

        I’m sorry but… hey…

        Your inability to formulate a coherent response has been noted.

        • left_forward 16.1.1.1

          Take them off our military and police as well.

          Yeah, give the Police rubber bands…

          WTs response was appropriate, funny and coherent Morrie. It was a signal that you made a pretty absurd statement that needed further explanation.

      • Morrissey 16.1.2

        One “WILD KATIPO” has attempted, unwisely, to be clever….

        Yeah , give the Police rubber bands to shoot at criminals armed with rifles and shotguns….

        I never suggested that, of course. Argumentum ad absurdum: the lowest form of sarcasm.

        … send our peacekeepers overseas with rolled up newspapers…

        “Peacekeepers”? New Zealand’s notorious SAS thugs are under investigation right now for provoking firefights, for strapping the corpses of their victims to the bonnets of military vehicles and driving them into villages to further terrorize the locals, for kicking in doors, and flexi-cuffing innocent civilians. How is that “peacekeeping?”

        https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-disturbing-story-behind-willie.html

        I’m sorry but… hey…

        Your inability to formulate a coherent response has been noted.

        • WILD KATIPO 16.1.2.1

          Go have a cup of tea and a lie down and don’t take yourself so seriously. I notice it took you hours to put your reasons up. Don’t blame me if your original post lacked the full backings of your findings either. What are we to make of it when you dont supply it and put such an inane comment in isolation?

          Anyways. whatever.

          And that smart shit little piece of garbage at the end?

          … ” Your inability to formulate a coherent response has been noted ” …

          What a real Rick the Prick you are.

          Just another far Left wing screamer.

          Rick from The Young Ones Cliff Poem – YouTube
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVPAP62TvRY

          • Morrissey 16.1.2.1.1

            ….and don’t take yourself so seriously.

            What I take seriously is the role of our government, via the crimes and atrocities committed by the thugs of the SAS, in the agony inflicted on Afghanistan.

            I must say I like your response this time. Always appreciate a Rick-pick. Well done, ‘Po.

          • Puckish Rogue 16.1.2.1.2

            Every arguement is better with Rik

            (Also I’m drunk)

    • Chris T 16.2

      “Take them off our military and police as well. Haven’t goons like this fellow done enough damage?”

      (shakes head. Re-reads thinking I got it wrong. No. I didn’t)

      FFS

  15. Puckish Rogue 17

    First off I’m sure everyone will be pleased to know this doesn’t affect me at all, my .22 semi auto is safe

    Secondly I’m pissed with the police, yeah they can talk about banning and shit but how about they do their jobs properly and then maybe we won’t have these nutters killing people in the first

    Lastly I did say that I thought all semi autos should be moved from A category to E endorsement so I’m glad to see that Jacinda agrees with me, she obviously reads this site

      • Puckish Rogue 17.1.1

        Shes all good 🙂

        • Drowsy M. Kram 17.1.1.2

          Pucky’s pleased as piss, after contributing over 70 comments on three recent ‘ban guns’ posts, including this gem:

          Maui, Maui, Maui silly little Maui, it’s quite easy to go back and check my statements, they even have the date and time on them

          Have a nice cup of tea and lie down silly little Maui and then come back and try again

          Pucky Pucky Pucky, teeny-weeny tiny-whiny silly little Pucky.

          Have a nice warm cup of tea and a wee lie down rinky-dinky runty-stumpy sawn-off silly Pucky.

          Brought to you by the Puckish Rogue University of Debating Etiquette – good Judith-hunting.

    • Muttonbird 17.2

      Reckon the Police will be paying a bit more attention to licensing checks. Not sure you’d get a gun in the new environment!

      • Puckish Rogue 17.2.1

        The police need to own this, this is caused by their complacency, their laziness, their…whatever, they facilitated this, the blood of 50 dead are on their hands

        • Muttonbird 17.2.1.1

          Edgy. You’re definitely not getting another gun now.

          • Puckish Rogue 17.2.1.1.1

            Might have to look at the Ruger Mini-14, looks pretty good and not a MSSA or assualt rifle

            • Exkiwiforces 17.2.1.1.1.1

              What about a de mil M21 with a 5 round box attach? Or one of these de mil
              https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragunov_sniper_rifle very user friendly for you righties to use.

              • Puckish Rogue

                I really just want my nice, cheap, reliable little ruger 10/22

                • Exkiwiforces

                  From the looks of it mate, you may get to keep it at this stage unless there is blowback at the proposed law changes atm. But it will always depends on the thin blue line upholding the letter of IRT the Firearms Law which appears they still didn’t uphold the letter of Law this time again IRT the current act.

                  New Zealand’s vetting process for any type of firearms license is stricter than anything here in Oz. But cops in NZ don’t won’t to enforce the strict vetting requirements and the law, then this shit will keep happening. There is a lot of piss off cops atm because due process wasn’t followed IRT to the vetting and complaints about this…….. and at the Bruce Rifle Range won’t followed up.

                  Wish the damm Fourth Estate started to follow up on some the leaks and people’s comments coming out of Dunedin and in CHCH atm.

                  As one source has said, it maybe the reason why Bushy is in CHCH not Wally atm?

          • Puckish Rogue 17.2.1.1.2

            Good point, I’ll sell the .22 and buy the completely legal bolt action .50 cal instead

            Big budda boom! 🙂

  16. Exkiwiforces 18

    It’s going to depend on the wording, type of semi auto rifle as well as there are a number of old school rifles like the
    M1 Grand
    M1 Carbine
    SKS
    M14 and M21 Sniper Rifle
    G43 the W2 German Sniper Rifle (hardly this these now Rifles now due the bolt cracking on them due low quality metal being use at the time manufacturing)
    The Johnson Rifle from Canada?
    There are 3 10 shot Semi Auto’s from France, Belgium and Italy which I’ve forgotten their names in .308, .223, 7mm

    Those can be De- Mil to take a five shot mag along with all other stuff taken off like bayonet lugs, flash suppressors and Rifle Grenade Attachments etc would still fall in with the A Cat Licence requirements. Most of these weapons have a fixed Magazine with a quick release at the bottom of the mag for unloading so cutting , welding a stopper or making a 5rd mag to size and to fit would quite easily to by an certify police approved gunsmith.

    It would be interesting to see what happens to those that have the C Cat Licence? I know a few single seat Vampire and Venom owners might be sweeting atm, as you can’t De Mil the Aircarft because you will upset the CoG if you tinker with the 20mm guns as they keep the A/C finely balanced.

    PS, there is a Russia Sniper and its many variants callled the Dragnov or whatever it’s name is, fires a half decent round a 7.62x 51mm from memory a little bit larger than the 7.62 NATO or .308 rd. Could also fall under a Cat A Licence and I know a few NZ Coppers who use it from target shooting to deer shooting etc

    • McFlock 18.1

      Thing is, most people don’t have a problem with museums and that sort of level of curated firearms storage. And I’m not sure that an aircraft cannon is so finely balanced that one can’t compensate for wedling it shut by drilling a bit of metal off somewhere else on the barrels.

      But what I found to be particularly gobsmacking is that you can buy ammunition without a license. You can’t buy explosives or fireworks beyond a certain level without permits, but you can muy ammunition by the crate? WTF? Let alone the magazines – I thought we’d restricted MSSAs after Aramoana (another one just down the road from me), but it turns out we’d just implemented a pinky-swear system that people wouldn’t buy big magazines if they owned an ar15 on an A licence.

      • RedLogix 18.1.1

        Even 0.5 Cal if an article I read recently is correct. I mean hell those things are small cannons …

        Today’s announcement is of course welcome and in the correct direction, but a more comprehensive and formal review is at least months away, and a lot more complex.

        • Dennis Frank 18.1.1.1

          Have the coalition announced that? All I saw was notice of follow-up legislation for April 10. I get that the devil may be lurking in those details, but he’s always real good at hiding, enough to make politicians weary with the effort of nailing the bugger, and thus forever turning away towards something easier…

      • Exkiwiforces 18.1.2

        Some individuals that hold a C Cat License, have some amazing collections of weapons with armouries that would put most police and NZDF/ ADF to shame IRT security and management to shame. I know when I was shooting with own SLR and SKS in Service Rifle Shooting Comps and semi formal shoots with the SEA veterans IOT maintain a good level of marksmanship during the big to the NZDF under National whilst I with 3 Land Force Group in the 90’s, That I had the opportunity to shoot some famous well known and equally some not so famous for obvious reasons aka technical and manufacturing. These collections also provide those members understanding of various weapons and they sounded, yes all weapons have a very distinctive sound when fired prior to deployment to such places to Bosnia, Somalia, the Solly’s and ET under a UN Missions or UN Supported Missions aka INTERFET.

        Yes, there were so many loop holes in the Firearms Act it wasn’t funny and I almost assemble a .303 Mk3 and Mk4 Bren Gun (had the Tech Pam as well) by buying bit and pieces here and there and I only need a the body to complete it. I believe this loophole and many others within the act was meant to have been closed under the recommendations that Bennett was given in last Government but did SFA on it.

        Well the Act was meant to work if the Police followed the letter to the law, with all other firearm users if informing the local Firearms Officers, office on breaches of the Act. But once everyone realise the coppers weren’t doing their job in uphold the Firearms Act, then it became a big F…. you towards the system. What Jim posted today and what I’ve heard/ posted today though my sources have said sort’ve confirms the Police Firearms Officer/ Office in Dunedin did SFA about this ……. or what was happening at Bruce Range in South Dunedin. Then this would’ve never have happened all because of soppy work from the Police in Dunedin either because of the restructuring of Firearms Office, lack of money or something else.

        I hope Jandals holds a Royal Commission at arm’s lengths from the Police and has the power to summons the Police Firearms from Dunedin and those members of the public that warned the Police in Dunedin and in CHCH at was going on/ certain trends that were developing at certain events.

      • Puckish Rogue 18.1.3

        Yeah I’d agree with that, no license no ammo

        • Exkiwiforces 18.1.3.1

          It’s the law here in Oz btw. Semi Auto’s aren’t ban here either in Oz but are highly regulated for those who require one aka professional hunters for feral animal control, large land holders and wildlife control people within government or council departments.

  17. OnceWasTim 19

    It’s actually pretty clear what the intent of all this is, and it’s understandable that after only 6 days it’s not surprising the exact legalese is not yet in place.
    But for those screaming ‘nanny state’ nanny state’ ,’shower heads, shower heads’ – especially some that comment on here with a modicum of intelligence, please don’t moan when things go tits up for you in future, or when you find yourselves on some sort of watch list.
    Times, they are a changing – unfortunately not fast enough.

  18. mosa 20

    To the NRA and Mr Trump.
    That is how you do it !

  19. Puckish Rogue 21

    Jagear bombs for the win! Woohoo! Sleeps overrated anyway 🙂

  20. KJT 22

    Anyone who has delusions that we are a democracy, should note that it took 50 deaths, sadly, for politicians to do what most of us, and a select committee which spent a year on it, wanted since Aramoana.

    Same with Pike River and industrial safety.

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    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    8 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
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