Remember President Obama?

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, March 20th, 2018 - 79 comments
Categories: China, Donald Trump, International, Russia, us politics - Tags:

A decade ago, the first black President of the United State of America was elected. For those who want to enjoy that moment again, and revel in some of the best and highest political rhetoric we’ve seen in many a year, here’s his speech in Chicago when he first won:

I remember where I was when I heard that. That guy is in our town; a Democrat who is friendly, coherent, smart.

In just a few short years the axis of the world has tilted.

I don’t have to mention his successor Mr You-Know-Who, or compare him to President Obama. That’s too easy.

Let me simply say that the towering political leaders of our time now rest elsewhere – in Russia and China.

That impacts us in New Zealand.

With the investiture of Xi Jinping as China’s President for as long as he wishes, and the re-election of President Vladimir Putin until 2024, we are getting to that point where authoritarian regimes are exerting stronger and stronger influence compared to states who strongly support human rights and the rule of anything New Zealand might recognise as civil law.

This is good for no-one in New Zealand.

And it is also misleading to bracket Putin and Jinping together, when read through the lens of New Zealand interests.

New Zealand’s interests, as a small and indebted but wealthy and liberal and highly trade-dependent state, are in sustaining international orders that support trade and the free flow of capital to support our mortgages. That’s what pays the bills that afford our globally generous social welfare system.

We share little in common with Russia or its leader. A tiny few of Russia’s oligarchs like to holiday here as a mutation of the quarry-enclave economy that kept us afloat through the 19th century, in which all kinds of foreigners set up camp with compounds and extract stuff as fast as possible, with not a whole bunch of horizontal distribution to locals. We’ve welcomed it since we became a country, but this government is putting the brakes on a part of it.

 

Whereas China, and Chinese state interests, are here for good. Chinese culture and people and capital are a powerful presence, fully accepted as a strong part of who we are.

There are no Russian construction companies or cranes on our cities’ horizons – but Chinese developers are now some of the strongest infrastructure and hotel and apartment developers we now have.

How can New Zealand retain its democratic and sensitive liberal principles concerning human rights and diversity when in 2018 the situation is so different to the era of President Barack Obama? There has been a shock to the system, in the form of the repositioning of the U.S. and the U.K. The U.S. has withdrawn from CPTPP, threatened to withdraw from NAFTA, revised commitments to the Korea-U.S. Preferential Trade Agreement, and launched a full trade war on China through steel and aluminium tariffs. The United States has less and less alignment with our political interests.

My small hope is that more and more smaller countries see that the cost of being left out is greater in a cooperative rather than a divided world, so others may be willing to re-engage tomorrow. Small hope.

In terms of friends, New Zealand has far fewer than we had on the grounds of human rights and our old allies, and a lot more commercial partners through CPTPP. Which doesn’t answer the question posed above.

Certainly, Australia now wilfully ignores us, excludes us, and acts entirely in their interests.

New Zealand is too small, too interconnected, too vulnerable in its trade and capital and human flows, for similar self-involvement.

This is a major moment of international and ideological realignment for New Zealand, and it’s getting colder outside.

Obama’s presence here reminds us of how far and how fast that realignment is occurring.

79 comments on “Remember President Obama? ”

  1. Keepcalmcarryon 1

    Trump is in because Obama was all talk.
    We need free flowing capital to pay our mortgages? We need a system which doesn’t rely on selling assets offshore to support a real estate ponzi scheme for Auckland home owners and farmers.

    • Sabine 1.1

      Ithink to be fair we should admit that the republican party decided very early on that a. he was gonna be a one term president – which did not happen, and then b. they would vote NO – on everything he proposes including a Supreme Judge nominee etc etc etc.

      o fcourse, the only reason Trump won – as we all know – was the economic anxiety of the white evangelic male and his beloved spouse. Nothing to do with a bit of sexism thrown in, nothing to do with pandering to the ‘forced birther’ crowd, nothing to do with Trump promising that he would undo everything Obama did manage to get done, nothing to do that the republican candidates were uninspiring and not radical enough, no t’was all uniquely the fault of Obama, the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton.

      🙂 🙂 🙂

    • Keepcalmcarryon+1
      Obama gave the world Trump….what a sad legacy for the first Black potus to be remembered by!

      • Unicus 1.2.1

        He may have lost a few friends along the way but not that many that he would need to call slithering John Key a ” friend” the way our fatally biased media is pretending .

        Now that he realises he’s been set up by the national party as a media patsy mY guess is his private opinion will resemble that of a man who has inadvertantly stood in a wet dog turd
        Yeeechh !

  2. Obama certainly has had some quite special impacts on our World…There was an interesting piece in the Atlantic by Adam Serwer, ex MotherJones, entitled “Obama’s Legacy of Impunity for Torture”, which I guess explains the Democrats support for giving The Donald greater spying powers over his own people.

    https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/obamas-legacy-of-impunity-for-torture/555578/

    http://www.newsweek.com/bipartisanship-saves-gov-right-spy-americans-778442

    • joe90 2.1

      As we’ve found out over the last wee while, the real threat to privacy, democracy and the rule of law isn’t the state.

      It’s Facebook and their ilk, and they’ve used our own need for free stuff and look at me, look at me narcissism to con us.

      • Sabine 2.1.1

        no you got that wrong, its not the republican party, its not our need for free stuff and shit, its the fault of the democratic party. Only their fault.

      • Siobhan 2.1.2

        how about both being a threat?
        tweedledum and tweedledee.

        It is, after all, The State that is allowing facebook, Amazon etc to take over…in fact the State is not only writing laws for the benefit of these swine, they are actually paying them through various tax shenanigans.

        Which to my mind makes the State the first target as they have been voted in to take care and protect the citizens not the Nationless cCorporations.

  3. Draco T Bastard 3

    New Zealand’s interests, as a small and indebted but wealthy and liberal and highly trade-dependent state, are in sustaining international orders that support trade and the free flow of capital to support our mortgages.

    How to fix that weakness:

    1. Stop being trade dependent.
    2. Realise that we don’t need foreign money to utilise our own resources.
    3. Stop being trade dependent.
    4. Build up better defensive capabilities in military, diplomatic and economic areas.
    5. Stop being trade dependent.

    A small nation once ruled the waves through it’s own capabilities and wasn’t dependent upon trade.

    but Chinese developers are now some of the strongest infrastructure and hotel and apartment developers we now have.

    But that is something that actually shouldn’t happen. We should be developing the skills and infrastructure here.

    My small hope is that more and more smaller countries see that the cost of being left out is greater in a cooperative rather than a divided world, so others may be willing to re-engage tomorrow.

    A cooperative world would be great – but that’s not what you’re talking about. You’re talking about dependence upon the good will of dictatorial powers.

    New Zealand is too small, too interconnected, too vulnerable in its trade and capital and human flows, for similar self-involvement.

    Which is a lie. We’re quite capable of supplying everything we need from our own resources.

    This is a major moment of international and ideological realignment for New Zealand, and it’s getting colder outside.

    It should be a recognition that we need to stop being so dependent upon other countries and trade.

    • JohnSelway 3.1

      “A small nation once ruled the waves through it’s own capabilities and wasn’t dependent upon trade.”

      Which one?

      “Which is a lie. We’re quite capable of supplying everything we need from our own resources”

      We are lacking in many of the rare earth elements needed to just do everything ourselves Draco. Yes we could do some thing but not everything

      • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1

        Which one?

        And here’s me thinking that that was fairly obvious.

        We are lacking in many of the rare earth elements needed to just do everything ourselves Draco.

        Actually, we’re not.
        https://www.gns.cri.nz/Home/Our-Science/Energy-Resources/Minerals/New-Zealands-minerals
        http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/5238554/Metal-riches-found-in-seabed-mud-of-Pacific

        • JohnSelway 3.1.1.1

          Just putting aside the rare earth stuff for now because I tentatively (though not fully) agree with you…

          If you are talking about the UK you are completely wrong. During the height of the British Empire the UK ran large trade deficits with both the Baltic States and China. It was importing huge amounts of timber from the Baltic to furnish it’s ship-building industry as well as running a massive deficit with China with the Tea Trade (which it eventually made up by exporting opium causing the opium wars).
          You also neglect to factor in British owned The East India Trading Company which at it’s peak made up half the worlds trade – silks, spices, timber, exotic plants and fruits.

          You need to brush up on your history dude – the British Empire traded on a scale never before seen. Here’s a short article from the University of Washington (I did a paper on the British Empire a couple years back – trade was a massive and undeniably key factor in their dominance)
          https://history.libraries.wsu.edu/fall2014/2014/08/29/what-allowed-the-british-empire-expand-rapidly-during-the-1600s/

          • Keepcalmcarryon 3.1.1.1.1

            If resource stripping equals trade then you are correct John Selway. The vassal states of empire had their riches stolen. Maybe it is a better comparison to modern trade than you realise.

            • JohnSelway 3.1.1.1.1.1

              Well, whatever – it was still a massive trading empire and it was control of trade and trade routes that made it an empire. The compete opposite of what Draco said

              • Keepcalmcarryon

                Asset stripping and the slave trade, what heady times.

                • JohnSelway

                  Hey I never said it was a great way of conquering the world 😉

                  • Keepcalmcarryon

                    Trade isn’t really trade when you are taking someone’s shit and selling it including the people. It’s called theft amongst other things, hardly a shining example of capitalism or is it.

                    • JohnSelway

                      Regardless – Great Britain was hugely dependent on trade and was the largest trading empire of it’s time. The morality of it isn’t the point of discussion.

                      I’d like to hear what Draco has to say – if anything

                    • Philg []

                      JohnSelway
                      Haha. Have you considered stand up? Seriously lol.

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      At it’s height the British Empire had trade/theft. At it’s beginning it aggressively built up its economy and capabilities so that it could actually do that.

                      My point is that we’re no worse off than Britain was 600 or more years ago and have the capability of building our own strength – once we stop whinging that we’re too small to do anything.

                    • JohnSelway

                      No, to get to it’s height it had to be a huge trading power.

                      Completely opposite of what you implied.

    • Stunned Mullet 3.2

      😆 DTB living in his fantasy land yet again.

      • Draco T Bastard 3.2.1

        The fantasy is what we have as it’s completely unsustainable.

        Really, people really do need to consider what living within your means actually means in the real world. Our means is the resources that exist sustainably within our land mass and the same applies to every other country.

        • Stunned Mullet 3.2.1.1

          “Our means is the resources that exist sustainably within our land mass and the same applies to every other country.”

          Fair enough but that will come with a considerable increase in mortality and morbidity.

        • clare 3.2.1.2

          not only living within our means but find a way to live without a continually expanding economy, measured by gdp.

  4. SpaceMonkey 4

    Perhaps it’s now time to seriously start considering policies and actions which make us less dependent on trade.

    • Ad 4.1

      Not under any party combination now in parliament.
      So; no.

      • Hanswurst 4.1.1

        Parties are made up of people, people can exert pressure; the only way to get people to exert pressure is to persuade them that something is worth changing. The only way to do that is to talk about ideas that are not part of current orthodoxy. You are generally among the first, in such cases, to say, “Nobody else is doing that now, so let’s not,” possibly prefaced by, “I like the idea, but…”. The word for someone who displays that outlook is “conservative”.

        • Ad 4.1.1.1

          No. Good on you for continuing the tiresome game of meaningless labels.

          I like being in this country because it is clear about what it does well. The world appreciates that as well. We understand how we are evaluated and are valued by the world.

          That doesn’t make me a conservative.

          It makes me supportive of international trade as the core of our economy, as we have been for about 200 years.

  5. RedLogix 5

    One of your very best OP’s ever Ad. It aligns with the idea of a sane, democratically accountable, rule of law, global order I’ve mentioned here a few times. All the big problems we face as a species are global in nature, and will only find a permanent solution under the embrace of institutions also global in scope.

    When the left abandoned the global sphere to pursue essentially tribal interests at a local level, it left a vacuum for big business to fill at it’s own leisure and convenience. As a consequence, just as in the first round of globalisation from 1845 through to 1914, the competing commercial interests of various financial empires have come to dominate the political engagement between nation states.

    No-one is talking about broadening the spheres of international co-operation, relinquishing the crazy that the nation state is the highest expression of collective sovereignty, and the old evil of runaway arms races haunts us once again.

    If the US, China and Russia … are going isolationist … it is up to the remaining smaller nations to actively pursue an independent solidarity, to reaffirm global rule of law, and re-commit to a sense of respect and human dignity across all peoples. It is the only sane path left open to us.

    • Ad 5.1

      Cheers.

      It still astonishes me that we still have a few old halls and banners with great murals on them declaring: Workers of the world Unite.

      And yet so much of the left simply prefer to hunker down , forget the entire idea of solidarity, and look after their own in their own enclaves.

      The times New Zealand really flourishes is when we choose to organise to take on and be the best against the best of the world – and then surprise ourselves when we find ourselves a part of something far bigger than we imagined. Those are the should be moments where both New Zealand and the New Zealand left can be justifiably satisfied.

      Hope those Marxist activists have calmed down where you are. That was quite a video you posted a week or so back.

      • Cinny 5.1.1

        Ad, off topic, but relevant… the picture you used….. the artist who put that together, Shepard Fairey, he’s a clever man, love his work. Obey Giant is an excellent documentary about how he uses visual art to promote thought, challenge advertisers, create political statements and question the powers that be.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BwKh1o0gak

      • RedLogix 5.1.2

        Not really. This is a company video but I can attest it’s pretty accurate;

        https://youtu.be/PfKpFummJSU

        The problem is two-fold; one is no-one is quite sure what their real agenda is, and secondly the other unions on site hate them.

  6. esoteric pineapples 6

    History will always view Obama’s legacy through the fact that Obama came after him. Not because Trump dismantled a lot of Obama’s limited achievements but because Obama’s lack of any true progressive action paved the way for the level of dissatisfaction that saw Trump elected.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhsQlOP6WXg

    • tracey 6.1

      You may have seen the article I link to below, already, but if not, it is a good read.

  7. Ad, just a small pedantic point – Xi is the man’s surname. In China they reverse the oder, for some reason lost in the mist of Chinese history. So – Putin and Xi . . .

  8. tracey 8

    Let us also remember that Obama and the Democrats are not Left Wing as is so often the comparison and that they are the equivalent of our Labour Party.

    He and they patently are/were not. They are more aligned ideologically to the national party and that came through in any number of Obama’s domestic and foreign policies.

    This is a decent article on how Obama failed to wind back Regeanism.

    https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/1/19/14323552/obama-legacy-reagan-clinton-conservative-liberal

    The times New Zealand really flourishes is when we choose to organise to take on and be the best against the best of the world – and then surprise ourselves when we find ourselves a part of something far bigger than we imagined.

    Agree and will add in when we take on the rest of the world to show what best looks like and lead the rest of the world because being small sometimes can be an advantage.

    Doing things the way they have always been done is our biggest enemy.

    • JohnSelway 8.1

      I would consider the Democrats closer to the National Party than Labour as US politics are skewed firmly to the Right. He’ll, even Bernie Sanders would probably find a home in the National Party

      • tracey 8.1.1

        I was thinking Bernie might be the only one I would align tot he Labour Party 😉

        There is a reason Obama and Key got on so well, and it wasn’t just cos of Golf.

        • JohnSelway 8.1.1.1

          Either way, outside of Bernie, I would think the Nats are further to the left than anything in the US

          • tracey 8.1.1.1.1

            Agree. I see the problem with our Labour Party is the same as with Democrats. When they finally get power, they bend over backward to not upset some of the establishment and businesses in the hopes it will get them further terms and change support. But it doesn’t. Those interests still vote for Republicans (National) and it explains why the Centre of our politics has moved so far to th eRight since 1984 because when the Right get in they don’t hesitate to erode workers rights and conditions quickly.

            If we now tailor all we do to make nice with UK, Australia, USA etc we do so knowing it must necessarily result in continued low wages, poor working conditions, degraded health and education systems/facilities because those 3 nations have also seen the centre moved to the Right. Australia is an exception in that they have strong Unions, which partly explains them having higher wages than we, UK or USA relatively speaking.

          • Draco T Bastard 8.1.1.1.2

            And they’re still right-wing.

            • JohnSelway 8.1.1.1.2.1

              That’s the worst f/ucking evidence of anything you have posted.

              There is so much wrong with that I don’t know where to begin. Surely you must know, right? But just for starters….

              1) Who took the test to decide where NZ Labour fell on the compass?
              2) How did they answer the questions?
              3) Did the person who completed know anything about NZ politics?
              4) Were they answering against Labour policy or were they answering against their own opinion?

              Dude, what you just posted is hopeless. It answers nothing and is evidence of nothing. Surely your threshold for evidential rigor is higher than this crap?

              This is like posting an anonymous Stuff poll where the question is “Do you think Labour has gone to the Right?” and quoting it as fact

    • Ad 8.2

      This is just a ridiculous comparison.

      We get to feel so smug here in New Zealand.

      If you did a sliding scale of countries who are:

      – fully democratic,
      – have a free press guarded by statute,
      – have a strong and independent judiciary
      – have rulers who are held accountable daily by strong alternative wings of the public realm
      – have the full right to protest, and protesting really makes a positive difference
      – have regular changes of government to ensure a range of policy agendas can be compared
      – have an armed forces fully in command by civilian authority
      – have the ability to own property and have that right defended
      – actually implement human rights?

      Where do you think we compare to the USA?

      Where do you think the USA compares to China?

      Where do you think the USA compares to Russia?

      From there, it’s a pretty easy scale to calibrate these these things on a continuum. Plenty of rating agency NGOs have got it down to fine art if you want to check.

  9. Michelle 9

    Must be all the kiwis over there aye Tracey we use to have strong unions to.
    I remember the days of the wharfies and when my father was a freezing worker at the Gear Meat in Petone. A good time when jobs were easy to come by and they fought hard for their rights even when they got locked out. But then labour was more true to their name now they don’t really truly represent the blue collar workers.

  10. Didn’t Obama sign off on drone strikes every Tuesday ?

    Tuesday.

    The day of legitimized mass murder by aggressive imperialism implemented by President Obama on behalf of the globalists.

    Don’t recall President Trump ever doing that.

  11. remo 11

    The CLINTON Foundation as global Charity Fraud.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b0DFQFqxJ8&t=194s
    The CLINTON Foundation, as CIA global money laundering system.
    http://www.luminadiem.com/
    https://charlesortel.com/

    Maybe Barry Soetoro/Obama is coming down to ‘sort the narrative’ vis a vis the 13 million kiwi dollars johnny Key put into Clinton Foundation. Which is now outed by the forensic accountant’ Charles Ortel as a global charity fraud. FBI are investigating DOWNER after all, regarding these same matters. So maybe only a matter of time before they look over the ditch?
    Who was it that invited him anyway, and who is paying?

    • One Anonymous Bloke 11.1

      Why didn’t Charity Watch pick up on this!?

      Why didn’t the IRS!?

      It only took one forensic accountant. Astonishing.

      • Colonial Viper 11.1.1

        Charity Watch doesn’t know what it is looking for, and the IRS turned a blind eye to misfiled, late filed and unfiled returns.

  12. adam 12

    The best thing about Obama was his anger translator.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkAK9QRe4ds&ab_channel=C-SPAN

  13. savenz 13

    The fact that Obama loves John Key so much speaks volumes about the type of man he truely is.

    If this is not a wake up call for the identity parade crowd, surely this is. It makes little difference a person’s colour, race, gender, age etc.

    You have to judge people on their actions (or inactions) and who they feel comfortable with and voluntary associate with and what they leave the world with.
    Is America better or worse off after Obama’s presidency and legacy?

    Is NZ better or worse off after Key’s leadership and legacy?

    Obama feels comfortable with John Key, a multimillionaire day trader turned politician who has made NZ a worse place in most world statistics such as poverty and corruption and sells off our citizenship to billionaires with links to Cambridge Analytics who believe in Trump and have speeches against democracy, like Thiel.

    Obama under his presidency did more drone attacks than any other politician.

    Both Key and Obama seem to believe that they are right and people are just collateral damage for their amazing visions of a global future.

    Both have divided their nations more and increased inequality while pretending the opposite.

    It also shows that political parties are not being careful enough in their choice of candidates. Obama is democrat but Key is National but they both seem to believe in the same ideas.

    Ideas via propaganda spread from sources like Cambridge Analytics have targeted influential men and women to make everyone believe the same vision even though it is not true.

    This then paves the way for more open division such as Trump. Trump only happened because the democrats pretended that globalism was perfect and working for all.

    Clearly it works out better if you can get around the world in private jets, than those without a job in Auckland or Detroit.

    Or you get a job as a NZ First and Labour MP, but then next day, decide what you campaigned on was wrong and global capitalism via free trade agreements is always a good thing even if it’s a “7 out of 10”

    Hey why bother making it a 10, be lazy and keep the 7 like Labour and NZ First, and cross your fingers you look after no 1, before the shit hits the fan.

    • newsense 13.1

      Yep.

      Shane Jones attack surely reflects AirNZ running a publicity campaign for the National Party, with Key on the board.

      Oh the ‘Banker Bromance!’ Obama and Key and Malcolm Turnbull in one orgy of merchant banker broness.

      Losing respect for Obama over this. Typical BS from Key. Slimy little toad.

      I hope someone asks Key why he resigned. I hope they ask him about the homelessness and housing crisis. Does he think it is now a crisis? Ask Obama about the initiatives he would have used to tackle the housing crisis. Ask them if they think Donald Trump golfs too much.

  14. Melanie Scott 14

    It disturbs me that Obama has been ‘appropriated’ by Key and the National Party. And our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, has definitely been snubbed by the rich cotterie of National Party fat cats, surrounding Key and his ‘golf buddy’. No wonder she has better things to do than attend what amounts to a National Party fund raising dinner in Auckland tonight.

    As I write this my local beach is crawling with NZ Police, (so I can’t go there) while Key and Obama play golf. This is a region which is seriously under resourced when it comes to policing. Our local cops (only two of them) are on duty or on call 24/7 and have to go out alone at night to god knows what type of violent incidents which make up the vast majority of their call outs, especially at night. And the tax payer is paying for scores of cops to walk up and down our local beach Te Arai to keep NZ tax payers out of the way.

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    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    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
    12 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
    13 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
    15 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
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    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 ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    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
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    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 ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 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
    10 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
    11 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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