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? ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Keepcalmcarryon 1
    20 March 2018 at 11:13 am

    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
      20 March 2018 at 11:49 am

      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.

      🙂 🙂 🙂

    • Adrian Thornton 1.2
      20 March 2018 at 12:30 pm

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

      • Unicus 1.2.1
        22 March 2018 at 4:58 pm

        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. Siobhan 2
    20 March 2018 at 11:29 am

    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
      20 March 2018 at 11:44 am

      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
        20 March 2018 at 11:52 am

        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
        20 March 2018 at 11:53 am

        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
    20 March 2018 at 11:54 am

    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
      20 March 2018 at 12:20 pm

      “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
        20 March 2018 at 2:51 pm

        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
          20 March 2018 at 2:58 pm

          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
            20 March 2018 at 4:58 pm

            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
              20 March 2018 at 5:29 pm

              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 …
                20 March 2018 at 6:01 pm

                Asset stripping and the slave trade, what heady times.

                • JohnSelway …
                  20 March 2018 at 6:15 pm

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

                  • Keepcalmcarryon …
                    20 March 2018 at 6:23 pm

                    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 …
                      20 March 2018 at 6:33 pm

                      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 []
                      22 March 2018 at 9:09 pm

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

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      20 March 2018 at 7:32 pm

                      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 …
                      20 March 2018 at 7:35 pm

                      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
      20 March 2018 at 2:51 pm

      😆 DTB living in his fantasy land yet again.

      • Draco T Bastard 3.2.1
        20 March 2018 at 2:52 pm

        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
          20 March 2018 at 3:18 pm

          “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
          21 March 2018 at 1:19 pm

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

  4. SpaceMonkey 4
    20 March 2018 at 11:56 am

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

    • Ad 4.1
      20 March 2018 at 12:14 pm

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

      • Hanswurst 4.1.1
        20 March 2018 at 7:25 pm

        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
          21 March 2018 at 1:34 pm

          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
    20 March 2018 at 12:12 pm

    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
      20 March 2018 at 12:22 pm

      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
        20 March 2018 at 12:42 pm

        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.

      • RedLogix 5.1.2
        20 March 2018 at 12:43 pm

        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
    20 March 2018 at 12:30 pm

    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.

    • tracey 6.1
      20 March 2018 at 1:22 pm

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

  7. Tony Veitch (not etc) 7
    20 March 2018 at 12:45 pm

    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
    20 March 2018 at 1:18 pm

    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
      20 March 2018 at 1:20 pm

      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
        20 March 2018 at 1:25 pm

        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
          20 March 2018 at 1:27 pm

          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
            20 March 2018 at 1:34 pm

            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
            20 March 2018 at 6:41 pm

            And they’re still right-wing.

            • JohnSelway 8.1.1.1.2.1
              20 March 2018 at 7:09 pm

              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
      20 March 2018 at 4:17 pm

      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
    20 March 2018 at 2:57 pm

    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. WILD KATIPO 10
    20 March 2018 at 6:00 pm

    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
    20 March 2018 at 7:18 pm

    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
      20 March 2018 at 7:52 pm

      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
        20 March 2018 at 9:28 pm

        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
    20 March 2018 at 11:51 pm

    The best thing about Obama was his anger translator.

  13. savenz 13
    21 March 2018 at 12:34 pm

    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
      21 March 2018 at 1:30 pm

      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
    22 March 2018 at 11:31 am

    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: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

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