Reviewing the weekend polls

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, August 18th, 2008 - 37 comments
Categories: election 2008, polls - Tags:

As I said last week, the polls that came out this weekend can not reflect any impact of the secret agenda tapes. The Roy Morgan poll was 50% over before the first tape even came out, and remember it was not until mid-week that the story was really big. Similarly, the Fairfax poll was mostly conducted while the story was still emerging (Colmar Brunton have not provided any period for their poll). On top of that, a wealth of experience and scientific study shows that it takes time for a political event to flow through into poll results. That, of course, did not stop any of the coverage from concluding that the tapes had either had a significant effect or no effect, depending on the contradictory movements of parties in the three polls.

And the polls do contradict each other quite strongly. Take a look at the range of results each party secured in the polls. The range of results is surprisingly high, higher than one would normally expect due to statistical variance; perhaps some one or more of the polls have methodological issues.

Nearly every party were up in one or two polls and down in the remainder. Labour will be heartened to have moved up in 2 of the polls (including an 8% gain in the last two Colmar Brunton polls) and recorded no change in the third. The Greens polled under 5% in two of the three polls, but nobody seriously expects that they won’t win 5% on election day.

Interestingly, the TV3 poll that Duncan Garner mentioned in his blog last week did not materialise on Sunday. Presumably, it was pushed because of the Olympic coverage and will be out tonight. If they, unlike TV1, decided the poll shouldn’t be drowned out by the Olympics that could mean it will make interesting reading. But, of course, it cannot possibly reflect the impact of the secret agenda tapes.

[both major parties’ internal polls show the gap narrowing, about 4-5%, not sure what the period of those polls was.] [lprent: I could not stand it – fixed a couple of typo’s][You could have got the ‘fo’/’of’ while you were at it. SP]

37 comments on “Reviewing the weekend polls ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. higherstandard 1
    18 August 2008 at 9:58 am

    Polls are a bore.

    I find myself agreeing with the Prime Minister that they will close up somewhat pre election and the greens will get over the 5% mark.

    What is almost certain is that the Nats will get the highest portion of the vote (near to 50% although I doubt over 50%)

  2. Steve Pierson 2
    18 August 2008 at 10:01 am

    Agreed. I fully expect National to get the most votes, but it’s the most popular party, not necessarily the most popular party, that has the mandate to govern.

  3. Steve Pierson 3
    18 August 2008 at 10:06 am

    lew. did you post a link to a cartoon a while back with Republican elephant and Democratic donkey, with the elephant arguing all kittens should be killed, the donkey against any being killed then the pragmatic centrist coming and saying only half should be killed? still got the link?

  4. Rob 4
    18 August 2008 at 10:24 am

    Steve
    Will you still be saying in the next Poll that Secret agenda tapes haven’t kicked in as well!! The Public aren’t worried about it they just see it as Politics only the people on here are focused on it. I believe they did take account of it but also took account of the National policy releases which they saw as pragmatic and the good outweighed the bad.
    The trend is still there for National and they will govern like it or not

    [lprent: Tell me? Do you ever read posts or comments (or can you read?).
    That is exactly what SP said, and what I’ve said on virtually every one of your comments this weekend. ]

  5. Principessa 5
    18 August 2008 at 10:26 am

    I won’t quote Josh Lyman just yet, but I do believe it’s all about the big mo…

  6. ak 6
    18 August 2008 at 10:27 am

    Good summary Steve. As you note, the range is the salient feature, indicating a nervous volatility accompanying the normal narrowing trend. The range for the minor parties has been so wide this year that their results can almost be ignored: you can bet the farm that the Greens will get there, and I’d put a couple of paddocks on Winnie squeaking back too.

    Brolmar-Cunton is the interesting one: allowing for its endemic pro-tory bias (and noting both Helen’s preferred PM rise and the continuing trend), the real Lab-tory gap could now well be in single figures. And if the polling “refusal rate” is still up at 70% (and it’s still “landlines at evening” only), even that advantage could be illusionary.

    Best news of the week is the fact that the Secret Agenda bender has forced the tories to play the solo-mum-bash card early; the fillip it would definitely have brought will be dissipated by November, and has been overshadowed by the big sport weekend. With the MP cannily snookering the mighty “one law for all” trump by continuing to flash a bit of ankle, substance and experience have won through as the major factors. Advantage Left.

  7. Steve Pierson 7
    18 August 2008 at 10:38 am

    Rob. “Will you still be saying in the next Poll that Secret agenda tapes haven’t kicked in as well!! ”

    We put question marks at the end of questions, not exclamation marks.

    No. I expect there will be movement in the next round of polls and, if not, I conclude there has been no effect.

    Like r0b says, both parties’ internal polls are showing a narrowing of 4-5%

  8. jafapete 8
    18 August 2008 at 10:46 am

    Steve. From the Colmar Brunton website: “Poll Conducted Saturday to Thursday evenings inclusive in week prior to release”

    http://www.colmarbrunton.co.nz/index.php?pageLoad=17

  9. Principessa 9
    18 August 2008 at 10:56 am

    About 5 years ago I worked as a phone interviewer for Colmar Brunton (Consumerlink). The polling didn’t always run from Saturday to Thursday- it would run until it was done and because it was so popular and everyone wanted to have a say so they could see their results on One News it often ran out Wednesday or even Tuesday night.

  10. sdm 10
    18 August 2008 at 11:10 am

    Anyone know what the undecideds were?

  11. Tim Ellis 11
    18 August 2008 at 11:20 am

    Okay, SP. I will take the bait. I realise you’ve only said it to promote the idea that there are leaks within high quarters of the National Party, but what sources do you have that National’s internal polling shows that? Or is this another case of several secret sources telling you things that you don’t go back and check, and you expect us to believe, despite your overwhelming Labour Party bias and ability to exaggerate the truth?

  12. Steve Pierson 12
    18 August 2008 at 11:57 am

    Tim. If I went around on the blog telling you the name of every one who spoke to me, then no-one would speak to me. But the stuff article also mentions the parties’ internal polling.

    And Tim, I’m a Green voter, so “overwhelming Leftwing bias”, if you would, please.

    Cheers, jafapete and Principessa

  13. lprent 13
    18 August 2008 at 12:28 pm

    ak: It was certainly a very quiet weekend. Shows in the numbers. We dropped back to weekend numbers from about three months back.

    Hell – even I had a look at some sport (some of the code was pretty boring), and I don’t usually.

    BTW: my view on sport is that if I’m not doing it (or the family progeny) then I’m not interested. It was pretty exceptional for me to watch, but I saw the shot putter ecstatically running around the track, and that was pretty cool.

  14. burt 14
    18 August 2008 at 3:41 pm

    Steve P.

    No pie charts this time? It’s a bit hard to visually compare this set of polls with the normal format posted here at the standard.

    captcha: ing climbers – I’ll say!

    [lprent: Yep. That is probably because Steve did a post on the polls. Usually Tane who does them, but it sounds like he has been busy. Different toolkits and approaches to how to present posts. ]

  15. 2_dead_dogs 15
    18 August 2008 at 6:19 pm

    The tapes began emerging on Saturday the 2nd and Sunday the 3rd. The last statement was made by Lockwood Smith and the dEAD fISH tapes were aired on TV3 on the 5th of August. The Fairfax poll began the very next day and ran for the proceeding 6 days. I would have thought that time period would have the most impact, considering people would have been interrupted from the damaging news bulletins to answer the questions. The story had all but died by the 12th, save a couple of tabloid weekend recaps.

    Interestingly, the Fairfax poll, gave National a higher rating than the Roy Morgan poll which as you say was half over. According to Fairfax, National *gained* 3% over that time.

    All this says to me is that either, none of this is new to us, perhaps National are soaring in the polls *because* of a ‘secret agenda’ rather than in spite of it, or that noone cares.

    As for ‘dead fish gate’ being reflected in the next round of polls, I would say not. It didn’t reflect in either of the two polls we know the dates for (nor the one we don’t) and given that lack of public interest, it wouldn’t be in Labour’s favour to continue the smear for another 3-odd weeks because that is the only way it is going to remain in the public conscience.

  16. Rob 16
    18 August 2008 at 7:12 pm

    I believe people are dwelling on Helens & Labours achievements before giving their vote to the Pollsters I would like to list a few of them below for you.

    [deleted]

    [lprent: I’ve warned you before to link rather than copy and paste. Took me a minute to find the site you copied that from. This is a site for discussion not for dropping whole posts into the comments section. Learn to link from the FAQ. Learn to discuss by attempting to engage with other commentators. And don’t do the next obvious step of link-whoring without adding your own comments and putting the links you add into context of the threads discussion. ]

  17. Tane 17
    18 August 2008 at 8:01 pm

    Lynn! typo’s is a typo!

  18. J Mex 18
    18 August 2008 at 9:16 pm

    Centerbet currently has the odds of Key being Prime Minister at $1.28 and Helen Clark at $3.70 (note: The Key odds have narrowed in the past 2 weeks from $1.30 to $1.28).

    For those full of confidence in another Clark-led govt – Here is a chance to make a pretty packet.

  19. lprent 19
    18 August 2008 at 11:22 pm

    Hah! Pedantic. I’ve been done over more pedantically everyday by experts. For instance….

    What is really pedantic is this bloody software that insists that it should try to insert O’Connor Street into a MySQL database like:-

    INSERT INTO Table (Street) VALUES (‘O”Connor Street’)

    Idiot program.

  20. dave 20
    19 August 2008 at 12:22 am

    [lprent: I could not stand it – fixed a couple of typo’s][You could have got the ‘fo’/’of’ while you were at it. SP]<?

    Not only is “typo’s” a typo, but you could obviously stand this
    “Colmar Brunton have not provided any period for their poll

  21. lprent 21
    19 August 2008 at 12:52 am

    Arggh! I’m surrounded by critical [expletives deleted] 🙄

    Either pedantic human punctuation critics or pedantic SQL parsers that don’t like my (almost perfect) code.

    I’m not into grammar or punctuation unless it is able to be described by lex.

  22. Kevyn 22
    19 August 2008 at 3:44 am

    Iprent, There is another explanation for the drop in numbers. Nothing to do with TV sports. Simply that most of your visitors/commenters must be from mid Canterbury where it was a beautifuls sunny weekend. After a month of wet weekends of course they’d all be outside instead of sitting in front of a screen nitpicking on your spelling and grammar.

  23. David MacGregor 23
    19 August 2008 at 7:40 am

    Current polls also don’t show the corrupt taint of Winston Peters. People and parties seen to be aligned to Peters or protecting him from the censure he richly deserves will, I am sure, be negatively affected.

    Peters serves no purpose and has no valid constituency. He makes a mockery of parliamentary democracy. In doing so he sneers at New Zealanders and abuses his position.

    Hopefully the only poll that truly matters will take Peters out. The mood of the market: we want to see Peters’ head on a spike outside the beehive.

  24. Pascal's bookie 24
    19 August 2008 at 7:58 am

    “Peters serves no purpose and has no valid constituency.”

    Apart from the people that voted for him you mean?

    The problem with Peters is that while an overwhelming majority of people can’t stand him, he does in fact, have a constituency.

    There is a segment of society that see themselves as put upon by the powers that be, and will support a politician that a)stands up to those ‘elites’, or b)is opposed by them.

    All the sturm and drang is just as likely to be helping him with those folks than not.

    If that’s the case and he sneaks through on 5 percent, then he is legitimate, however much we loathe him.

    It also follows that the large parties then have a duty to their supporters to cut a deal with him if that’s what it takes to form a government.

    Ain’t democracy grand? 😉

  25. burt 25
    19 August 2008 at 9:01 am

    Pascal’s bookie

    It also follows that the large parties then have a duty to their supporters to cut a deal with him if that’s what it takes to form a government.

    I don’t agree with that. If I stood as a white supremacist and received just over 5% of the vote would there be a duty for National/Labour to cut a deal with me?

    I think the large parties have a duty to their voters to stand on their principles and refuse to cut a deal with parties that violate said principles. I can see how Labour would have no problem cutting a deal with Peters given the self serving things they have done such as retrospective validation and the EFA.

    Labour campaigned on a new standard of openness and accountability and if you ignore their actions over the last 9 years that campaign position currently makes it impossible for them to cuddle up to Winston. If however we take Labour on their deeds rather than their words then it’s a different story.

  26. burt 26
    19 August 2008 at 9:25 am

    Pascal’s bookie

    BTW: A new standard of openness and accountability is not the same as “It was not illegal”. The “it was not illegal” angle is cop out that flies in the face of openness and accountability. Labour supporters should be sending a very strong messager to the party leadership that thisn position is not acceptable. Expect the Labour “power at any price” position to be punished in the polls – the voters ain’t all stupid.

    Ain’t democracy grand?

  27. Pascal's bookie 27
    19 August 2008 at 9:43 am

    Well burt, we elect politicians not priests for a reason. It’s a murky business at the best of times, and is an excerise in yucky compromise. The alternatives are worse.

    There is policy, which is what counts, and highfalutin moral absolutes that politicians like to talk about but simply cannot be lived up to. Unless you have some successful counterexamples?

    And no ACT doesn’t count because they are simply leaches on the public purse striking poses that leave them in permanent opposition. Preening sideline antics is all they’ve ever brought to the party so far. But who knows, maybe they’ll change.

    Let’s say your white supremist has ten percent and the other two main parties 45 each. I’d say the most likely outcome would be a grand coalition that may not last long. A truly odious minor party wouldn’t be the only option, see?

    So let’s instead talk about reality, where the small parties are tolerable little weirdo personaility cults like NZF and United, or ideological but mainstream like the Greens and ACT.

    In this case the big parties have a duty to their supporters to cut a deal if that is what it takes to become the government. You seem to want all parties to just get in there and shout about principle and brook no compromise. This ignores the fact that not everyone agrees about matters of principle. A politicians main job is to broker deals so that their policy principles are enacted as much as possible given that fact. That means no one gets exactly what they want unless it is supported by a majority.

    Your view to me seems childish and petulant, but you are of course, welcome to it.

  28. Pascal's bookie 28
    19 August 2008 at 9:46 am

    Democracy is grand burt. Murky mucky and grand.

    Your belief that I’m a partsian Labour supporter who approves of or is happy about everything that they do however is just boring.

  29. lprent 29
    19 August 2008 at 9:46 am

    Keyvn:

    There is another explanation for the drop in numbers.

    The relative spread of IP’s around the country is pretty ‘even’. I ran a test a while back looking at geographical locations using a site that was pretty effective at localising IP ranges as far as is possible.

    As you’d expect there was a concentration in the cities, but a surprising number were in rural/semi-rural as well. Can’t remember chch being particularly over-represented. Wellington was of course – but not massively. Auckland was relatively under-represented – but that is the nature of the city.

    Bugger all sun in auckland this weekend. Mostly solid cold rain. But I had too much work to do, so let it rain is all I can say.

    We normally get significant drops in traffic over the weekends, typically about half of the average weekday traffic. This one was more than usual on friday night and saturday. Then it went close to normal later on sunday. It was a pity I was otherwise occupied, because I’ve been looking for a low traffic period during the day to put in the upgraded code.

    There have been weekends where the traffic gets higher than weekdays for no apparent reason.

  30. burt 30
    19 August 2008 at 10:25 am

    Pascal’s bookie

    Yes childish and petulant. A real adult would just accept that Labour need Winston’s support and therefore have no interest in accountability. A real adult would just shut-up and let the self serving govt get on with destroying the public confidence in parliament because a real adult knows that what the politicians do is so more important that anything they say.

    I’ll grow up and join the adults: I like not knowing how much money has been donated to political parties. The provisions in the EFA allow it to continue so it must be good. I like it when Winston refuses to answer questions because it shows how strong a leader he is and it shows how good Labour are for not expecting him to act according to his parties principles as published on their own web site. Hey ignoring this stuff keeps the coalition together and all adults know that is more important than anything else in politics ever.

  31. r0b 31
    19 August 2008 at 11:01 am

    What’s your problem Burt? Peters and his lawyer present an interesting case. I believe it exactly as much as I believe the Nats and their “anonymous” trusts. Do you think the Nats should be investigated and held to the same account as Peters? If not, why not?

  32. burt 32
    19 August 2008 at 11:16 am

    rOb

    The Nat’s didn’t file nill returns. Labour did from their property trust so is that telling us that we should be comparing Labour & NZ1 and leaving national out of this debate?

    DPF has an interesting point on this, worth reading.

  33. r0b 33
    19 August 2008 at 11:59 am

    The Nat’s didn’t file nill returns.

    No they didn’t, they just used a “separate” organisation (organisations plural actually, the trusts) to do their dirty work, same as Peters is claiming has happened with his lawyer. Peters files a nil return, and the Nats claim that their donations are anonymous when they aren’t (and in doing so they committed a corrupt electoral practice according to Section 214G of the Electoral Act 1993).

    Labour did from their property trust so is that telling us that we should be comparing Labour & NZ1 and leaving national out of this debate?

    I don’t know anything about Labour’s property trust, but I do know that the Labour party accounts are published openly (the only political party to do so), so they can be checked.

    I also know that NZF and the Nats are exactly as trustworthy as each other. In my opinion the only way to stop these tawdry goings on is to ban all private donations completely and have completely open and transparent public funding of our political process.

  34. Tim Ellis 34
    19 August 2008 at 12:07 pm

    Rob said: “and the Nats claim that their donations are anonymous when they aren’t (and in doing so they committed a corrupt electoral practice according to Section 214G of the Electoral Act 1993).”

    No they didn’t, Rob. The Nats did not claim that their donations were anonymous. They claimed that the donations were made by the trusts, which is correct. Those donations were disclosed on National’s electoral returns. Peters’ never declared the donations, anonymous or from his lawyer, or otherwise.

  35. r0b 35
    19 August 2008 at 12:13 pm

    No they didn’t, Rob. The Nats did not claim that their donations were anonymous. They claimed that the donations were made by the trusts

    That’s exactly right Tim. They evaded the intent of the law and technically kept the letter. But they knew full well who their big donors were, and the public doesn’t know as it should, so to my mind they have breached the law.

    The Peters case (though I haven’t been following it closely) appears to me to be similar, he appears to have evaded the intent of the law and technically kept the letter.

    I think it sucks in both cases, and as above, I think public funding is the answer.

Links to post

CommentsOpinions

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

FeedsPartyGovtMedia

  • Minister to co-chair carbon market negotiations at COP29

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will chair negotiations on carbon markets at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) alongside Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and Environment, Grace Fu. “Climate change is a global challenge, and it’s important for countries to be enabled to work together and support each other ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Confirmation of Payee service to improve payment security

    A new confirmation of payments system in the banking sector will make it safer for Kiwis making bank transactions, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.  “In my open letter to the banks in February, I outlined several of my expectations of the sector, including the introduction of a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Medicines access continues to increase

    Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the Government’s largest ever investment in Pharmac.  “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour.  “When our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Strengthening NZ’s emergency management system

    The Government has released its long-term vision to strengthen New Zealand’s disaster resilience and emergency management, Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “It’s clear from the North Island Severe Weather Events (NISWE) Inquiry, that our emergency management system was not fit-for-purpose,” Mr Mitchell says. “We’ve seen first-hand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Brighter days ahead for Kiwis

    Today’s cut in the Official Cash Rate (OCR) to 4.75 per cent is welcome news for families and businesses, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  “Lower interest rates will provide much-needed relief for households and businesses, allowing families to keep more of their hard-earned money and increasing the opportunities for businesses ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Sport NZ asked to update Transgender Inclusion Guiding Principles

    Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has asked Sport NZ to review and update its Guiding Principles for the Inclusion of Transgender People in Community Sport. “The Guiding Principles, published in 2022, were intended to be a helpful guide for sporting bodies grappling with a tricky issue. They are intended ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Freshwater farm plan rollout set to be paused by end of year

    The Coalition Government is restoring confidence to the rural sector by pausing the rollout of freshwater farm plans while changes are made to ensure the system is affordable and more practical for farmers and growers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “Freshwater farm plans ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New report shows improvements in air quality

    The latest report from the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and Stats NZ, Our air 2024, reveals that overall air quality in New Zealand is improving, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Statistics Minister Andrew Bayly say. “Air pollution levels have decreased in many parts of the country. New Zealand is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New Zealand Climate Change Ambassador appointed

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has announced the appointment of Stuart Horne as New Zealand’s Climate Change Ambassador. “I am pleased to welcome someone of Stuart’s calibre to this important role, given his expertise in foreign policy, trade, and economics, along with strong business connections,” Mr Watts says. “Stuart’s understanding ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Plunket to help increase childhood vaccination rates

    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister Casey Costello have announced a pilot to increase childhood immunisations, by training the Whānau Āwhina Plunket workforce as vaccinators in locations where vaccine coverage is particularly low.  The Government is investing up to $1 million for Health New Zealand to partner ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Holding careless builders accountable

    The Government is looking at strengthening requirements for building professionals, including penalties, to ensure Kiwis have confidence in their biggest asset, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says “The Government is taking decisive action to make building easier and more affordable. If we want to tackle our chronic undersupply of houses ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Further action to tackle driver licence wait times

    The Government is taking further action to tackle the unacceptable wait times facing people trying to sit their driver licence test by temporarily extending the amount of time people can drive on overseas licences from 12 months to 18 months, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The previous government removed fees for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Strengthened cyber security support for New Zealand businesses

    The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring New Zealand is a safe and secure place to do business with the launch of new cyber security resources, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Cyber security is crucial for businesses, but it’s often discounted for more immediate business concerns. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Apprenticeship Boost targets key occupations

    Investment in Apprenticeship Boost will prioritise critical industries and targeted occupations that are essential to addressing New Zealand’s skills shortages and rebuilding the economy, Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston say. “By focusing Apprenticeship Boost on first-year apprentices in targeted occupations, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Funding boost to reduce wait times at Palmerston North ED

    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has announced a funding boost for Palmerston North ED to reduce wait times and improve patient safety and care, as well as new national standards for moving acute patients through hospitals. “Wait times in emergency departments have deteriorated over the past six years and Palmerston ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Funding boost to reduce wait times at Palmerston North ED

    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has announced a funding boost for Palmerston North ED to reduce wait times and improve patient safety and care, as well as new national standards for moving acute patients through hospitals. “Wait times in emergency departments have deteriorated over the past six years and Palmerston ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Significant investment for affordable housing with Waikato-Tainui

    Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia! If it’s good for the people, get on with it! A $35 million Government investment will enable the delivery of 100 affordable rental homes in partnership with Waikato-Tainui, Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka says. Investment for the partnership, signed and announced today ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Unlocking the potential of ethnic businesses

    This week’s inaugural Ethnic Xchange Symposium will explore the role that ethnic communities and businesses can play in rebuilding New Zealand’s economy, Ethnic Communities Minister Melissa Lee says. “One of my top priorities as Minister is unlocking the economic potential of New Zealand’s ethnic businesses,” says Ms Lee. “Ethnic communities ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand marks anniversary of 7 October

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters are renewing New Zealand’s calls for restraint and de-escalation, on the first anniversary of the 7 October terrorist attacks on Israel. “New Zealand was horrified by the monstrous actions of Hamas against Israel a year ago today,” Mr Luxon says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Iwi-led and partnered projects among those referred for Fast Track approval

    Kia uru kahikatea te tū.  Projects referred for Fast-Track approval will help supercharge the Māori economy and realise the huge potential of Iwi and Māori assets, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says. Following robust and independent review, the Government has today announced 149 projects that have significant regional or national ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Fast-track to boost renewable electricity

    The Fast-track Approvals Bill will list 22 renewable electricity projects with a combined capacity of 3 Gigawatts, which will help secure a clean, reliable and affordable supply of electricity across New Zealand, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “The Government has a goal of doubling New Zealand’s renewable electricity generation. The 22 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Fast-track to drive transport projects forward

    The Government has enabled fast-track consenting for 29 critical road, rail, and port projects across New Zealand to deliver these priority projects faster and boost economic growth, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “New Zealand has an infrastructure deficit, and our Government is working to fix it. Delivering the transport infrastructure Kiwis ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Fast-track projects released

    The 149 projects released today for inclusion in the Government’s one-stop-shop Fast Track Approvals Bill will help rebuild the economy and fix our housing crisis, improve energy security, and address our infrastructure deficit, Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop says. “The 149 projects selected by the Government have significant regional or ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Ruakākā recreation centre opened

    A new multi-purpose recreation centre will provide a valuable wellbeing hub for residents and visitors to Ruakākā in Northland, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. The Ruakākā Recreation Centre, officially opened today, includes separate areas for a gymnasium, a community health space and meeting rooms made possible with support of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Extra Government support for farmers and growers in Southland and parts of Otago

    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, and Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson announced up to $50,000 in additional Government support for farmers and growers across Southland and parts of Otago as challenging spring weather conditions have been classified a medium-scale adverse event. “The relentless wet weather has been tough on farmers and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government welcomes move to delay EU Deforestation Regulation

    Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay today welcomed a move by the European Commission to delay the implementation of the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by 12 months, describing the proposal as a pragmatic step that will provide much-needed certainty for New Zealand exporters and ensure over $200 million in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Response to Ministerial Inquiry into School Property

    The Government is taking decisive action in response to the Ministerial Inquiry into School Property, which concludes the way school property is delivered is not fit for purpose. “The school property portfolio is worth $30 billion, and it’s critically important it’s managed properly. This Government is taking a series of immediate actions ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • New Government support for residential construction market announced

    The Government has announced a new support programme for the residential construction market while the economy recovers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk say.    “We know the residential development sector is vulnerable to economic downturns. The lead time for building houses is typically 18 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • New appointment to the EPA board

    Environment Minister Penny Simmonds has confirmed the final appointee to the refreshed Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) board. “I am pleased to welcome Brett O’Riley to the EPA board,” Ms Simmonds says. “Brett is a seasoned business advisor with a long and distinguished career across the technology, tourism, and sustainable business ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Strengthening resilience with critical road improvement projects

    The Government has approved a $226.2 million package of resilience improvement projects for state highways and local roads across the country that will reduce the impact of severe weather events and create a more resilient and efficient road network, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Our Government is committed to delivering ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Doubling road rehabilitation this summer to prevent potholes

    Kiwis will see fewer potholes on our roads with road rehabilitation set to more than double through the summer road maintenance programme to ensure that our roads are maintained to a safe and reliable standard, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is a key ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Sir Jerry Mateparae appointed in Bougainville post-referendum moderator role

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has welcomed the announcement of Sir Jerry Mateparae as an independent moderator, to work with the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Government in resolving outstanding issues on Bougainville’s future.    “New Zealand is an enduring friend to Papua New Guinea and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Latest census data highlights New Zealand’s growing ethnic diversity

    The latest 2023 Census results released today further highlight New Zealand’s growing ethnic and cultural diversity, says Ethnic Communities Minister Melissa Lee. “Today’s census results are further evidence of the increasingly diverse nature of our population. It’s something that should be celebrated and also serve as a reminder of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • FamilyBoost payments make ECE more affordable

    Parents and caregivers are now able to claim for FamilyBoost, which provides low-to-middle-income families with young children payments to help them meet early childhood education (ECE) costs.  “FamilyBoost is one of the ways we are supporting families with young children who are struggling with the cost of living, by helping ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • South Pacific defence meeting fosters collaboration

    This week’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM) has concluded with a renewed commitment to regional security of all types, Defence Minister Judith Collins says. Defence Ministers and senior civilian and military officials from Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga gathered in Auckland to discuss defence and security cooperation in the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister welcomes larger Police recruitment wings

    Associate Police Minister Casey Costello has welcomed the Police announcement that recruitment wings at the Police College will be expanded to 100 recruits next year. “This is good news on two fronts – it reflects the fact that more and more New Zealanders are valuing policing and seeing it as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to the Minerals West Coast Forum

    Introduction Good morning! What a pleasure to be back in the stunning West Coast at one of my favourite events in the calendar.  Every time I come back here, I’m reminded of the Coast’s natural beauty, valuable resources, and great people. Yet, every time I come back here, I’m also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Positive progress on Government health targets

    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti welcomes new data from Health New Zealand, saying it demonstrates encouraging progress against the Government’s health targets.  Health New Zealand’s quarterly report for the quarter to 30 June will be used as the baseline for reporting against the Government’s five health targets, which came into ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Supporting better access to data for Kiwis

    The launch of a new data tool will provide Kiwis with better access to important data, Statistics Minister Andrew Bayly says.  “To grow our economy and improve productivity we must adopt smarter ways of working, which means taking a more data driven approach to decision-making.  “As Statistics Minister one of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progressing remote building inspections

    The Government is progressing plans to increase the use of remote inspections to make the building and consenting process more efficient and affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.  “We know that the building and construction sector suffers from a lack of innovation. According to a recent report, productivity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-10-10T07:21:47+00:00