CTU President: All the way for equal pay

Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, August 12th, 2017 - 29 comments
Categories: national, same old national, Unions, workers' rights - Tags: , , ,

A week of action on equal pay starts today – there are events all around the country. We’d love to see you there

Watching the Minister for Workplace Relations, Michael Woodhouse, introduce the Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill, it struck me that the fightback against equal pay has now started in earnest.

The Government finds itself in a sticky situation. The ground-breaking legal victory that E tū won in the Court of Appeal on behalf of Kristine Bartlett was an affront to their pro market conservative instincts. They want to use their power to change the law, to stop it happening again, but they worry that some of their voters are… well, women.

Women who appreciate the right to legal recourse, appreciate the occasional need for apparent judicial activism and appreciate the Kristine Bartlett decision in particular. So the Government have cooked up something pretty special.

Because it’s not been going their way recently.  Once the Government ran out of legal options or couldn’t support any more legal appeals (a story in itself), they were on the back foot from the start when they sought to negotiate a settlement.

From a union point of view, if we couldn’t get a decent outcome at the negotiating table, we would simply head back to court and let them decide. The more the court was asked to rule, the harder it would be and the worse it would look for the Government to change the law retrospectively.

We quickly succeeded in broadening the settlement to include disability and home support workers. The Ministry of Health baulked at extending it to mental health support workers,  but the deal still swelled to $2 billion, spread over 5 years, to cover 55,000 low paid, woman (mainly) workers.

There was also a Joint Working Group (JWG) established, that was a tri–partite process, chaired by Dame Patsy Reddy, and including union (CTU), Business NZ, and Government (MBIE and SSC) representatives, to set principles for all future equal pay cases.

While not perfect, all parties in the JWG signed off on principles in May 2016 (PDF) – they reflected the Court of Appeal judgement and were consistent with the 1972 Equal Pay Act. There were some robust conversations in the JWG but we agreed we wanted an easy, accessible process that would enable further successful claims.

We also discussed at length whether the 1972 Act should remain. There were a variety of views but we settled on advising the Government that the 1972 Act should be amended to accommodate the JWG principles.

At the 11th hour, government representatives in the JWG proposed that the principles should include a limit for choosing job comparators, restricting the choice of comparators to jobs in the same enterprise in the first instance. We couldn’t reach an agreement on that and, while the JWG’s covering letter to Paula Bennett refers to this disagreement, the Principles themselves do not include any suggestion or reference to a hierarchy of comparators.

And now, having not got what they wanted, National are back for a third bite of the cherry. It appears they will not rest until they paid full and final lip service to equal pay.

Despite what National say, Minister Woodhouse’s bill breaks the JWG’s principles in at least five critical ways.

First, the JWG only ever suggested amending the 1972 Act, not completely repealing it as they now intend.  During the negotiations we were extremely concerned that, given the chance, the Government and their allies would love nothing more than to pick apart the Equal Pay Act and ultimately undermine its purpose.

Secondly, the Government has re-introduced a hierarchy of comparators (previously knocked back at the 11th hour). Instead of the current 1972 Act, which promotes the idea of finding relevant and appropriate comparators, this bill forces women to compare their jobs with others nearby – firstly in the same enterprise, secondly sector, thirdly industry and finally the wider economy. It’s a scheme they couldn’t get over the line in the JWG, and it will  severely curtail the ability of women to take a claim – because enterprises (and sectors or industries for that matter) who employ historically low paid female labour tend to pay all of their staff poorly and won’t provide fair comparators.

This problem explicitly played out in the Terranova Bartlett case, where the employer tried to compare the Kristine Bartlett’s role to that of a male gardener Terranova employed. The employment court, under the 1972 Act ruled this comparison out.

Thirdly, in contrast to the Principles, the new Bill creates a further barrier for anyone making a claim. Instead of a simple two stage process, the Bill sets up a list of tougher criteria that must rather than may be met, including the introductions of completely new hurdles pertaining to the operation of the free market.

Fourthly, the JWG did not in any way propose any reduction in a claimants rights to backpay. It was never discussed and it would never have been agreed. Yet the Bill does just that and only allows pay equity claims for unlawful and discriminatory pay to be backdated to the time the claim is raised. This is at odds to other laws which enable back pay for up to 6 years when the law has been broken.

And finally, the transitional provisions in the Bill mean that any existing claims lodged in the Courts and any new claims lodged between now and the Bill becoming law will be scrapped and have to be restarted under the new weaker law. In other words, they have effectively suspended existing legal claims.

So the Minister can say in Parliament that his Bill is based on the JWG – but that is false. What is true is the current Minister and his National Government cannot seem to bring themselves to accept equal pay.  They have had an extraordinary opportunity to make good on the historical Court of Appeal judgement, and finish the job by amending the 1972 Act properly and consistently with the JWG principles and the Court of Appeal Judgement.

This week the National Governments Employment (Equal Pay and Pay Equity) Bill passed its first reading by the hair of its teeth – a single vote.

But when tested they’ve been exposed yet again. Making our country a more equal place has never been in National’s DNA. And so they have responded to an historic Court of Appeal judgement, with a historic judgement of their own, one that missed a great opportunity and confirmed National’s brand as conservative and reactionary. History will not judge them and their supports well.

Sign the equal pay pledge here

29 comments on “CTU President: All the way for equal pay ”

  1. Adrian Thornton 1

    Thanks for that informative piece Richard, I have been following this whole sad affair pretty closely, and of course been unsurprised at Nationals underhand tactics, and the lack of media coverage, let alone them digging down on this.

    I would also like to point out that while we all know that National are naturally ideologically opposed to workers rights and conditions, however we should remember that Labour is also guilty of defending the rights of a free market over worker rights.

    Here in the Hawkes Bay Labour actively promote the RSE scheme which is being used cynically by the booming orchard industry to suppress any natural wage growth.
    Apple pickers haven’t had a increase in bin rates for something like 15 years, meaning that most pickers will average out earning LESS than minimum wage…the pack houses are full of workers, all on minimum wages.

    Seems like a real workers party does not exist in NZ today…maybe the Greens might morph into one?, Labour certainly show no signs of being that party.

    https://www.immigration.govt.nz/employ-migrants/hire-a-candidate/options-for-repeat-high-volume-hiring-new/recognised-seasonal-employer

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503459&objectid=11720136

    • lprent 1.1

      You’re comparing a government that didn’t make it worse and seemed to at least make it better with one that is attempting to make it a lot worse.

      Yeah – I can see how a lack of perspective could make that comparison… 😈

      If you look at who voted against this bill in its first reading, I think you have a selection of parties opposed to making it worse to select from,

      • Adrian Thornton 1.1.1

        Labour did not make it better for orchard workers, they made it worse, they introduced the RSE scheme.
        It’s not a lack of perspective, it is a view from the perspective of a citizen who is seeing his some of his friends, family and large parts of his community being turned into some sort of low wage labour camp solely to facilitate increased profits for the orchard industry, with the active support of The Labour Party.

        my point is, yes we know National is fucked, but to a lesser degree so is Labour, and I for one am sick of supporting the lesser of two evils.

        Was hoping that the Greens where going to go into the election, expanding it’s narrative to include giving voice to the working poor, renters etc… fighting hard against the man with it’s two leaders side by side….now that sounded like a fight worth getting into the trenches for, maybe the Greens will still take up that gauntlet?

        • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1.1

          now that sounded like a fight worth getting into the trenches for, maybe the Greens will still take up that gauntlet?

          They have.

          Or, if we’re really going to get in to the chivalrous duelling mode, then we can say that it was the Greens that threw down the gauntlet. It was National, the MSM and even Labour who then attacked without picking it up and thus defending the status quo.

  2. Upnorth 2

    I agree labour had nearly a decade to sort this mess out. Good on national to at least be trying

    • National are purposefully making it worse.

    • lprent 2.2

      It wasn’t like National had any choice about trying to fix this “mess”. They fought against it in the courts for most of this decade in one form or another, eventually losing.

      Now they are trying to do an end run around the principle that the courts recognised with an appalling bit of legislation that doesn’t affirm that principle of equal pay for equal work. It appears to be designed to use the statutory powers of parliament to override the courts by selecting strange comparisons for the ‘equal work’. The effect is to put working woman in their place – badly paid and at the bottom of the heap and under misogynist pricks.

      Your pitiful spinning hardly conceals that. Eh – dickhead?

    • greywarshark 2.3

      Yes National and you Upnorth are VERY trying.

    • weka 2.4

      “I agree labour had nearly a decade to sort this mess out. Good on national to at least be trying”

      That would have to be one of the stupidest comments I’ve seen here lately. National have done everything they can to resist sorting it out.

      Further where do you think that National is going to get the money from to pay for govt funded workers? Seen a good plan on this? Want to start making connections between the immediate rise in pay rates and the cap on the Health budgets? What do you think is going to happen next?

      National are not only ideologically fucked in the head, but they’re basically incompetent to run a country now. Removing homehelp from the elderly or feeding cheapshit meals to hospital patients is not going to save them from the god almighty mess they’ve created here.

  3. Sounds like when National said that they were going to make zero hour contracts illegal and then went and tried to entrench them.

    • lprent 3.1

      Same principle. The tactic is pretty similar. Convene a panel to look for a way forward. Then write some legislation that ignores most of the panel’s recommendations and claim that it was done by a wide selection of people rather than some dick in cabinet,

      Exactly the same procedure as the total screwup that was the Auckland supercity legislation where the royal commission’s rational decisions were almost totally ignored.

  4. Incognito 4

    Good post albeit a little technical for me.

    Who voted in favour at the first reading: National, Te Ururoa Flavell & Marama Fox, Peter Dunne, and David Seymour?

    • lprent 4.1

      Can’t see the Hansard?

      However E tū says just National, Peter Dunne and David Seymour voted for it. Everyone else including the Maori party voted against.

      http://www.etu.nz/article.php?group_id=1322

      E tū says the government will face strong opposition to its Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill which had its first reading in parliament today.

      The bill passed with the support of National MPs, Peter Dunne, and David Seymour, but Labour, the Greens, New Zealand First and the Maori Party all voted against it.

      E tū Assistant National Secretary, John Ryall says the voting shows opposition to the bill across a broad spectrum of political parties and the citizens they represent.

      He says E tū expects a strong response, as women fight back for equal pay.

      “The care and support workers equal pay settlement gave tens of thousands of low-paid women workers hope that after 45 years of the Equal Pay Act they would finally have their work valued and paid properly,” said John.

      “This bill, if passed in its current form, will make it very difficult for these women to ever get justice.”

      John says the bill would also nullify the Equal Pay case for mental health support workers, which E tū and the PSA have lodged with the Employment Relations Authority.

      “The bill means they would have to start again through a long and complex process to prove they have a pay equity case, and secondly to find appropriate comparators to make their case,” says John.

      Mental health support worker, Sandra Rawenata says: “It will make it tougher for us. It means a lot more work, a lot more campaigning and another five-year run by the looks of it and that’s not fair.”

      John says the bill is incompatible with the principles and processes agreed by the Joint Working Group on Pay Equity, as well as the Court of Appeal ruling in Bartlett v Terranova, which resulted in the Equal Pay Settlement.

      He says E tū wants to retain the Equal Pay Act 1972, though it would need updating and would need to include the Joint Working Group principles.

      “Instead, we’ve got a bill that looks designed to ensure no other women get a fair pay day in the way care and support workers have. This is a poor law from a government which has made it clear it doesn’t care about equal pay for women.”

      • Rosemary McDonald 4.1.1

        “Everyone else including the Maori party voted against.”

        Hah!

        Back in 2013 the Maori Party voted with the government to tell disabled people and their chosen family carers to fuck off.

        But then…they had a $1.2 billion sweetner.

        Sigh. 🙁

        The cupboards are bare, so cynical Mother Hubbard needs to go shop. Pity…this is just getting interesting.

  5. greywarshark 5

    Seems predictable. A chicken entrails diviner could have foreseen all this decades ago. Time for a change of government. All this predictability makes a majority of us sad and that’s bad. There will be Nats who do agree that the care workers should be paid more, but they don’t have the freedom or the strength of mind to change horses from conformist to ‘gasp’ rebel.

  6. Rosemary McDonald 6

    Firstly Richard, you have big shoes to fill. Helen set a very high bar.

    Fearless, loud and repeated advocacy requires deep commitment and/or personal experience of the issue at hand.

    What you describe here is neither new or novel in the New Zealand arena of human rights and employment cases.

    The original claim, the ensuing court cases and the celebratory headlines heralding victory and then the growing shock when one finally realizes that the Government has managed to snatch victory from the jaws of their defeat.

    I won’t ( and I have time commitments that also prevent it) contribute the many column inches I’d need to educate you on the previous case where there has been this atrocious and vindictive reaction from Government to having lost in the Courts.

    Instead I’ll donate a few links for you to read, or ignore.

    Geddis describes it best here….https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/i-think-national-just-broke-our-constitution

    and again….https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/theres-none-so-deaf-as-they-that-will-not-hear

    and again, here….https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/a-little-something-for-the-weekend-now-with-pictures

    and over on Public Address…..https://publicaddress.net/onpoint/what-andrew-geddis-said-but-shorter-and-with/

    and from a personal point of view, here…https://publicaddress.net/access/paying-family-carers-what-was-all-the-fuss/

    and here…..https://publicaddress.net/access/family-carers-case-five-years-on/

    and here….https://publicaddress.net/access/the-family-carers-case-here-we-go-again/

    and also here….https://publicaddress.net/access/funded-family-care-from-a-recipients-perspective/

    It is very possible that you will take the line that I am not a disability support worker in the real sense….and I might have time later on to debate that with you.

    The Miserly of health would agree…..http://www2.nzherald.co.nz/northland-age/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503402&objectid=11845201

    The parent carer in the above article attended the meeting in Kaitaia to discuss the Pay Equity decision and was unfortunately made to feel by the organisers there was no place for her and her issues in that environment.

    We family carers have no union.

    We have no organisation/NGO/advocacy group supporting us.

    The Human Rights Commission and the Office of Human Rights Proceeding have been staunch…but have sometimes been broadsided by the sheer….shittiness, for want of a better word…of the Misery of Health and Crown Law.

    The disability advocacy groups have largely ignored us and Carers NZ failed to come on board until the 2013 legislative atrocity. Even then it was short lived noise making…. dependency on continued government funding has ensured that those groups who should back us, won’t.

    Don’t even think about giving me a lecture on neo liberalism….the NZ Government cut its neo liberal teeth on NZ disabled. Privatising out all levels of support…even assessments…and throwing the disabled into the jaws of the ravening beasts of profit driven providers.

    Who failed…many many times.

    They neglected and abused, and in more cases than you’d probably believe, killed the vulnerable persons they were paid shitloads to support.

    • Acting up 6.1

      Crikey, Rosemary McDonald – condescending much? Richard Wagstaff, before becoming CTU president, was a leader of another union that has fought hard for equal pay – the PSA.

      I don’t think there is much more education on this matter, and on how the Nat govt responds to challenges, that Richard needs. He has very strong commitment to this issue; as does the entire CTU.

      • Rosemary McDonald 6.1.1

        I was not intending to be condescending.

        I am merely pointing out that none of what Richard writes is not new to those of us who are considered to be the lowest of the low or no pay workers.

        Family carers of non ACC disabled Kiwis with high, very high and complex care needs who have chosen to live in their own homes with loving , trusted and (most importantly) skilled family as their carers.

        I could, if I wanted to inflame this, spend hours searching for the instances where the PSA have actually put the rights of their members before the rights and safety of disabled people.

        Or try to find one, just one public statement from any union supporting the Family Carers case.

        Richard has to focus on the paid up members of his union. Fair enough.

        But be historically correct and acknowledge that before the Government shafted them…they shafted us.

        The government was always going to want the narrative out there that the elderly and those who are paid to care from them deserve, yes deserve to be valued and properly remunerated.

        But disabled people, or those suffering from mental illness living in the community (where let’s face it its cheaper)….????

        Not quite so much public sympathy there.

        We really need to be able to see past the tribal boundaries and acknowledge how close our issues are, and who the real enemy is.

      • Chris 6.1.2

        Rosemary’s right. It was also a Labour government that was around when both the carers and the sleepover cases first arose. In the latter case Labour stepped back and let IHC turn it into an employment matter. Then after how ever many years when IHC went down Labour MPs celebrated by saying “we won”. Absolutely sickening.

        • Rosemary McDonald 6.1.2.1

          “sleepover cases…”

          I was going to include that case Chris…but felt it was not my place.

          Anecdotally…weren’t a whole lot of night care workers denied back pay because they were not members of the union and were not informed of the deadline to apply?

          My first hand knowledge of this issue is sketchy…but at the time I commented somewhere that a shit ton of legal wrangling and backroom finagling could have been avoided if the MIserly of Health had taken a look at what ACC was funding for sleepover care (about quadruple what IHC and others were paying)
          and matched it.

          Now, both MOH and ACC have to pay an hourly, taxed rate.

          I doesn’t have to be so hard to sort this shit out fairly and sustainably.

          In our case…it boiled down to entitlement to funding for care to meet support needs and the right to live where you choose.

          Big issues there.

          • Chris 6.1.2.1.1

            IHC fought it as an employment case when they should’ve gone back to government saying the contracts were shonky because both parties weren’t aware of the true costs of providing the care. If both parties to the contract weren’t aware of the facts then surely those contracts can’t stand. Instead IHC tried to bully its way out of it in its usual corporate attack way of doing business. It’s not surprising IHC is now colluding with its filthy right wing mates by buying up every bit of state housing it can. IHC has become the most evil and hypocritical NGO in the history of this country.

  7. Eco maori 7

    Those Muppets in Power haven’t figured it out that it’s better for the country and economy to pay more money to the lower classes informs of benefits and equal pay for women and a living wage $20 hour.
    They gave tax cuts to the rich expecting the tax cuts to stimulate the economy the wealthy invest all there money . The lower classes spend most of there money and that boosts tax revenue not rocket science is it

    • tc 7.1

      No they gave tax cuts so the rich would have more money to Hoover up investment property, take a bigger overseas holiday and buy more imported luxury goods.

      None of that stimulates the economy. They ain’t stupid, ‘trickle down’ is a debunked theory they told their MSM puppets to sell it as.

      Blinglish got hung out to dry by Beatson on this point, they knew the GST lift would adversely impact the lower classes. As such zero analysis on it was done so there’s no research just conveniently suitable rhetoric.

  8. Karen 8

    I was at the Auckland rally today along with about 300 others – a few men but nearly all women.

    Michelle A’Court was the MC then speeches from Jan Logie (Greens), Cinnamon Whitlock (Māori Party), Jo Goodhew (Nats) ,Tracey Martin (NZF). finishing with Jacinda Ardern.
    This is the TVNZ report:
    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/labour-not-rest-until-we-have-pay-equity-jacinda-ardern-gives-passionate-speech-equal-auckland-rally-v1

    Jan Logie and Jacinda gave by far the best speeches, though Tracey was okay. Jo Goodhew was listened to respectfully until she said she was there on behalf of Paula Bennett – cue loud booing. Tracy intervened and said Jo had been brave to turn up to what was obviously going to be a hostile crowd and everyone (mostly) listened in silence until she said that the legislation had passed the first reading but couldn’t be passed into law before the election. This was greeted by calls to change the government.
    Cinnamon made some good points about Māori and Pasifika pay rates being low for men and women but it felt like she was reading out an essay on the subject rather than delivering a speech. More worrying was that she indicated the Māori Party were only opposing a couple of aspects of the legislation but didn’t say what they were or what the party would do to increase equity.

  9. Read a few articles about this briefly , and smiled when I read the one about Jacinda Adern in Auckland today.

    Now I am not a treehugger, I am not a feminist , – but I sure as bloody hell support any move that gives women equal pay / equitable pay . Especially so when doing the same work as a man. And as Adern said – work of the same value. I have just never understood the logic of that mentality that says its OK to rip someone off because they are male or female. Bloody pisses me right off tbh.

    And while we are at it , – that support extends to raising the minimum wage to the point where it actually becomes the Living Wage. Tied in with the old cost of living index and adjusted biannually for inflation .

    The way I see it, there’s been a free lunch for big business for the last 33 years , paying substandard wages, having their tax steadily decreased by increments , laws loosened to enable hijacking our natural resources etc etc… and its time these scumbags paid their dues.

    The carefully laid plans of the New Zealand Initiative are going to come back in time to bite them up the arse.

    The louder the scumbags squeal , the broader my smile.

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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 hour ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
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