River of Kiwis now flood to Oz

Written By: - Date published: 2:29 pm, June 22nd, 2011 - 56 comments
Categories: election 2008, im/migration, national - Tags:

Well, the Government’s managed to set another record: 3300 Kiwis have managed to ‘catch up’ with Australia in a month.

That’s the new record for number of Kiwis leaving for Australia, set in May.  The previous record of 2900 was set in 1979.

And it’s not mainly Christchurch.  Christchurch contributed an extra 300 people over last May’s figures, but the rest of the country contributed another 1400.

Why are people leaving?  In despair at the lack of vision and economic plan of John Key’s government.  Because they see a better life in Australia, with higher wages and more opportunities.

I was fortunate enough to hear Rod Oram speak earlier this week.  He described the last budget as the worst of the 15 he has scrutinised closely since arriving in the country.

Why? Many reasons (over-promise & under-deliver, over-stating public debt problem, over-reliance on over-optimistic Treasury forecasts etc), but the biggy was the lack of forward-thinking.  There was no investment or plan for the future.  We need R&D and tertiary investment to grow the skills and ideas to increase our country’s wealth and generate the higher income, better jobs Kiwis want: both were cut in real terms.  There was no way out of the mire.

And that’s what the flood of Kiwis jumping the ditch see: no hope here.

We deserve better – a government with a plan at the very least.

56 comments on “River of Kiwis now flood to Oz ”

  1. Craig Glen Eden 1

    Posted this just last night:

    My best friend told me tonight he is off to Australia better paid job plus 9% employer contribution from employer, leaves in September family to follow in December. He does not want to leave but the opportunity is just to good to pass up given he cant get ahead in NZ.

    This guy is a CEO here but like he says National have no plan and Key is a total clown, its all turning to shit real fast in NZ so he feels he has to go, cant say I blame him.
    Reply

    • Colonial Viper 1.1

      It’s a real problem. Warmer, wealthier, more upbeat, and only 3 1/2 hours away.

      Why not, when you see how the Government is abandoning its own people to the vagaries of income inequality, free market forces and private sector profiteering.

    • Lanthanide 1.2

      Hopefully he’ll remember to vote in the election!

      • rosy 1.2.1

        Yes, I really hope Mana, the Greens and Labour are gearing-up to convince their overseas supporters to vote.

        • Colonial Viper 1.2.1.1

          A million NZ’ers living overseas, over half will be of voting age.

          That’s massive.

          • Hanswurst 1.2.1.1.1

            Well, this NZer living overseas will definitely be voting for the left – I’m even visiting again beforehand to renew my eligibility. I’m not going to be overseas forever, and I don’t want to come back to a country that’s been driven into the mud by the current stupid clowns year upon year.

            • Colonial Viper 1.2.1.1.1.1

              Exactly. The fear is that they will run down our health and education systems so much that its hard for any one to choose to live here even if they love the country.

            • HC 1.2.1.1.1.2

              Hanswurst – bring in skilled labour from Europe and certain Asian countries, let them make the products they make back there, with natural ingredients grown and produced here, let them create a trade where they train apprentices, where we learn how to make sausages like in Europe (Wurst part of your name well addressed, I hope), let them make excellent cheeses, wine, herbal products, honey, hams, sausages, pates, fish products and whatever else may come to mind, and we will have a fertile value added economy.

              But no, we must export more logs, milk powder, butter, wool, and whatever is produced in bulk and without refinement.

              That is the shit the wrong advisors told us in the early 1990’s . I remember well that American “expert” selling his book here talking about “cometitive advantages” and Shipley, Richardson and Bolger lapping it all up as the finest recipe for NZs future.

              Look at the world! Countries that serve tourists, that hold language courses for foreign students, that produce primary agricultural and similar products are amongst the poorer, less paid and disadvantaged societies.

              Those that invest in knowledge, skills and attract value added manufacturing are leading. We have been hoodwinked and betrayed into total ignorance and dumbness. That is why this country is losing its citizens and used by migrants as a revolving back door to better territories.

              NZ is screwed by repeated idiots running the show. Throw them out and bloody well revolt!

  2. freedom 2

    It would be interesting to see some accurate figures that show how many of the ‘from the rest of NZ’ were actually recently relocated residents of CHCH.  I suspect it is a lot higher than the 800 reported earlier today.
     

    • Craig Glen Eden 2.1

      Really freedom proud Cantabs calling them selfs Aucks?What a desperate attempt to try and blame the CHCH earth quakes for this Governments appalling performance.National totally bereft of any plan.

      • freedom 2.1.1

        i doubt it was the people’s decision as to how they were counted. I can picture the data collector ” most recent address only please, we don’t need to know your life history.”
        Actually a liitle amazed that the figure isn’t higher.  I am also considering relocating out of NZ if National get back in.  Not to OZ, there are other places in the world that are not little America yet. i cannot afford to right now but there are prospects being investigated.
         
        I was imagining what staying in NZ under another National Government would be like and i settled on looking into the barrels of a loaded shotgun and paying someone else to pull the trigger

  3. millsy 3

    To me that is jumping from the frying pan into the fire. After all, there are:

    1) Cumplosory super – meaning that you get 9% of your wages taken from you and given to a Gordon Gekko type who will lose it on the stock market

    2) No ACC – you have to fork out expensively for accident and health insurance etc with no assurance of payout – and their health system is pretty dodgy – you have ladies giving birth in toilets, and you still gotta get health insurance, or else you die.

    3) Everything is expensive, rent, houses, petrol, etc and so on.

    4) Toll roads galore

    5) The Labour party there is more right than our Labour party (and from my understanding, has been for the past 30 to 40 years)

    6) You cannot walk through Sydney without stumbling into the middle of a mob war (I dont mean pissy BP’s and Mongerel mob with baseball bats, I mean Italian and Lebanese Mafia with sub-machine guns).

    7) very corrupt cops – the cops own half the brothels in kings cross

    8) You lose your job, there is no safety net

    • millsy 3.1

      Oh yeah, and more Australians send their kids to private schools, so you have a country full of elite snobs, and its packed with rednecks.

    • Colonial Viper 3.2

      I can tell you that petrol in Australia is cheaper (at least in metropolitan areas) than in NZ. And that’s *including* our soft exchange rate.

      From memory it was ~A$1.60/L or thereabouts.

      Yeah there are a few issues though, no place is perfect. But you can overlook a few little things when you are being paid 40% more 😎

    • ghostwhowalksnz 3.3

      No the 9% is not taken from you- thats the employers contrib. Employees can volunteer another 9% or lessor amount.

      While there is no ACC for 24 hr coverage, employers pay ACC type premiums ( and employees can sue) and there is the vehicle ACC system like we have for motor cars

    • Deadly_NZ 3.4

      And what do you get if you are unfortunatly stuck in NZ?
      Kiwi saver Just made it more expensive to get the same money. May not be gambled by a Gordon Gecko type, But is robbed by a Blinglish type of incompetant.

      Sky Rocketing costs and huge waiting lists to get anything done in a govt dept, as all have been gutted.

      Acc??? A company who will wriggle and bluster and bullshit about the services they offer you, but don’t give them to you.

      Petrol at 2.07 and climbing???? food prices thru the roof, doctors with too big a list so that the poor and sick get poorer and sicker.

      Multi milllion dollar holiday highways that go nowhere.

      Gotta be better than the fuckwits in charge now.

      Napier and other places used to be the same Black power and mongrel mob wallys fighting and scaring little old ladies.

      And the cops here?? May not be corrupt, but they could not catch a burglar unless they pulled him over on a bullshit traffic charge.

      There are NO JOBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      So Millsy your beloved NACTS are just as bad.

      • millsy 3.4.1

        Whoa there Deadly.

        I think you need to up/down your medication, because last time I looked, I didnt ‘love’ NACT.

        I am just pointing out a lot of the downsides about heading to OZ, and the grass isnt always greener.

        Anyway, by the looks of things, the Liberal-National coalition looks like it could get back into power, and Abbot really makes Brash look like a Marxist.

  4. ChrisH 4

    I reckon the only reason people aren’t bailing en masse is because of the risk of ending up unemployed in Oz with no dole. That’s the trans-Tasman equivalent of the Berlin Wall, if it were not for that fact, New Zealand would collapse in the next three months.

  5. Peter 5

    The sad thing is most probably don’t want to leave but feel they have little choice.

    • Shona 5.1

      So right Peter. Those of us who worked in Oz in the 70’s and early 80’s then returned to NZ to invest and raise our families are now watching our offspring reluctantly repeat their parents experience. Because they simply can’t earn a living wage in NZ. They don’t want to live there but the advantages and opportunities are too great, We have failed the younger generations. I don’t want my grandchildren to be Aussies but it just keeps on happening . Any body with any get up and go has got up and gone!
      Key continues to successfully emulate his role model and hero, Piggy Muldoon.

      • Deadly_NZ 5.1.1

        But the worst of it is that unlike those of us who did the big OE, and came back to NZ to raise families and work, Our Kids are just looking at what the so called government is doing and saying “fuck this i’m out of here” And they DON’T come back. And if I could afford it I would be Gone long ago.

        • SBS 5.1.1.1

          This is probably one of the most stupid comments I’ve seen here. No one bases their decision to move on the government of the day but rather on their own personal circumstances. NZ is a small village and given that Kiwis have easy access to the UK and Australia to work then it shouldn’t be any surprise that we wish to live and experience a more cosmopolitan society and gain valuable work experience.

          In particular Australia is a global aberration where a unskilled worker can potentially, especially in Western Australia, much more than they could ever earn anywhere else so its more of a tragedy to lose hardworking members of our working class while being left with the dregs who can’t even be bothered to ante up the $150 required for a one way flight to Oz but continue, like parasites, to suck up the welfare. Unless the labour party is prepared to move the minimum wage to something like $30 an hour we’d lose then anyway.

          Disclosure: currently living and working in Sydney but planning to return so I know about the motivations about why kiwis move there than most of the posters here who quite frankly are just a waste of air.

          • Reality Bytes 5.1.1.1.1

            @SBS “No one bases their decision to move on the government of the day but rather on their own personal circumstances. ”

            Ever hear of political refugees. Oh I bet you many many people reluctantly choose to leave their homeland every minute solely due to their government, and not due to personal circumstances. Infact the people that have the ability to move probably have better resources(personal circumstances) than most of their peers!

          • Colonial Viper 5.1.1.1.2

            Disclosure: currently living and working in Sydney but planning to return so I know about the motivations about why kiwis move there than most of the posters here who quite frankly are just a waste of air.

            There are 700,000 NZ’ers living in Australia. How many of them have you met?

            “Planning to return” What exactly does that mean? Planning to come back if Key and English get back in eh?

            Unless the labour party is prepared to move the minimum wage to something like $30 an hour we’d lose then anyway.

            We’ll start by giving people a fair days pay for a fair days work. NZ workers should be able to afford NZ milk, NZ beef and NZ lamb every day.

            • SBS 5.1.1.1.2.1

              Quite a few actually since it’s easier to pick out the accent so why don’t you STFU about shit you don’t know since you’re not here but in some kind of lowly public service role praying your pointless paper shuffling job is safe from the next round budget cutbacks.

              We expats are always talking about why we left NZ and the reasons are varied. I’ve never come across any who claims that they left because of the depredations of the national administration. To be honest it seems indicative of some kind of mental illness but after reading some of the posts on this site I am not surprised.

              @Reality Bytes: I wasn’t talking about political refugees but Kiwis living in Australia so your ‘insight’ is actually irrelevant. However there are enough leftard wingnuts on this site who actually think NZ is actually some kind of fascistic state.

              • Colonial Viper

                SBS you’re a lowly scavenger looking to pick over the bones of the NZ economy for your National mates right?

                you don’t know since you’re not here but in some kind of lowly public service role praying your pointless paper shuffling job is safe from the next round budget cutbacks.

                😀 So I guess if National get back in this year you are coming back to your home country as a hatchet man for them then?

                We expats are always talking about why we left NZ and the reasons are varied. I’ve never come across any who claims that they left because of the depredations of the national administration.

                “We expats” all 700,000 of you lol so did they mention anything about NZ’s low wages, poor working conditions, minimal and narrow industries, lack of career advancement opportunities, not valuing the training of trades and graduates, endless budget and capability cuts, shit management culture and general lack of science, technology and management innovation?

              • rosy

                No one bases their decision to move on the government of the day but rather on their own personal circumstances.

                Twice now we’ve taken opportunities to leave NZ – the first was when Shipley was in power and we were happy to be out of hearing range. We made a real celebration of casting our votes in London for Labour in the 1999 election and came home 18 months later. This time, after a year away, it’ll be the same. The political situation did influence our decision to take up an overseas contract, and if NACT get back in we’ll be looking to extend it.

                edit – CV you missed the reduction in real political discourse in the MSM and shrinking democratic processes.

                • Colonial Viper

                  Chur. Some of us will always stay behind and fight fight fight these traitors and sell outs in the trenches and in the hills, every inch of the way.

                  So we’ll look forwards to you being back in NZ before too long 🙂

                  • rosy

                    Don’t mistake leaving for giving up the fight – still working for NZ, have our home there and are learning, learning learning. Nice though that I don’t have to see the NAct mob on the TV everyday – saying nothing meaningful and selling us out in secret. I’d love to be home soon 😉

              • Reality Bytes

                @SBS

                Fair enough, I just thought that sounded like quite a sweeping generalization. I was meaning globally. But hey even you backtracked and acknowledged that some people with certain political views may consider themselves repressed and think NZ is actually some kind of fascistic state, I personally don’t, but hey if those people chose to leave because of their government, then you have acknowledged and illustrated how my original point is in fact relevant to NZ after all.

            • jagilby 5.1.1.1.2.2

              “We’ll start by giving people a fair days pay for a fair days work. NZ workers should be able to afford NZ milk, NZ beef and NZ lamb every day.”

              So moving the minimum wage up to $15/hour is going to do that?

              Sure for the people who manage to keep their jobs at minimum wage. What about that next marginal employee who an employer judges too expensive to take on??? What about the 16 year old who leaves college with no qualifications and is priced out of the labour market?

              Oh yeah, the tax payer will pick up the increasing bill for their NZ milk, beef, lamb and cookies. Such a sustainable idea… why has no one thought of that???

              • Colonial Viper

                Oh brilliance jagilby!

                Here’s a simple answer – employers who cannot afford to pay a fairs day wages for a fair days work should close down and make way in the market place for someone who has a better business model and can afford to.

                What about the 16 year old who leaves college with no qualifications and is priced out of the labour market?

                Yeah thank goodness then the National Government is on the ball with apprenticeships, tertiary training programmes and public employment schemes to make sure this doesn’t happen – not!

                Because if the private sector can’t handle the challenge, the public sector will!

                Oh yeah, the tax payer will pick up the increasing bill for their NZ milk, beef, lamb and cookies. Such a sustainable idea… why has no one thought of that???

                Yep. The top 1000 richest New Zealanders control roughly $100B worth of wealth. So if we wanted to make sure that our youth is educated properly and prepared to become productive contributors to the economy, we can tap into that little fund.

                And trust me, none of them will have to give up their vintage champagne, their BMW 7 series with heated leather seats or their first class travel. They’ll be fine.

        • jagilby 5.1.1.2

          Actually – I probably am the age of “your kids” and it isn’t this Government, far from it – it was the previous one that saw a History teacher as finance minister (who crowed about leaving the cupboards bare and demonises “rich pricks” – along with you lot) and the thought of the next labour govt burying the final nails in the coffin that scares the living daylights out of me when I think about returning to NZ.

          You have your collective heads so far up your arse that you fail to realise that you lot are not the solution but rather encompass everything that holds NZ back.

          • Jim Nald 5.1.1.2.1

            Well, so National is so ineffectual that it can’t turn things around? National did campaign to close the gap with Oz. That billboard was the first one they launched on 1 Sep 2008. And I voted for them.

            Labour: if National blames you for it, then make the case that when you’re next in Government, you will review and reverse the policies of the past.

            Phil Goff: you can have our mandate to reverse all the shortcomings of Cullen’s Labour Government of the 2000s, Richardson’s Government of the 1990s, and the Douglas’ ACT-in-Labour-drag Government of 1980s.

          • Colonial Viper 5.1.1.2.2

            You have your collective heads so far up your arse that you fail to realise that you lot are not the solution but rather encompass everything that holds NZ back.

            Yeah because lower wages for all of us would really move NZ forward.

            Or more precisely, would move the asset wealthy capitalist employer class forward.

            Small but important difference there eh? 🙂

          • rosy 5.1.1.2.3

            a History teacher as finance minister

            A Doctor of Social and Economic History and lecturer (Otago University,and Australian National University) as finance minister. There, FIFY.

            • Jim Nald 5.1.1.2.3.1

              And what about the current Finance Minister, Simon William English?

              English (not a pun) literature and Commerce degrees?

              Unlike a PhD, is that like just a simple simon’s bachelors?

              • Colonial Viper

                And I guess Jerry Brownlee might be able to make a door or two for busted Christchurch houses. Using the local school’s woodwork shop you know.

  6. tc 6

    Hilarious millsy ever thought of standup. Oh the sarcasm.

  7. ianupnorth 7

    I was recently on the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast – a few reflections
     
    1) The kids working the rides at Dreamworld and Whitewater World were mainly 20 something Maori kids; they were doing a pretty mundane job, but they were happy, were earning a good wage and had a good quality of life; when I chatted to them they were from all over NZ; they had left whanau behind, who they missed, but they had no regrets.
     
    2) The cars on the road were mainly pretty new, e.g. under 5 years old; people dressed well, people looked happy. Conversely, we have three cars the newest is over 5 years old, and despite earning way above the median salary, I wouldn’t say we were as well off.
     
    3) Property prices were on a par with here; oh, and you get a $5K first time buyers grant and interest free for solar electricity and solar hot water.
     
    4) Petrol was cheaper (read way cheaper) – and they had this strange thing called public transport!
     
    5) The only things that were more expensive were bananas (thanks to their cyclones) and beer.

    6) And contrary to common beliefs (and I so want this not to be the case) – the locals were very, very friendly!
     
    It really made me think what the hell am I doing in NZ? I could earn 75% more, plus get employer paid superannuation and be far better off.

    • Reality Bytes 7.1

      Man it’s posts/opinions like this that make me consider moving there. Or at the very least taking a long working holiday there sometime 🙂

      You do paint the picture well, it’s not all Big city snobbyness there like some people make it out to be. Aussies and aussie residents really are (for the most part) very genuinely friendly easy going people, I really notice that every time I’ve visited the place, and I’ve always enjoyed that aspect.

      • fabregas4 7.1.1

        I was brought up in the days of not liking Aussie – all due to sports. Finally went for a trip there and couldn’t believe how:
        clean and tidy it was
        how nice everyone was
        how they liked Kiwis
        how shopkeepers and shop assistants were actually helpful
        how people went the extra mile.

        I love NZ but it is getting harder and harder to stay here. Sad very sad.

    • wil 7.2

      I too was surprised by the helpfullness of the locals.Even the attractive women don’t think you’re trying to chat them up when asking for help unlike in NZ.

  8. HC 8

    Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, yeah I’ll come waltzing with you, dear Matilda, I’ll come!

    Well, I wish I could, but I am stuck here in this place and am totally determined to shake the f-ing shit out of governments, the dull, dumbed down, and indifferent or resignating people we have left. I am all for a good round of smashing revolt like it was a Queen St riot some many years ago. That is how I feel. I do not say that I would do it though. The boys in blue may wish to talk to me if I would. So I am a very sensible and reasonable chap. But if this government and others to follow will push it just a bit further, I would not be surprised if we will not soon have riots in Otara, Mangere, Manukau, Avondale, Glenfield or whereever in Greater Auckland. You may of course add the same kinds of suburbs of Porirua, Lower Hutt and so forth in Wellington, certain ones in over stressed CH CH, Dunedin, or in certain regions.

    People are on edge now. I see and hear it every day. It has never been so tense, edgy, hostile and hopeless in Aotearoa NZ since I came here about 30 years ago. I have never known it to be this bad. We are indeed in a climate of envy, hatred, racism, rich and poor divide, total disrespect for any government departments and the government itself telling us all is getting better. Nobody really believes this, except the ones in the elitarian areas. So John Key, the traitor of most, the glossy mag face, the ever smiling assassin, the hollow man of false demeanour, the face lifted too many times, the schemer and easy maneuverist in the rich and powerful territory of this God forsaken land, he is now starting to yearn, yes yearn for his sunny retirement home on Hawaii.

    He has to announce tomorrow the most difficult and hated realities to many in the second largest city of the country. That many will have to give up their homes. That though will only address parts of the large city down south. It will by no means give answers to most. So the loyal Cantabrians will in their majority continue to be tested for years to come. What temptation there may be over the other side of the Tasman. It is dry (mostly), at times too wet (in Q-land), yet it is so much better equipped with resources the world need, with riches, opportunities, and better living standards. So this so well blessed country full of fertility of water on this side is unable to compete with that dry territory over there, where Taipan snake and poisonous spiders say good night to each other. What the hell has gone wrong with NZ? It is greed, wrong policies, excessive capitalism, envy, division, political experiments, and above all the high treason of the elite that own most of it – and US!

  9. HC 9

    There are too many idiots in this country, that is why it is given up so easily. If you had brains and guts you would overthrow idiot governments and bring in something constructive and better. But because most Kiwis are so gutless, nobody does. They tend to put the houses and flats up for sale, cash in and get the next plae out. That is NOT patriotism, that is cowardice, no matter how much I try to understand peoples needs. Go to other places on the planet and wars would be fought over this land. But the frustrated Kiwi sells and runs as a coward! Leave it to the wrong government and new migrants then, who is to blame???

    • ianupnorth 9.1

      Spot on HC; been here for 10 years; under the Clark administration I felt, safe, secure and that I was living in a compassionate country that genuinely cared for its own, for it’s back yard (the pacific islands) and the global environment.
       
      The past two and a bit years have been awful. I have been restructured at work twice, we have lost 25% of our staff but are expected to produce the same outcomes. Financially my family are worse off, we spend a fair bit of time looking through the ‘reduced’ section of the supermarket, buy only what is on special, and going out – well that’s a thing of the past. Bear in mind my wife and I both work and have a relatively low mortgage! (and we are not living a very ‘rich’ life).
       
      If it was not for the age of my kids (years 11 and 13 at high school) we would have left a year or so ago.
       
      But HC is so correct – it is the idiots who cannot or choose not to actually see what is going on; I have never lived in a country where people are taken in so much by the rich; they seem to hold them in high esteem whilst, say a union leader, is seen as a pariah.

  10. come get some 10

    and i’m one of them, yay for being on $10 more NZ an hour here (first year into my industry)

    • Colonial Viper 10.1

      Yeah I know a store manager from Christchurch who was on less than NZ$20/hr over here, she is on roughly A$27/hr now doing basically the same job, but in Australia.

  11. Alun 11

    We have just lost our business in NZ and so we’ve essentially lost everything. Thankfully my family are lending me the money to get to Australia and get settled as I can’t find any work here in Northland that will sustain my partner and I and give us any semblance of quality of life. I hope that National don’t get back in after the next election as I would like to come back to a country that isn’t completely f**ked in a few years, but I suspect I might have to stay in Australia for a decade or two unfortunately as the bulk of the voting public seem to be mentally retarded at the moment – it’s like they’re under some trance.. it’s wierd and I want to get out before I succumb to it too.

  12. fabregas4 12

    I’ve always believed that our compaines have had a competitive advantage because of the type of country NZ is (was). A great place to bring up kids, safe, clean, happy. People wanted to come here and most of us knew we were lucky and so if pay was slightly higer elsewhere it was ok.

    Most of that has changed though. That advantage is gone. Broken by successive governments and greedy employers and far right policy. This ironically has been coupled with CEO’s from overseas taking all the best jobs and demanding overseas rates of pay and conditions because that is the global market and driving the average guys wage down because that is the global market!

    Oz looks good to me too just because they are not so dumb as to let all this happen to them.

  13. leftiewestie 13

    Let them go to OZ and be treated like second class citizens. If the opinion that Aussies have of NZers living in their country is anything to go by then the best ones stay here anyway!!

    However, I would like to see the stats broken down to know the number of new NZers who make the trans Tasman move. By this I mean people who come to NZ to get a passport then use their NZ passport to get into OZ which is their ultimate aim in the first place.

  14. mik e 14

    yeah that phd in the history of economics teacher got the economy to grow by 28% by volume over 9 years while the double dipper has only managed less than 1% by volume in 5 years but trickle up many tax cuts for those on over 120,000 pa

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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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