Salvation Army contradicts Key’s homelessness claims

Written By: - Date published: 2:32 pm, June 3rd, 2016 - 95 comments
Categories: john key, national - Tags: , ,

john-key1

Yesterday this was the news:

The Government has this week sent its flying squads into Auckland to battle the hidden homeless crisis, but says those living in cars simply don’t want help.

The squads were formed after The Nation revealed a number of people with full-time jobs were sleeping in cars because they couldn’t afford housing in Auckland.

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) teamed up with the Salvation Army and other non-Government organisations and hit the streets.

But the Prime Minister says when they hit Bruce Pullman Park in Takanini on Monday night, they received a frosty response.

“MSD and the Sallies went around and knocked on eight cars that they could find,” he says.

“All eight of those people refused to take support either from Sallies or MSD.”

John Key says he isn’t implying people want to live in cars.

“I’m just simply saying that of those eight people that MSD and the Sallies could identify, knocked on the cars and asked them: ‘can we give you support and can we give you help’, not just MSD, the Salvation Army — the eight of them refused.”

But reality is stranger than fiction sometimes and the above turns out to be, how do you put this, not necessarily correct.  The Salvation Army has just released this press release which says this:

In the past few days, the Government and a government agency have made statements saying MSD officials accompanied Salvation Army personnel to visit homeless people living in Bruce Pulman Park in South Auckland.

These statements are incorrect.

MSD officials did not accompany Salvation Army social personnel to Bruce Pulman Park last Monday night, as part of the Army’s regular visits to the site. The Salvation Army declined the offer by MSD officials to accompany The Salvation Army as some of these people are very wary of government officials.

The results of this statement, as well as recent images of homeless people living in dire material hardship disseminated by the media, have deeply upset these people and have put the relationship between them and Salvation Army personnel in jeopardy, weakening the Army’s ability to assist them.

The Salvation Army does not knock on people’s car windows. It has a van from which food, water and toiletries are made available and where access to social services and advocacy can be arranged.

The Salvation Army has spent years developing relationships and building trust with these people living on the outer margins of society – people who often have a deep distrust of officials.

The article is based on this video where Key was at his assured convincing best.  It appears there may be a reality problem however.

Key ought to apologise to the Salvation Army and to the homeless people, preferrably personally.  And he should get his facts right before commenting.

 

95 comments on “Salvation Army contradicts Key’s homelessness claims ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. save nz 1
    3 June 2016 at 2:37 pm

    This government are serial liars and every statement seems to harm someone, even damaging the relationships and reputation of the Salvation Army.

  2. Lanthanide 2
    3 June 2016 at 2:40 pm

    Key only apologises to Slater.

  3. Wensleydale 3
    3 June 2016 at 2:40 pm

    Oh, look, John Key’s telling lies again. Well, I never!

    • Chris 3.1
      3 June 2016 at 4:59 pm

      And Key goes up in the polls.

      • WILD KATIPO 3.1.1
        3 June 2016 at 9:37 pm

        Normally he would… but not this time. Homelessness, wages well below costs of living, overheated housing market, unbridled immigration, dictatorial treatment of Auckland council, USA warship to be coming to our ports( which Auckland council will need to privatize ) and a meeting of the worlds top arms dealers – most probably in SkyCity gambling casino… he’s a goneburger.

        Along with his sanctimoniousness – a bit like these pompous gits…

        • Chris 3.1.1.1
          4 June 2016 at 3:27 pm

          I hope you’re right but every time something pops up that suggests they’re over they just bounce back even stronger. It’s so strange I don’t think a word’s been invented yet to describe the phenomenon.

  4. adam 4
    3 June 2016 at 3:01 pm

    No wonder the so many Ministers of The Crown are so useless, and paddling their own waka.

    This guy is just unbelievable.

  5. ianmac 5
    3 June 2016 at 3:03 pm

    When and if Key is questioned about this it will be interesting to see how he wriggles out.
    Labour’s fault?
    Misreported?
    It was true?
    Refuse to front?
    The MSD misinformed him?
    It was Paula Bennet’s fault?
    The point is that homeless people can get help if they want to?
    Mike Hoskings says it is true and he knows?
    Paddy says it is the PM at his best?

    • Stuart Munro 5.1
      3 June 2016 at 3:15 pm

      Paddy’s right though – Key is utter shite; he doesn’t get any better than lying.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.2
      3 June 2016 at 4:29 pm

      Come on, it was obviously the Salvation Army’s fault for not accepting MSDs kind offer to go round with them knocking on car windows.

      /sarc

  6. NZJester 6
    3 June 2016 at 3:05 pm

    John Key is the end of a line of a game of Chinese whispers. The whisper goes through the National party till what comes out of his mouth is so far removed from the truth it would be laughable if it did not make light of such serious problems!

    • AsleepWhileWalking 6.1
      3 June 2016 at 4:43 pm

      !

    • AsleepWhileWalking 6.2
      3 June 2016 at 4:47 pm

      Most disturbing is the perception of betrayal and minimisation of those in need that Key has fostered through his comments.

      A formal and widespread apology needs to be issues asap to mitigate the damage to the Salvation Army’s reputation.

  7. Adrian 7
    3 June 2016 at 3:07 pm

    Just watched the clip, and as usual he isn’t blinking, his own personal sign that he’s telling Porkies.

    • ianmac 7.1
      3 June 2016 at 3:24 pm

      Interesting Adrian.
      When talking about the facts of the loan system he was steady and confident. Then when talking about the 8 cars, he looks to his right every few words. Avoiding eye contact?

    • Keith 7.2
      3 June 2016 at 7:28 pm

      Another way of telling is his lips are moving!

      • NZJester 7.2.1
        3 June 2016 at 8:21 pm

        He has overcome that though by being able to lie without his lips moving via the ventriloquism act he does via his trained MSM puppets.

  8. McFlock 8
    3 June 2016 at 3:18 pm

    It’s like they have a defense in depth of lies:
    initially it was that there’s no housing problem;
    now the lie is that they’re doing anything to investigate the problem;
    then they’ll lie about doing anything to fix it; then they’ll lie about whether what they actually did fixed it.

  9. Stuart Munro 9
    3 June 2016 at 3:38 pm

    Damn – there goes the Sallies’ funding. Key is a useless screwup as a PM – but he’s vindictive.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 9.1
      3 June 2016 at 6:52 pm

      +1

      The obvious solution is to defund the Salvation Army.

      • Stuart Munro 9.1.1
        3 June 2016 at 7:22 pm

        I expect we’re supposed to be grateful that Key shows restraint – his colleague Kim Jong Un executes detractors with anti-aircraft guns.

        If someone went Jones & Olken on Key I wouldn’t mind at all.

    • Rodel 9.2
      3 June 2016 at 8:21 pm

      Yes Stuart
      Watch this space for your prediction about govt vindictiveness against the Sallies. It won’t happen overnight..but it will happen. A bit like a more subtle and more gentle Robert Gabrielle Mugabe.

      • Ffloyd 9.2.1
        4 June 2016 at 6:32 pm

        Rodel. You are so correct. I was going to say RIGHT but it didn’t sound right so I changed it to CORRECT. Anyhoo, Key does not forget anyone who shines a light on him that shows all the dirt piled up in the corners of his grubby little Government. Look what happened to John Campbell. Time for a Spring Clean.

  10. Wensleydale 10
    3 June 2016 at 3:52 pm

    Interesting that Stuff has allowed 13 comments on this story, and then shut it down. Meanwhile, Granny Herald isn’t allowing comments on this at all.

    Key needs to start a nationwide tour of primary schools with his traveling puppet show. Instead of Sooty and Sweep, he’ll have Granny Herald and Uncle Fairfax.

    • ianmac 10.1
      3 June 2016 at 4:34 pm

      Stuff is up to 109 comments; almost none in support of K ey.

      • Mrs Brillo 10.1.1
        3 June 2016 at 4:40 pm

        Now Stuff have shut it down again. Pity, because I was about to go there to suggest fundraising for personal fire extinguishers for members of Cabinet.
        It can’t be comfortable walking round in those flaming pants all day…

        • NZJester 10.1.1.1
          3 June 2016 at 8:25 pm

          They haven’t got flaming pants though. Those burnt off long ago.
          The emperor actually has no cloths.

  11. marty mars 11
    3 June 2016 at 3:58 pm

    Good stuff by little too – go hard and do it NOW!!!

    Labour leader Andrew Little says the Prime Minister needs to explain why he would make misleading comments that also seemed to sweep homelessness under the carpet.

    “Why you would lie, mislead, diminish this sort of rescue? It beggars belief,” he said.

    “It just looks like a Government that is so out of touch, they don’t even want to know it (homelessness) exists.

    “I can’t think of a time when the Prime Minister and another Minister has patently lied about something that’s happened, that hasn’t actually happened.”

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/80725620/salvation-army-msd-homeless-visits-didnt-happen-and-the-pms-wrong

  12. Chrys Berryman 12
    3 June 2016 at 4:08 pm

    I held up a sign with “liar” written on it outside the Nat Party election opening for the 2014 election……the Nats abused the hell out of me as they drove in,one even mounted the footpath in his high end 4 wheel drive and tried to run me down.Key’s lies have continued…..when and if he is spoken about in the future people will say “oh that guy,he was a liar”….. his legacy……is lies.

    • Macro 12.1
      3 June 2016 at 4:52 pm

      His legacy is far worse than Lies –
      It is a broken and divided country, where homelessness and poverty are rife. We now have more and more of our young people drifting, and out of work, couch surfing if they are lucky, sleeping on the streets, or in a bed bought with their body. Our hospitals, social welfare, and education systems are underfunded, and our rivers, lakes and coastal waters are more and more polluted. We have passed on the costs of climate change to our children and they are out of work and cannot afford to house themselves. This is the blighted future of National and Keys legacy, bought with lies.

    • Don't worry. Be happy 12.2
      4 June 2016 at 2:57 pm

      Key’s legacy is spies and lies….

  13. Bill 13
    3 June 2016 at 4:29 pm

    I know what I’m about to write doesn’t quite make sense, but…

    I get the impression that Blip’s list just got depth-charged right out of the water with this one… just so many dead fishy little stories bobbing up and down now for as far as the eye can see.

    • Draco T Bastard 13.1
      3 June 2016 at 4:33 pm

      Would be nice to have the MSM publish Blip’s list or even just to start asking questions about what’s on it. Considering that it’s all based upon their own reporting it shouldn’t be too difficult.

    • weka 13.2
      3 June 2016 at 4:46 pm

      I’m not sure. It looks as likely to be outright incompetence. MSD did go out with Ak City Mission. I’m guessing that between the MSD bods and Key that got translated into Sallies (or Key fucked it up). I also reckon they’re panicked. Twitter says Bennett is now offering even more money to get people to leave town. Desperate to bury today’s story. No one knows wft the others are doing. The tricks going to be ifKey can front up and say it was his mistake or if they have to tell smother bunch of lies to save face.

      • Karen 13.2.1
        3 June 2016 at 5:07 pm

        Sorry I can’t remember where I read it but my understanding is the MSD just called into the City Mission at a meal-time and didn’t go out with them.

        Could be Bennett lied to PM about the Salvation Army, but my thought is it is a long weekend so the PM and/or Bennett just thought no one would check it out and they could continue denying a homeless problem.

        Edit. Can’t put it better than Dovil.

        Dovil
        ‏@Dovil
        I guess the bullshit line that homelessness exists because they don’t want any help is better than just outright saying “fuck ’em”.

      • Chris 13.2.2
        3 June 2016 at 5:15 pm

        It’s about the undeserving poor so Key and National won’t care about getting it wrong. They’ll bury it in the usual way then lie again when dealing with the next shambolic chapter in this homelessness disaster. They just don’t care.

      • Olwyn 13.2.3
        3 June 2016 at 5:22 pm

        I see most of what the PM says as salesman’s prattle – like the guy who says of a toaster or something, “I got one for my dear old mum and she swears by it,” etc. What’s more worrying to me his apparent determination to follow through on his mission, regardless of what happens to anyone else. Shrink the government, sell the assets, financialise everything, and don’t let small matters like homelessness and despair divert you. In his own eyes he’s no doubt “making the hard decisions” because the ruin of other people’s lives is “worth it.”

  14. weka 14
    3 June 2016 at 4:39 pm

    Flying squads? Wtf?

    I really don’t think homeless people need rescuing, I’m guessing they need access to the same civil society entitlements as the rest of us, including dignity. Positioning them as victims who can’t look after themselves or know what they need is asking for trouble.

    • Bill 14.1
      3 June 2016 at 5:02 pm

      Missed the laughable reference to “its flying squads”. Don’t know whether to imagine ‘The Sweeney’ or to include helicopters with shouty N. Americans screaming “Go Go Go!!!” as the machine birls around it’s own centre of gravity in the Auckland night sky.

      Maybe the government should kit out “its flying squads” in capes and lycra? At least the homeless would get a chuckle. (Damn! Got really bad images of government ministers cape swooshing at the head of a mid-night charge of saviourdom…)

      Going now.

    • Anne 14.2
      3 June 2016 at 5:34 pm

      “Flying squads”? Is that their latest ruse to make it look like they’re doing something?

      I’m reminded of the Benefit Fraud Squad ( made up mainly of ex cops) in the mid to late 1990s. TV and radio ads exhorted people to dob in benefit fraudsters. Some of the outcomes were quite tragic. The Clark govt. tossed it out ( and Christine Rankin with it) after they came to power. Figures were later released showing that 76% (my recollection anyway) of the claims made had been false and malicious in intent. The Nat mindset for you!

      • Lanthanide 14.2.1
        3 June 2016 at 6:31 pm

        Oh wow, I had no idea that happened. That truly is despicable right-wing harassment.

    • emergency mike 14.3
      3 June 2016 at 6:49 pm

      It also reinforces the idea that the people living in cars are just some extreme fringe rather than a symptom of deeper structural problems. Hence ‘flying squad’ as if they are the crack navy seals of the MSD. I guess ‘clueless bandaid’ doesn’t have she ring.

      Myself I imagine them as kind of an X-men type deal. Flying to the homeless in an experimental plane, born with the mutant ability to determine a persons work skillz on sight, and to make the words ‘Ready To Work’ appear on others foreheads.

  15. dave 15
    3 June 2016 at 5:07 pm

    can that key guy get any lower total scum

  16. Gangnam Style 16
    3 June 2016 at 5:21 pm

    Checkpoint, right now, reporting on a crisis. Very sad stories.

    • Paul 16.1
      3 June 2016 at 5:35 pm

      Impressed they are keeping with the story.
      They should keep a score of how many times Bennett, Smith and Key do not front.
      And publicise that fact.

  17. Paul 17
    3 June 2016 at 5:40 pm

    The Prime Minister is a barefaced liar.
    What a shameful state of affairs.

    http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11650205

  18. North 18
    3 June 2016 at 5:41 pm

    Either Key like no other PM ever is so disrespected by his ministers and departmental advisers that they deliberately mislead him, or he’s a fucking liar/fantasist congenitally incapable of takng responsibility for anything – ever. Either way the man’s a simpering, effete weakling. Disgraceful !

    • Lanthanide 18.1
      3 June 2016 at 6:35 pm

      Or, both his ministers and advisors, and himself, are human, and occasionally make mistakes and get things muddled up.

      • weka 18.1.1
        3 June 2016 at 7:24 pm

        Let’s see how they handle the mistake then. Front up and tell the truth about it, or obfuscate, spin and lie?

      • North 18.1.2
        3 June 2016 at 7:36 pm

        Yeah thanks Lanth’……..your sometimes (as here) pedantry is noted.

      • ankerawshark 18.1.3
        3 June 2016 at 8:05 pm

        Yes Lanth @18.1. but how convenient that it is a “mistake” that then gives a very strong impression that we offered helped with a respected social agency and they (the homeless) turned it down. The implication is either that the homeless are all good and don’t need help or, there we went to all that trouble and the ungrateful bastards rejected the help.

        The aim of this spin of course, is so people will think those bloody homeless people! No wonder they homeless! The don’t even want help so we don’t have to bother or care!

      • Shug McGlumfer 18.1.4
        3 June 2016 at 10:27 pm

        There is no sense here only a hatred of John Key. What is the alternative to a National goverment, Angry Andy and the Greens? I don’t think so!

        • Ad 18.1.4.1
          3 June 2016 at 10:56 pm

          Next election isn’t until late 2017, so you’re just going to have to watch him go down nice and slowly. It’s a pleasure to see Key get what’s coming to him.

          • Shug McGlumfer 18.1.4.1.1
            4 June 2016 at 12:08 am

            Again you a focussing on the man and not the policies. You don’t like Key so who are you proposing Angry? FFS

            • One Anonymous Bloke 18.1.4.1.1.1
              4 June 2016 at 8:33 am

              The useless incompetent policies are worse than the lying man. What kind of person defends lying low life and then pretends competence in their assessment of anyone else, let alone the leader of the NZLP.

              Paging Dr. Dunning-Kruger.

        • DoublePlusGood 18.1.4.2
          3 June 2016 at 11:00 pm

          Better that than Corrupt Key and the Incompetents.

        • Lloyd 18.1.4.3
          4 June 2016 at 1:16 am

          Most commentators here know that the Labour and Green Parties contain MPs and potential MPs who have empathy with the poorer members of our society and will actually do something to improve the lot of the poor when they get into the Government benches. Noting only the latest low behaviour of our dear leader is appropriate in this case.

        • gnomic 18.1.4.4
          5 June 2016 at 12:29 am

          Detesting the smirking weasel makes sense. Any alternative to a Natsi lead govt makes sense. Now get lost. Fail Oil needs you. On the basis of this post who cares what you post. Thinking doesn’t come into it.

      • Stuart Munro 18.1.5
        4 June 2016 at 7:17 pm

        His office was not confident that he is human.

  19. Bill 19
    3 June 2016 at 6:00 pm

    Just pointing out that there are barriers to anyone advocating on behalf of people at WINZ. Unlike every other piece of potential advocacy I know of, it’s not possible for the advocate to so much as claim back costs for any case taken and won, and it’s illegal and comes with a threat of jail should any advocate accept payment from a person seeking or receiving entitlements.

    The upshot is people being left with the likes of the Salvation Army. Now whatever else the Salvation Army may say about helping people and advocating for people, the simple fact of the matter is that they will not go and butt heads for someone.

    I’ve no doubt that’s suited governments of all stripes. (I think Invercargill and Auckland may be the only places with any advocacy service for WINZ claimants now)

    The law around WINZ advocacy needs to be changed, and changed as a matter of urgency, so that people can access solid and robust advocacy services.

  20. Paul 20
    3 June 2016 at 6:11 pm

    The Prime Minister should forced to walk down the main streets of New Zealand’s cities and witness the growing legions of homeless. He, Bennett and Smith should be forced to witness the misery and desperation at a WINZ office. They should be driven to the parks where people sleep in cars. They should be compelled to live in the cold mouldy properties they allow people to rent out.
    Then they should made to resign.

    • North 20.1
      3 June 2016 at 7:48 pm

      Oh come on Paul bro’………as remarks Lanth’ it might just be a matter of them being human and all a horrible mistake……which is an assessment at considerable odds with his/her tone at 2 and 14.2.1 above.

  21. mauī 21
    3 June 2016 at 6:22 pm

    Looks like there’s no cover for this one, no excuses, no Labour did it too or dropping of dead animals by the resident righties.

    • mickysavage 21.1
      3 June 2016 at 7:58 pm

      I suspect some poor civil servant may be lined up to be thrown under a bus because Key should have said “Auckland City Mission” or some other entity …

  22. AmaKiwi 22
    3 June 2016 at 6:23 pm

    The good news:

    1. The MSM are giving Key’s fiasco big coverage.
    2. Andrew Little went for the jugular and the MSM reported it.

    • Paul 22.1
      3 June 2016 at 6:36 pm

      The media have covered for this wretched National government for 8 years. They are complicit in this crime.

    • Shug McGlumfer 22.2
      3 June 2016 at 11:47 pm

      Having Andrew Little going for the jugular is like Desmond Healey’s response to Geoffrey Howe “Like being savaged by a dead sheep” Little is a caretaker leader until after the next election then he will be dumped, if not earlier.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 22.2.1
        4 June 2016 at 8:38 am

        You don’t strike me as having the wit nor inclination to be a Labour Party member, in fact you come across as a cardboard sign saying “I agree with the Prime Minister”.

        So “your” “opinion” of anything connected to NZ politics is worthless.

  23. Paul 23
    3 June 2016 at 6:34 pm

    If you voted National, you should feel ashamed.

    • tc 23.1
      3 June 2016 at 6:58 pm

      Rwnj’s don’t have sufficient quantities of it, it’s replaced with cognitive dissonance.

    • Shug McGlumfer 23.2
      3 June 2016 at 11:32 pm

      FFS Why?

      • One Anonymous Bloke 23.2.1
        4 June 2016 at 8:35 am

        You don’t know. You haven’t the first clue. You’re utterly and completely ignorant of the contempt you’ve earned.

  24. Rodel 24
    3 June 2016 at 8:34 pm

    Hey where’s all the nattrolls on this topic?. C’mon… ineeda laugh!

    • mickysavage 24.1
      3 June 2016 at 8:39 pm

      They are waiting for instructions which may take a few days …

      • Neil 24.1.1
        3 June 2016 at 10:05 pm

        I guess it will take Crosby/Textor a few days to get what to say emailed out to all the nat trolls

      • mac1 24.1.2
        3 June 2016 at 10:52 pm

        Crosby-Textor’s dilemma.

        1. Blaming the Sallies is not a good look.
        2. Blaming the media when they scent blood is not a good move.
        3. Blaming the Mexicans won’t go.
        4. Blaming the Judaeo-Zionist-Left Wing conspiracy might be a little OTT.

        So, let’s have a diversion.
        1. Key will announce tax increases (well, it’s got to look better than being seen as a callous and black-hearted liar).
        2. Key will announce Helen Clark to be the next Governor-General.

        or 3. Prime Minister Stephen Joyce will announce that Sir John will be the next Ambassador to London.

  25. UncookedSelachimorpha 25
    3 June 2016 at 9:22 pm

    Disgusted to see one of the richest people in Nz treating the most vulnerable with such disdain, dishonesty and cruelty

  26. Ad 26
    3 June 2016 at 10:53 pm

    Key is starting to do his own celebrity roast of himself.
    He used to be much better than this.

  27. Jack Ramaka 27
    4 June 2016 at 7:57 am

    Good to see one of the local South Auckland Marae’s stepping up to the plate, at least the Maori People have a sharing, caring culture they have had this since the TOW however the pakeha have consistently abused their position here in NZ.

  28. Gerald 28
    4 June 2016 at 7:58 am

    It reminds me of a certain Australian PM who spoke about refugees throwing their babies into the sea in order to save themselves, same script writer? Damnable lies!

  29. Bruce 29
    9 June 2016 at 5:52 am

    It seems the Salvation Army is finally fed up with doing the Government’s bidding.

    The National Government certainly have been taking them for granted.

    For a long time the National Government has enjoyed the trust of the Salvation Army, using it as a safe space to bury difficult issues, such as when, with great fanfare, the National government placed Stop the Traffik Aotearoa under the Sallies: so they could pretend that they were addressing human trafficking/modern slavery.

    Unfortunately for them, too many real migrant labour activists were elected to the board and the government shut it down (quietly).

    I’m pleased that the Sallies have finally had enough, or seen the light, so to speak.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 27

    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    36 mins ago
  • Ticket To Anywhere

    You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 hour ago
  • Stories of varying weight

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    19 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-07-27T01:02:49+00:00