Sequester USA

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, March 3rd, 2013 - 35 comments
Categories: economy, us politics - Tags: , ,

How much power should the ruling faction in a country / political system have? Should it be relatively unfettered, as it is NZ, or buffered by “checks and balances” as it is in the USA? Each approach has its risks. The risk of the former is that power will be used destructively (as was the case with the desolation of Rogernomics). The risk of the latter is that power may not be able to be used at all (political paralysis).

The problem with checks-and-balances is that it assumes rational agents. For generations such a system more-or-less worked in America. But now the Republican / Tea Party (faced with a black president and the realisation that demographics are against them) has gone so certifiably nuts that they are willing to paralyse the political process. They are so determined to deny Obama any kind of outcome that might be construed as positive for him that they no longer care what gets wrecked in the process.

Case in point – the “fiscal cliff“. Back in January the issue of controlling America’s deficit was never resolved, it was just punted out a couple of months. The deadline was Friday, and this time the two sides didn’t even reach a compromise on further postponing it, let alone resolving the deficit issue. And so “sequestration” (spending cuts), one of the major components of the fiscal cliff, is going to go ahead:

The sequester was enacted during the bitter 2011 debt ceiling negotiations and is a part of the Budget Control Act. The debt ceiling was raised in 2011 in exchange for 1.2 trillion in spending cuts, which were to be determined by a bipartisan group of senators and representatives, a ‘super committee’, in 2013. If no deal is reached by this committee then automatic, across the board cuts of 10% will go into effect.

The sequester was intended to be a ‘last resort’ to ensure spending cuts that would hurt Democrats and Republicans equally. The huge cuts in defense spending are supposed to hurt the more hawkish Republicans, while the cuts in other sectors of government spending like research, education, the EPA and a potential 2% cut to Medicare providers are supposed to be anathema to the Democrats.

What weakens the sequester as a ‘last resort’ tool are the exemptions built into it. War spending and entitlement spending on programs such as Social Security, Medicaid are exempt from the sequester, which could leave it toothless.

Given the exemptions, it is hard to predict what the actual effects of sequestration will be – commentary varies from “catastrophic” to “no big deal”. But President Obama is certainly not pleased:

Obama blames Republicans before signing ‘arbitrary’ sequester order

President warns US to prepare for drawn-out standoff after futile meeting with congressional leaders over scheduled cuts

Barack Obama signed an order on Friday night to implement $85bn in spending cuts, a move he described as “dumb” and “arbitrary” and that he blamed on the intransigence of Republicans in Congress.

Speaking at a White House press conference after a futile meeting with congressional leaders, Obama warned Americans to prepare for a drawn-out confrontation that could last for months and will be painful for working-class people.

“We will get through this. This is not going to be an apocalypse, I think as some people have said,” Obama said. “It’s just dumb. And it’s going to hurt. It’s going to hurt individual people and it’s going to hurt the economy overall,” he said.

Federal agencies will spend the weekend redrawing their budget plans and beginning the process of sending out letters to federal workers giving them 30 days notice of shorter hours, furloughs and even lay-offs. The White House budget office also has to inform Congress of where the spending cuts are to be made.

The hardest-hit department will be the Pentagon, which will have to find more than $40bn in savings between now and September, about 9% of its overall budget. But almost every government department, from aviation to the park service, will be hit, with cuts amounting to about 5% of their overall budgets. Only Medicaid and welfare benefits such as food stamps are exempted.

A forced austerity program is really not what the American economy needs right now. You’d think that the voters would be lining up to punish those responsible, yet the Republicans are still talking tough:

In the sequester crisis, the Republicans want only cuts, on welfare rather than defence, and no new taxes. Obama wants cuts accompanied by closing tax loophole for the wealthy, in effect new taxes. Boehner, at the end of the White House talks Friday, was adamant that he will not contemplate any new taxes. “The discussion about revenue is over,” Boehner said.

I think any rational evaluation would tell Republican politicians that it is them, rather than the President (newly re-elected and obviously willing to compromise) that is going to get the blame for the pain that will now follow. Unfortunately, however, it looks like rational evaluation and the Republican Party have permanently parted company.

35 comments on “Sequester USA ”

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  1. Sanctuary 1
    3 March 2013 at 9:05 am

    I wouldn’t be so sure about the blaming the Republicans bit. I’ve been hosting some deep Americans recently (by “deep Americans” I mean they don’t live in the coastal, urban and outward looking parts of the USA that NZer’s generally would go to, they are from deepest Virginia). Their politcal views are… strange. The dominance of culture wars in these people thinking (everyone is in a culture war box. Jews are simply above criticism. I was told I must be a liberal because “I am OK with the gays”, one of the girls said she didn’t mind “going on a date with a black”, etc) over-arches everything and so their views seem infused with paranoia and conspiracy theories around race and identity.

    The sequester isn’t an intrasigent, radicalised and gerrymandered congress at loggerheads with the president within a corrupt system badly need of reform. It is a black president deliberately destroying the American economy because he is a closet communist who hates whites and is bent on reducing them to poverty.

    Now, these are perfectly lovely people. I really like them. I just don’t talk politics, although I took great delight in pointing out in painstaking detail every aspect of Auckland hospital as we drove to the War Memorial Museum and telling them with live under the tyranny of socialised medicine. And ACC might as well be a concept from the planet Vulcan. (BTW – The Great War really has no penetration in the American consciousness, they were puzzled as to why we would have built such a building as the Auckland museum).

    But Americans seem more interested in hating each other than engaging in a sober analysis of their own institutions. No woder the corporations run America – if my tiny sample is any guide, the inhabitants are to busy tearing each other apart to do anything to stop them.

    • Colonial Viper 1.1
      3 March 2013 at 9:31 am

      Fascinating. Reminds me of a friend who spent time in upstate NY with a lovely farming family. Whos members practiced regularly with assault weapons on their own home made rifle range, and while very hospitable nice people, would have serious objections to anyone taking away their rights to use such weapons.

      On the Archdruid Report both Greer and his commentators have remarked on a simple truth: culturally, the USA is not one nation, it’s five or six nations with quite clear geographical boundaries, tied (chained?) together in a Federal system of government.

      The poisoning and polarised nature of the US news media and political debate does not help of course.

      (BTW – The Great War really has no penetration in the American consciousness, they were puzzled as to why we would have built such a building as the Auckland museum).

      I think this amnesia has set in more recently. From ‘Where Eagles Dare’ to “The Great Escape’ to ‘Saving Private Ryan’, to the Manhattan Project, WWII used to be a very big deal in the US.

      • Sanctuary 1.1.1
        3 March 2013 at 10:27 am

        I am talking about WW1, not WW2 🙂

        • Colonial Viper 1.1.1.1
          3 March 2013 at 10:36 am

          Gawd I’m ignorant. Cheers 🙂

        • Colonial Viper 1.1.1.2
          3 March 2013 at 10:41 am

          On another note – it’s always funny to ask a group of Americans – “hey, have you heard of the American War of Independence?” to which they invariably say “of course”

          Then you ask them – “who did the Americans fight that war against: the French, the British, the Spanish or the Mexicans?”

          Enjoy the resulting look of confusion and disarray.

        • Murray Olsen 1.1.1.3
          3 March 2013 at 5:30 pm

          As a side note on WW1, I was on a QANTAS flight once which showed a short documentary claiming that Australia had won that war. We all know the seppos won WW2, so maybe they’ve done a deal with Canberra and let the Aussies have WW1.

    • David 1.2
      3 March 2013 at 9:34 am

      @Sanctuary, your second paragraph is a portrayal of these Americans views is it, Not your own? Just had to clear that up. Yeah the thinking, or lack thereof from that country is astounding, many Americans will not just own up to being rascist. I hope they somehow get a gay black woman as their president sometime, who has a spouse who is of Asian descent that are both members of the green party. Poetic justice indeed.

    • BM 1.3
      3 March 2013 at 9:42 am

      America is really 4 separate countries.
      I’d be surprised if it didn’t split in my life time.

    • Foreign Waka 1.4
      3 March 2013 at 10:36 am

      Deliverance…..

  2. muzza 2
    3 March 2013 at 10:15 am

    As with these things, the question to ponder is: What is the sequester situation providing cover for!

  3. Sanctuary 3
    3 March 2013 at 10:25 am

    “…The sequester is an intrasigent, radicalised and gerrymandered congress at loggerheads with the president within a corrupt system badly need of reform…” <— My view

    "…It is a black president deliberately destroying the American economy because he is a closet communist who hates whites and is bent on reducing them to poverty…." <— their (very slightly paraphrased) view.

    I don't think America will break up. They genuinely see themselves as the greastest nation on earth and are hyper-patriotic. There is no apetite to break up the country, except on the fringes.
    But the only state institution anyone seems to like and trust is the military and I can easily see the military eventually taking over if the political establishment can't reform the political system over the next generation or two.

  4. Draco T Bastard 4
    3 March 2013 at 10:37 am

    Ah, the US proves just how bad a dual house system really is – again.

    We need checks and balances but not ones ruled over by warring political parties. Referendums that get the politicians to do what the people want are a far better idea.

  5. ianmac 5
    3 March 2013 at 10:40 am

    Thanks ROB. A very puzzling situation in USA explained.
    But then even their Federal Elections seem puzzling to me. Democracy? A model to teach the World? Huh?

    • Dr Terry 5.1
      3 March 2013 at 12:14 pm

      ianmac – no, “democracy” is only a nice sounding word which by no means can be applied to America today (if it ever was) – democracy is what America wants for all those countries other than itself (they might even teach Key and his lot what it means!)

      American people, I know for sure, can be extremely gracious and think intelligently, though this seems to be becoming less the case. Of course “nice people” does not necessarily indicate “good people” – as too many New Zealanders appear to assume (you only need to be “a decent bloke” and all that crap).

      Americans (“the world’s top country” etc) are amazingly deluded as they persist in their colonising ways.

      You will note in any budget cut, that “Defence” remains incredibly high and untouchable. Against what or whom does America so desperately need to “defend itself”? This budgetary item badly needs to be entitled “the budget for OFFENCE”.

  6. pollywog 6
    3 March 2013 at 10:45 am

    The prevailing need to feel if worse comes to worst they can still kick anyone’s arse fuels their paranoia and insecurity and overrides any sort of collective common sense.

  7. Ad 7
    3 March 2013 at 10:50 am

    Anyone got any global economic forecasts on the cumulative effect of a flatlining US and EU together? Particularly studies about whether we are in for about a decade of what we’ve currently got in terms of economic rebuild from the GFC?

    • muzza 7.1
      3 March 2013 at 11:20 am

      The GFC is still in its early stages – Unless someone can show that the global financial structures have been altered in such a way as to halt the decline, and to *return to growth*.

      Remember that the monetary supply = debt, so until that is changed, nothing changes.

      People will keep dying because of the squeeze, thats a given!

      • Draco T Bastard 7.1.1
        3 March 2013 at 11:56 am

        Remember that the monetary supply = debt, so until that is changed, nothing changes.

        97% Owned

        People will keep dying because of the squeeze, thats a given!

        Yep, and the rich will keep getting richer because of it.

        • muzza 7.1.1.1
          3 March 2013 at 1:34 pm

          Thats right B – the 2-3% of notes and coins in the system, aside, the remainder enters as debt with an interest rate attached to it.

          As the interest amount does not enter the system with the principle loan, the interest payments need to be found in various ways, by those who owe the loan amount .

          This is where it all goes wrong, unless you own the credit creation system!

    • Foreign Waka 7.2
      3 March 2013 at 11:25 am

      Excerpts: General
      “This pace of growth will be far from sufficient to overcome the continued jobs crisis that many countries are still facing. With existing policies and growth trends, it may take at least another five years for Europe and the United States to make up for the job losses caused by the Great Recession of 2008-2009”
      Concerns NZ:
      The economic woes in Europe, Japan and the United States are spilling over to developing countries through weaker demand for their exports and heightened volatility in capital flows and commodity prices.

      And this is the report: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/policy/wesp2013.html

      • Colonial Viper 7.2.1
        3 March 2013 at 12:22 pm

        With existing policies and growth trends, it may take at least another five years for Europe and the United States to make up for the job losses caused by the Great Recession of 2008-2009

        Did somebody declare the Great Recession over? From what I can see, it’s going about as strong as ever. Even the US budget retailer Walmart is compaining of disasterously dropping sales.

        • Foreign Waka 7.2.1.1
          3 March 2013 at 7:10 pm

          Depends who you ask. My view, when China slows down in the next couple of years things will really get tough. Wait for the war drums to be beaten by then. This is what happens when the hording of wealth has finally reached the breaking point.

    • bad12 8.1
      3 March 2013 at 6:51 pm

      Gosh no more invasions by the US military while sequestration is the norm, sounds good from that point of view…

  9. Dr Terry 9
    3 March 2013 at 12:34 pm

    Tom – yes, I stand corrected, at last it does appear that expenditure on American military is being restricted, which one hopes will mean they will get out of Afghanistan altogether as soon as possible, and stop eyeing up new prospects for invasion in other places.

  10. emergency mike 10
    3 March 2013 at 6:38 pm

    “Obama wants cuts accompanied by closing tax loophole for the wealthy, in effect new taxes. Boehner, at the end of the White House talks Friday, was adamant that he will not contemplate any new taxes.”

    ‘Closing a tax loophole’ = ‘new tax’? Rich people say the darndest things.

  11. Craig Glen viper 11
    3 March 2013 at 10:20 pm

    The sad thing about America is their education system does not promote critical thinking. This leaves the average American very vulnerable to blatant propaganda. So legislation to control the improper use of assault weapons on innocent people becomes “Obama’s like Hitler because Hitler made it illegal for citizens to own guns just like Obama is doing”. The lack of objectivity is astounding.
    I seriously doubt that Republicans will be blamed for the cuts.

    Americans totally believe the way their country does things is the only way period and yup they think they are the world leaders in everything.

  12. Shanna Carson 12
    5 March 2013 at 8:44 am

    We need a freeze of governement expenses. We should only maintain essential spending. After all, if it’s not absolutely necessary, why are we spending money on it? Our children are drowning in debt before they are even born…

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  • Government migration policy backfires; thousands of unemployed nurses

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    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • A Time For Unity.

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    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again

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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Two.

    A question of size. Small size generally means large vulnerability. The perception of threat is broader and often more immediate for small countries. The feeling of comparative weakness, of exposure to risk, and of potential intimidation by larger powers often … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • Nicola Willis’s Very Unserious Bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander Cancellation

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    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Satisfying the Minister’s Speed Obsession

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    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago
  • What if we freed up our streets, again?

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    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    6 days ago
  • No Alarms And No Surprises

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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Five ingenious ways people could beat the heat without cranking the AC

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    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • No new funding for cycling & walking

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • 99

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    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • Open Government: National reneges on beneficial ownership

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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt One.

    This project analyzes security politics in three peripheral democracies (Chile, New Zealand, Portugal) during the 30 years after the end of the Cold War. It argues that changes in the geopolitical landscape and geo-strategic context are interpreted differently by small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Tea and Toast

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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • NLTP 2024 released – destroying pipeline of shovel ready local projects

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Waka Kotahi yesterday released the latest National Land Transport Plan (NLTP) for 2024-27. The NLTP sets out what transport projects will be funded for the next three years, including both central and local government projects. As expected given the government’s extremely ideological transport policy, it’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 week ago
  • Can Brown deliver his roads

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    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • New paper about detecting climate misinformation on Twitter/X

    Together with Cristian Rojas, Frank Algra-Maschio, Mark Andrejevic, Travis Coan, and Yuan-Fang Li, I just published a paper in Nature Communications Earth & Environment where we use the Computer Assisted Recognition of Denial and Skepticism (CARDS) machine learning model to detect climate misinformation in 5 million climate tweets. We find over half ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Excerpting “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies.”

    In the late 2000s-early 2010s I was researching and writing a book titled “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Chile, New Zealand and Portugal.” The book was a cross-regional Small-N qualitative comparison of the security strategies and postures of three small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Hating for the Wrong Reasons: Of Rings of Power, Orcs and Evil

    A few months ago, my fellow countryman, HelloFutureMe, put out a giant YouTube video, dissecting what went wrong with the first season of Rings of Power (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ6FRUO0ui0&t=8376s). It’s an exceptionally good video, and though it spans some two and a half hours, it is well worth your time. But ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: “Least cost” to who?

    On Friday the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment released their submission on National's second Emissions Reduction Plan, ripping the shit out of it as a massive gamble based on wishful thinking. One of the specific issues he focused on was National's idea of "least cost" emissions reduction, pointing out that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Israeli Lives Matter

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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Luxon Cries

    Over the weekend, I found myself rather irritably reading up about the Treaty of Waitangi. “Do I need to do this?” It’s not my jurisdiction. In any other world, would this be something I choose to do?My answer - no.The Waitangi Tribunal, headed by some of our best legal minds, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Just one Wellington home being consented for every 10 in Auckland

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Container trucks on local streets: why take the risk?

    This is a guest post by Charmaine Vaughan, who came to transport advocacy via her local Residents Association and a comms role at Bike Auckland. Her enthusiasm to make local streets safer for all is shared by her son Dylan Vaughan, a budding “urban nerd” who provided much of the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 week ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #35

    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, August 25, 2024 thru Sat, August 31, 2024. Story of the week After another crammed week of climate news including updates on climate tipping points, increasing threats from rising ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • An Uncanny Valley of Improvement: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power, Episodes 1-3 (Season ...

    And thus we come to the second instalment of Amazon’s Rings of Power. The first season, in 2022, was underwhelming, even for someone like myself, who is by nature inclined to approach Tolkien adaptations with charity. The writing was poor, the plot made no sense on its own terms, and ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Alcohol debris and Crocodile Tears

    I write to you this morning from scenes of carnage. Around the floor lie young men who only hours earlier were full of life, and cocktails, and now lie silent. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • When Do We Look Away?

    Hi,The first time I saw something that made me recoil on the internet was a visit to Rotten.com. The clue was in the name — but the internet was a new thing to me in the 90s, and no-one really knew what the hell was going on. But somehow I ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • The decades just fly by

    You turn your back for a moment and a city can completely transform itself. It was, oh, just the other day I was tripping up to Kuala Lumpur every few months to teach workshops and luxuriate in the tropical warmth and fill my face with Char Kway Teow.It has to ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Reading Summary: August

    Completed reads for August: Aesop’s Fables (collection), by Aesop Berserk: Volume XXV (manga), by Kentaro Miura Benighted, by J.B. Priestly Berserk: Volume XXVI (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVIII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXIX (manga), by Kentaro Miura ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Is recent global warming part of a natural cycle?

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    1 week ago
  • White Noise

    Now here we standWith our hearts in our handsSqueezing out the liesAll that I hearIs a message, unclearWhat else is there to decide?All that I'm hearing from youIs White NoiseLyrics: Christopher John CheneyIs the tide turning?Have we reached the high point of the racist hate and lies from Hobson’s Pledge, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The Death Of “Big Norm” – Exactly 50 Years Ago Today.

    Norman KirkPrime Minister of New Zealand 1972-1974Born: 6 January 1923 - Died: 31 August 1974Of the working-class, by the working-class, for the working-class.Video courtesy of YouTubeThese elements were posted on Bowalley Road on Saturday, 31 August 2024. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Claims and Counter-Claims.

    Whose Foreshore? Whose Seabed? When the Marine and Coastal Area Act was originally passed back in 2011, fears about the coastline becoming off-limits to Pakeha were routinely allayed by National Party politicians pointing out that the tests imposed were so stringent  that only a modest percentage of claims (the then treaty ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses

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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test

    More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction

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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Māori Education Advisory Group established

    The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight

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    6 hours ago
  • Have your say on suicide prevention

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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Action to grow the rural health workforce

    Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost

    Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians

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    1 day ago
  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

    A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report.  “It will have the mandate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Passport wait times back on-track

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New appointments to the FMA board

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    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • District Court judges appointed

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    4 days ago
  • Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand

    Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender

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    5 days ago
  • Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease

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  • Improving access to finance for Kiwis

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    5 days ago
  • Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia

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    5 days ago
  • Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer

    Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations.   “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • More choice and competition in building products

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    5 days ago
  • Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul

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    6 days ago
  • Comprehensive Strategic Partnership the goal for New Zealand and Korea

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol. “Korea and New Zealand are likeminded democracies and natural partners in the Indo Pacific. As such, we have decided to advance discussions on elevating the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive ...
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    6 days ago
  • International tourism continuing to bounce back

    Results released today from the International Visitor Survey (IVS) confirm international tourism is continuing to bounce back, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey says. The IVS results show that in the June quarter, international tourism contributed $2.6 billion to New Zealand’s economy, an increase of 17 per cent on last ...
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    6 days ago
  • Government confirms RMA reforms to drive primary sector efficiency

    The Government is moving to review and update national level policy directives that impact the primary sector, as part of its work to get Wellington out of farming. “The primary sector has been weighed down by unworkable and costly regulation for too long,” Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.  “That is ...
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    6 days ago
  • Weak grocery competition underscores importance of cutting red tape

    The first annual grocery report underscores the need for reforms to cut red tape and promote competition, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “The report paints a concerning picture of the $25 billion grocery sector and reinforces the need for stronger regulatory action, coupled with an ambitious, economy-wide ...
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    6 days ago
  • Government moves to lessen burden of reliever costs on ECE services

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the Government has listened to the early childhood education sector’s calls to simplify paying ECE relief teachers. Today two simple changes that will reduce red tape for ECEs are being announced, in the run-up to larger changes that will come in time from the ...
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    6 days ago
  • Over 2,320 people engage with first sector regulatory review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says there has been a strong response to the Ministry for Regulation’s public consultation on the early childhood education regulatory review, affirming the need for action in reducing regulatory burden. “Over 2,320 submissions have been received from parents, teachers, centre owners, child advocacy groups, unions, research ...
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    6 days ago
  • Government backs women in horticulture

    “The Government is empowering women in the horticulture industry by funding an initiative that will support networking and career progression,” Associate Minister of Agriculture, Nicola Grigg says.  “Women currently make up around half of the horticulture workforce, but only 20 per cent of leadership roles which is why initiatives like this ...
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    6 days ago
  • Government to pause freshwater farm plan rollout

    The Government will pause the rollout of freshwater farm plans until system improvements are finalised, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard announced today. “Improving the freshwater farm plan system to make it more cost-effective and practical for farmers is a priority for this ...
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    1 week ago
  • Milestone reached for fixing the Holidays Act 2003

    Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden says yesterday Cabinet reached another milestone on fixing the Holidays Act with approval of the consultation exposure draft of the Bill ready for release next week to participants.  “This Government will improve the Holidays Act with the help of businesses, workers, and ...
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    1 week ago
  • New priorities to protect future of conservation

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    1 week ago
  • Faster 110km/h speed limit to accelerate Kāpiti

    A new 110km/h speed limit for the Kāpiti Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS) has been approved to reduce travel times for Kiwis travelling in and out of Wellington, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy. ...
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    1 week ago
  • IVL increase to ensure visitors contribute more to New Zealand

    The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) will be raised to $100 to ensure visitors contribute to public services and high-quality experiences while visiting New Zealand, Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Matt Doocey and Minister of Conservation Tama Potaka say. “The Government is serious about enabling the tourism sector ...
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  • Delivering priority connections for the West Coast

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  • Road and rail reliability a focus for Wellington

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    1 week ago
  • Record investment to boost economic and housing growth in the Waikato

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  • Building reliable and efficient roading for Taranaki

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  • Supporting growth and resilience in Otago and Southland

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  • Delivering connected and resilient roading for Northland

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    1 week ago
  • Top of the South to benefit from reliable transport infrastructure

    A record $479 million for transport investment across the top of the South Island through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will build a stronger road network that supports primary industries and grows the economy, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “We’re committed to making sure that every dollar is ...
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    1 week ago

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