Show us the money

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 11:22 am, June 29th, 2013 - 56 comments
Categories: economy, infrastructure, john key, making shit up, national - Tags: credibility, printing money, writing cheques

National’s spend-up promises in Auckland look like panicky policy on the hoof. Where is all this money going to come from?

FUNDING SOURCES

… ”It’ll be a combination of funding that’ll come from proceeds from the asset sales programme money, that will come from national land transport funding; money that we’ll simply write out an additional cheque for,” he said.

What’s that – the third or fourth time they’ve spent the asset sales money? And the rest – we’ll just write out a cheque? Print some money? Knuckleheads of the media – there’s an open invitation if ever I saw one.

National as a safe pair of hands on the economy – yeah right…

56 comments on “Show us the money ”

Comments are now closed

RedLogix 1

29 June 2013 at 11:37 am

More to the point … 2020 is three elections away. Key himself is very unlikely to be around to ever deliver on this.

Key has pulled a brilliant, cynical masterstroke here.
- mickysavage 1.1
  
  29 June 2013 at 11:41 am
  
  And the power company shares would have been sold by then and I am sure the proceeds spent. They will have to start selling the 51% remaining in the power companies. Maybe that is the intent?
  - karol 1.1.1
    
    29 June 2013 at 12:01 pm
    
    Or selling the ports of Auckland
    - BM 1.1.1.1
      
      29 June 2013 at 12:06 pm
      
      Makes sense, the port land is worth billions.
      - Colonial Viper 1.1.1.1.1
        
        29 June 2013 at 12:13 pm
        
        Time to make the port land worth zero, then
        
        BM 1.1.1.1.1.1
        
        29 June 2013 at 12:21 pm
        
        Sell it off for housing, take the money and use that for the rail link.
        Does Auckland even need a port.
        
        Lanthanide …
        
        29 June 2013 at 1:21 pm
        
        “Does Auckland even need a port.”
        
        Does The Warehouse need cheap imported crap from China? There’s your answer.
        
        Colonial Viper …
        
        29 June 2013 at 1:33 pm
        
        lol haha
        
        BM only understands the financialised economy, not the real physical economy. Also, I would make that land have zero commercial value through a combination of zoning, covenants and legislative protections.
  - Richard Christie 1.1.2
    
    29 June 2013 at 12:19 pm
    
    And the power company shares would have been sold by then and I am sure the proceeds spent … and so ensuring renationalisation will be totally unaffordable. If the choice becomes renationisation or solving the transport crisis in Auckland, my money will be on the Auckland, any future Govt ignoring it will be sunk.
captain hook 2

29 June 2013 at 11:39 am

they gonna start taxing plain clothes cops $400 a year on their clothing allowance so I suppose thats a start.
- Rosetinted 2.1
  
  29 June 2013 at 12:32 pm
  
  They get plenty of dough and can afford it.
- Jackal 2.2
  
  29 June 2013 at 3:31 pm
  
  Taxing plain clothed cops $400 will still leave them with over $600 to buy plain clothes with each year.
  - Lanthanide 2.2.1
    
    29 June 2013 at 4:01 pm
    
    I wouldn’t spend $600/year on clothes. Then again I work in an air conditioned office.
chris73 3

29 June 2013 at 11:48 am

lol this is brilliant, John Key using the lefts own tactics against it 🙂
- RedLogix 3.1
  
  29 June 2013 at 12:01 pm
  
  Yes .. brilliant tactics. But nothing actually achieved for another decade.
  - Colonial Viper 3.1.1
    
    29 June 2013 at 12:16 pm
    
    However as you pointed out, that is part of the right wing brilliance. Heard Len Brown saying this was by far the largest government investment in Auckland for many years, that he was 100% behind it, and that it was a proposal which fully supported the Auckland City plan.
    
    Well done Key English Joyce et al.
  - Rogue Trooper 3.1.2
    
    29 June 2013 at 1:15 pm
    
    Wonder if that lovely Michael Woodhouse had a hand in this; now if I was a National Party strategist… I see he halved the incumbent’s majority in 2011, “game of two halves” and all that.
Dv 4

29 June 2013 at 11:48 am

Aren’t some of the long term announcements made by Muldoon due to come on line soon?
- Colonial Viper 4.1
  
  29 June 2013 at 12:18 pm
  
  Easy to take the piss I know, but Muldoon built a lot of heavy infrastructure for the country. Last time around with Labour we got Te Papa, some minor power generation and a few hospitals.
  - Dv 4.1.1
    
    29 June 2013 at 3:11 pm
    
    Fair enough CV, but the NACTS are leaving a hugely difficult heritage for the next generation.
    
    Ak upgrade cost
    ChCh
    national debt
    superannuation
    
    Sold off good income producers
    
    farm, geothermal,power stations etc
    - Colonial Viper 4.1.1.1
      
      29 June 2013 at 3:19 pm
      
      have you ever wondered what the point of Labour being good economic managers and surplus builders is, just in time to give the Right Wing all the money and resources they saved up in order for them to spend at will?
Rogue Trooper 5

29 June 2013 at 11:52 am

-50% from the taxpayer (1/3 nation’s pop. 1/3 GDP)
-30% ratepayers; 30% rates, 20% alternative sources- asset sales, congestion charges, fuel taxes,tolls, regional charges?
-PPP’s
Man! gonna be expensive to live in Auckland, what with interest rates predicted to rise, falling dollar, rise in import costs. Gee Whizz!
fender 6

29 June 2013 at 12:15 pm

Key gets a free ride with regards to “showing the money”. It goes without saying that if the opposition had laid out these expensive plans there would be a great deal more scrutiny and questioning about how these are going to be funded. He’s been very vocal about voodoo economics and money printing but cheque printing seems to pass his litmus test. The sheeple and the media must think that because he has a bit of money he can conjure up some more out of thin air.

There will be renewed pressure put on Auckland to sell assets like PoAL etc., so the own everything “investors” will be rubbing their hands together in anticipation.
- Colonial Viper 6.1
  
  29 June 2013 at 12:20 pm
  
  Yes, Key and English get a free ride, but the assumption is very much that those two always have the money sorted. That does not go for the Shearer Robertson combo.
  - Rogue Trooper 6.1.1
    
    29 June 2013 at 12:28 pm
    
    fries to Supersize that combo?
    - Colonial Viper 6.1.1.1
      
      29 June 2013 at 12:30 pm
      
      Already done, not sure it was worth the extra dollar though
  - fender 6.1.2
    
    29 June 2013 at 12:32 pm
    
    And that my friend is a lazy travesty for NZers to have such an assumption.
    - fender 6.1.2.1
      
      29 June 2013 at 1:40 pm
      
      edit: And that my friend is a travesty for NZers to make such lazy assumptions!
      - Colonial Viper 6.1.2.1.1
        
        29 June 2013 at 2:41 pm
        
        lysdexsic
- Blue 6.2
  
  29 June 2013 at 4:20 pm
  
  ‘Where is the money coming from?’ is a question only left-wing parties get asked.
Rosetinted 7

29 June 2013 at 12:28 pm

Which devil has Jokeyhen and NACT sold their collective soul to? A soul wrenched from a a NZ body that now looks like Munch’s ‘The Scream’.

And the money, the money pouring like water into a pipe under the harbour, while the rest of us try to manage our poverty and turn it into a noble life. And then have to repair our torn homes and coasts and crops and lives after ‘weather events’ – but not enough money for that folks. But we’ll drop hay and bread and bottles of water from a helicopter if you can get to the drop point.
tsmithfield 8

29 June 2013 at 12:31 pm

Of course, National hasn’t ruled out bringing the project forward. That could make for an interesting conundrum for the left at the next election. Key might budget the proceeds of asset sales to kick the project off earlier than announced. Given the left’s opposition to asset sales, they would have some interesting choices about whether or not to postpone the projects, or find some other way to fund them (i.e. increased taxes or borrowing).
- fender 8.1
  
  29 June 2013 at 12:34 pm
  
  Not sure we can borrow any more than National are doing presently.
  - Rogue Trooper 8.1.1
    
    29 June 2013 at 12:52 pm
    
    good point; wonder how the credit default swaps are shaping up?
    http://www.interest.co.nz/bonds/64940/sea-change-market-risk-sentiment-reflected-fast-rise-cds-spreads-bnzs-latest-credit-mont.
    Could be expensive finance.
    - Colonial Viper 8.1.1.1
      
      29 June 2013 at 1:02 pm
      
      Cheaper to self fund with our own money creation…
      - Rogue Trooper 8.1.1.1.1
        
        29 June 2013 at 1:07 pm
        
        likely to be when, not if; that the benefits are instituted constructively will depend on the ideological balance of the government of the day.
        
        Colonial Viper 8.1.1.1.1.1
        
        29 June 2013 at 2:39 pm
        
        Sniff that? The smell of inevitability.
      - Rosetinted 8.1.1.1.2
        
        29 June 2013 at 5:49 pm
        
        CV
        Seeing we are such good money managers and have got through the GFC with only partial collapse, creating some money to be spent here on sensible stuff, not casinos and sports stadiums, would be anti-recessionary but not inflationary. Because we are too tightly bound for that to get away. Oh except on housing of course. Got give the rich folks (and wannabees) something to play with.
    - David H 8.1.1.2
      
      30 June 2013 at 11:27 am
      
      Well if we are not broke now we will be after another 3 years of this ‘sell it all’ Megalomaniac and his merry bunch of Charlatans and Carpet Baggers
- Draco T Bastard 8.2
  
  29 June 2013 at 4:54 pm
  
  Th government doesn’t need to either borrow or sell assets to do what needs to be done.
bad12 9

29 June 2013 at 1:32 pm

The fact that the mass media has not seized upon and flayed the Slippery little Shyster for His ”we will just write a cheque” comment when faced with the question of how this National Government proposes to pay for 8 billion dollars of spending just shows us all how bereft of any principles those media organizations really are,

i would happily see this or any other government simply print the monies needed for these and other major infrastrucure projects,

Obviously there would be a certain trade off vis a vis the gains and costs of imports/exports should this occur simply because the NZ$ would devalue as such monies were produced,

However, such costs via more expensive imports from a devalued NZ$ would (a), help NZ Producers and (b), in the case of higher fuel costs any Government indulging in rational ‘money printing’ need only print X amount above the cost of the specific project being funded, the X being the amount needed to lower the 70 something cents of fuel taxes imposed by Government as the devaluation of the NZ$ pushed the price of that fuel upwards,

However simply ‘blowing off’ questions of how 8 billion dollars of major infrastrucure spending will be funded with the simpering glib piece of Slippery-ness ”we will just write a cheque” simply exposes the present Prime Minister to accusations of being a simpering glib liar…
- muzza 9.1
  
  29 June 2013 at 1:51 pm
  
  But that’s exactly what will happen – borrowed *offshore*, at interest, made out of *thin air*.
  
  As easy as *writing a cheque*, really, except with the strings attached, and the contribution to NZ’s own bankrupcy, should the work ever get off the ground.
  
  Doesn’t hide the corruption of the media however, in not calling him out on it!
  - RedLogix 9.1.1
    
    29 June 2013 at 4:55 pm
    
    If we printed our own money Key’s masters won’t be taking their usual pound of flesh.
    - Colonial Viper 9.1.1.1
      
      29 June 2013 at 5:02 pm
      
      they’ll have every bankster knife out to make sure any politician who looks serious about pushing this through, won’t be able to.
      - RedLogix 9.1.1.1.1
        
        29 June 2013 at 5:25 pm
        
        Chris Trotter expands on this theme with precision and passion as usual.
        
        http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2013/06/making-money.html
        
        Rogue Trooper 9.1.1.1.1.1
        
        29 June 2013 at 5:27 pm
        
        Shameless groupie 😀
        
        RedLogix …
        
        29 June 2013 at 5:30 pm
        
        Shameless old poet ….;-)
        
        Rogue Trooper …
        
        29 June 2013 at 5:57 pm
        
        “Quantitative easing is not the same as printing money”
        http://www.businessinsider.com/feldstein-why-inflation-is-low-2013-6?IR=T
        -paying interest on ‘excess reserves’
        
        Rogue Trooper …
        
        29 June 2013 at 6:04 pm
        
        More forex volatility to come
        http://www.dailyfx.com/forex/fundamental/forecast/weekly/usd/2013/06/29/Bubbles_Dont_Deflate_they_Burst_Watch_for_US_Dollar_Strength.html?
        Pop!
Ad 10

29 June 2013 at 2:22 pm

Browns alternative funding work stream reports back to Auckland Council July 16th. and the fun begins there. Key doens’t have to defend that – but Brown and now Twyford will have to.
tc 11

29 June 2013 at 2:56 pm

Shonkey, Blinglish and co never get called out on this type of financial BS, Blinglish had a multi billion dollar hole in his asset sales budget and was never called on it, falling crown revenue through tax cuts and guessed the MRP float income even admitted it was a guess.

Across the ditch he wouldn’t have lasted a month after that yet here in media noddy land it’s bravo double dipton what a genius.

They take us for fools because the opposition and MSM is pissweak so it’s an easy game.
Melb 12

29 June 2013 at 8:48 pm

All I see in these comments are a whole lot of people that don’t have the slightest grasp of the differences between capital and operational borrowing, and why the first is alright and the second is to be avoided (or at least minimised).

Not at all surprising on a website where the extent of most commenter’s economic acumen is “spend other people’s money.”
- Draco T Bastard 12.1
  
  29 June 2013 at 11:37 pm
  
  Not at all surprising on a website where the extent of most commenter’s economic acumen is “spend other people’s money.”
  
  I know that there’s quite a few RWNJs commenting here but I don’t think that they’re the majority.
- Murray Olsen 12.2
  
  30 June 2013 at 3:53 pm
  
  Does borrowing in order to cut the top tax rates and bail out greedy speculators come under capital, and is therefore OK? It does seem to build a greedy, entitled, rich bunch of parasites, which RWNJs seem to think add to the national assets. Now make sure you don’t miss any of the online lectures from Hayek/Friedman 101. You never know what else you’ll learn to pass on to us, oh erudite Melb.

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Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”. As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
4 days ago

Winding back the hands of history’s clock
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
4 days ago

Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
4 days ago

Business confidence sliding into winter of discontent
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
4 days ago

Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
4 days ago

New HOP readers for future payment options
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
4 days ago

2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
5 days ago

At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Skeptical Science
5 days ago

Road photos
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
5 days ago

Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
5 days ago

NZDF is still hostile to oversight
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
5 days ago

Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Bowalley Road
5 days ago

Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
Bowalley Road
5 days ago

A clear warning
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
5 days ago

Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
5 days ago

Listening To The Traffic.
It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Bowalley Road
5 days ago

Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Bowalley Road
5 days ago

Ending The Quest.
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Bowalley Road
5 days ago

Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
5 days ago

Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
5 days ago

Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
5 days ago

Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
5 days ago

Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Skeptical Science
5 days ago

Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
5 days ago

Webworm LA Pop-Up
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
David FarrierBy David Farrier
5 days ago

“Feel good” school is out
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
5 days ago

6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
exhALANtBy exhalantblog
6 days ago

Bread, and how it gets buttered
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
6 days ago

Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
6 days ago

Justice for Gaza?
The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
6 days ago

If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
6 days ago

FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
6 days ago

Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
6 days ago

Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
6 days ago

Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
6 days ago

Release: National gaslights women fighting for equal pay
National has scrapped the pay equity taskforce that fights for equal pay for women and looks at ethnic pay gaps. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Release: More job cuts, fewer houses under National
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Release: Children fall deeper through the cracks in Govt cuts
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Release: Labour honours memory of Sir Robert Martin
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Release: 130,000 cattle saved from live export
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Labour Blog
4 days ago

Central Bank makes clear Government is pouring fuel on housing crisis fire
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
Greens
4 days ago

New unemployment figures paint bleak picture
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Greens
4 days ago

Release: National’s job cuts already starting to bite as unemployment rises
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
Labour Blog
4 days ago

Release: National hiking transport costs for families and young New Zealanders
Weekly expenses will grow for more than 1.6 million New Zealanders as the Government ends free and half price public transport fares tomorrow. ...
Labour Blog
5 days ago

Release: Labour welcomes EU free trade agreement
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
Labour Blog
5 days ago

Surprise: Landlord tax cuts don’t trickle down
The Green Party is renewing its call for rent controls following reports of rental prices hitting an all-time high. ...
Greens
5 days ago

Release: $1.7b for no increase in access to medicine
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
Labour Blog
5 days ago

Release: National should heed Tribunal warning and scrap coalition commitment with ACT
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Labour Blog
6 days ago

Release: More accountability for preventable workplace deaths this Workers’ Memorial Day
Labour is calling for more accountability for preventable workplace deaths because everybody who goes to work deserves to come home safely. ...
Labour Blog
6 days ago

Gaza: Aotearoa Must Support Independent Investigation into Mass Graves
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Māori Party
1 week ago

Release: Working together on consistent support for veterans this Anzac Day
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: Penny drops – but what about Seymour and Peters?
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Another ‘Stolen Generation’ enabled by court ruling on Waitangi Tribunal summons
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
Māori Party
2 weeks ago

Release: Budget blunder shows Nicola Willis could cut recovery funding
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Further environmental mismanagement on the cards
The Government’s resource management reforms will add to the heavy and ever-growing burden this Government is loading on to our environment. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Release: RMA changes will be a disaster for environment
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: Labour supports urgent changes to emergency management system
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: Labour calls for New Zealand to recognise Palestine
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: Three strikes law political posturing of worst kind
The Government is bringing back a law that has little evidential backing just to look tough, Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: Government cuts unbelievably target child exploitation, violent extremism, ports and airpor...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Three strikes has failed before and will fail again
Resurrecting the archaic three-strikes legislation is an unwelcome return to a failed American-style approach to justice. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Release: Environmental protection vital, not ‘onerous’
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Ferris – Three Strikes targets those ‘too brown to be white’
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Māori Party
2 weeks ago

Release: Govt cuts doctors and nurses in hiring freeze
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Fast-track submissions period must be extended
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Release: Progress on climate will be undone by Govt
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: Dark day for Kiwi kids as a third of Govt cuts affect them
News that 1000 jobs at the Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki could go is devastating for future generations of New Zealanders. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

Release: Alarm as Government signals further blow to school lunches
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

Oranga Tamariki cuts commit tamariki to state abuse
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
Māori Party
3 weeks ago

Release: Quick, submit – stop Govt’s dodgy approvals bill
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

Government throws coal on the climate crisis fire
The Government’s policy announced today to ease consenting for coal mining will have a lasting impact across generations. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Release: Public transport costs to double as National looks at unaffordable roading project instead
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

Gaza and the Pacific on the agenda with Germany
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
22 hours ago

Decision allows for housing growth in Western Bay of Plenty
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Speech to New Zealand China Council
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Modern insurance law will protect Kiwi households
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Government recommits to equal pay
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Transforming how our children learn to read
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

NZ not backing down in Canada dairy dispute
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Stronger oversight for our most vulnerable children
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Streamlining Building Consent Changes
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Accelerating airport security lines
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Community hui to talk about kina barrens
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Mining resurgence a welcome sign
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Government to boost public EV charging network
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Independent review into disability support services
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Speech – Eid al-Fitr
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Government saves access to medicines
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Pharmac Chair appointed
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Diplomacy needed more than ever
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

PM announces changes to portfolios
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

New catch limits for unique fishery areas
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Overseas decommissioning models considered
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

'Māori Seabed, For Shore!' – Two decades on from the largest hīkoi in a generation
Twenty years has passed since the historic hīkoi against the controversial Foreshore and Seabed Act reached Parliament. ...
Radio NZ – political
3 hours ago

An Ode to .. Julie Anne Genter
Genterwocky After a hard days marching, Sir Doocey calls in at the Village Tavern For a pint of ale and a pork pie. The grim villagers stare at him. “Do not be travelling on the forest road,” warns a crusty old beak. “And why is that, antique peasant?” Grins Sir ...
NewsroomBy Victor Billot
3 hours ago

National aims high while struggling to take off
Political conferences after a party returns to power are usually a chance for some healthy, even unhealthy backslapping. Yet National Party president Sylvia Wood’s address to its mainland representatives on Saturday hardly contained the unalloyed delight that one might have expected following National’s escape from the wilderness of opposition. Yes, ...
NewsroomBy Sam Sachdeva
3 hours ago

Real journalists can lead the war against deepfakes
Comment: Almost half the world is voting in national elections this year and artificial intelligence is the elephant in the room. There are genuine fears AI-generated or AI-edited deepfakes will potentially manipulate election outcomes not just in the US and UK, but critically in countries such as India. For that ...
NewsroomBy 360info
5 hours ago

Meet the cast of Married at First Sight NZ for 2024
Ahead of the reality franchise’s return to New Zealand, allow us to introduce the eight brides and grooms. Chuck on a veil and tie back your man bun, because it’s time to say “I do” to a new season of Married at First Sight NZ. The reality TV “social experiment” ...
The SpinoffBy Tara Ward
6 hours ago

The good news is the government plans to cancel $3 billion in student debt. The bad news is indexati...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest since 1990. This ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
8 hours ago

Albanese government to wipe $3 billion in student debt, benefitting three million people
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Changes in the May 14 budget will cut the student debt of more than three million people, wiping more than $3 billion from what people owe. The government will cap the HELP indexation rate ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
10 hours ago

ICC demands end to threats against court amid Gaza war probe
Asia Pacific Report The prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has appealed for an end to what it calls intimidation of its staff, saying such threats could constitute an offence against the “administration of justice” by the world’s permanent war crimes court. The Hague-based office of ICC Prosecutor ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
11 hours ago

New Caledonia’s women sit-in to support smeared Kanak journalist
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A women’s union in New Caledonia has staged a sit-in protest this week to support senior Kanak indigenous journalist Thérèse Waia, who works for public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie la Première, after a smear attack by critics. The peaceful demonstration was held on ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
12 hours ago

New Zealand signs deal with Germany on Antarctica cooperation
The memorandum of understanding with Germany's Alfred Wegener Institute is expected to foster cooperation between the two polar science bodies. ...
Radio NZ – political
18 hours ago

NZ food safety agency monitoring Indian spice mix recalls
New Zealand Food Safety is monitoring overseas recalls of Indian packaged spice products manufactured by MDH and Everest due to concerns over a cancer-causing pesticide. ...
Radio NZ – political
20 hours ago

Fiji’s media freedom ranking jumps, Papua New Guinea’s plummets
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
22 hours ago

The Boy in the Water: ‘I just can’t do this anymore’
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
NewsroomBy Bonnie Sumner
1 day ago

'Data is the new oil': Call to save jobs of data security guards
New Zealanders' data is at risk with the government's "unintelligent" proposal to cut information security jobs, the Privacy Foundation says. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

The Secret Diary of .. Coalition Sheriff Luxon
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
NewsroomBy Steve Braunias
1 day ago

Liam Hewson seeks answers in nature
Keen hiker and second-year MSc student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’” Born and bred in ...
NewsroomBy Penny Lewis
1 day ago

Dan Carter won’t stop kicking
After a long and illustrious career as a goal kicker, Dan Carter’s favourite way to unwind is… kicking goals. Why can’t he get enough of it? And what it’s like to watch him do it for an hour straight? A semicircle of people wielding cameras and phones has formed in ...
The SpinoffBy Calum Henderson
1 day ago

‘Everybody rolls their eyes’: Dame Susan Devoy’s guilty TV pleasure
Dame Susan Devoy takes us through her life in television, including late night ER debriefs, her proudest CTI moment and the show she watches in secret. Quite aside from her four world champion squash titles, Dame Susan Devoy will likely go down in history as one of the best Celebrity ...
The SpinoffBy My Life in TV
1 day ago

Dunedin’s secondhand bookshops, ranked and reviewed
Hera Lindsay Bird reveals the best places in Ōtepoti to score more for your apocalypse-prep book hoard. Sometimes I get the feeling I’ve been killed in a car crash, and this second half of my life is just the brain unspooling itself, like one of those episodes of a hospital ...
The SpinoffBy Hera Lindsay Bird
1 day ago

Review: High Country is the ideal crime drama for a cold winter night
ThreeNow’s new murder mystery series takes us on a dark, damp journey into the Australian wilderness. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. High Country is ThreeNow’s new Australian eight-part crime drama, set in a remote part of the Victorian highlands. It tells ...
The SpinoffBy Tara Ward
1 day ago

Welcome to The Weekend
Introducing a new way to read The Spinoff every weekend. After nearly 10 years of being an online magazine, we’re finally embracing the weekend liftout. Despite our best efforts to convince you otherwise, writers and editors at The Spinoff don’t work weekend. It is through the sheer power of technology ...
The SpinoffBy Madeleine Chapman
1 day ago

Tips and tricks for when your therapist looks like your dad
Tip one: let yourself be nurtured by this big old man. Tip two: don’t ask him to adopt you. So, you’ve arrived at your first session with a new therapist. He tells you to make yourself comfortable and you opt for the tweed armchair, hoping it makes you look like ...
The SpinoffBy Gráinne Patterson
1 day ago

The Sunday Essay: The books that electrify and consume you
I didn’t know books could open you back up; that there were books that stayed with you, where reading was like a chemical event. I knew nothing. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Not too long ago, I was listening to the American ...
The SpinoffBy James Pasley
1 day ago

The Enhanced games, where drug use isn’t cheating
Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen has already started training for the Enhanced games, though says he won’t start taking performance enhancing substances until about nine months out from the competition. The Australian world champion was the first athlete to be announced by Enhanced, but he says the organisation has had ...
NewsroomBy Gwen McClure
1 day ago

Short story: The boat in the shed, by Kyle Mewburn
Everyone thinks he’s dead. Every day they expect his body to be washed up along the coast. Most likely up Karitane way, the way the tide’s running. But nobody’ll be too surprised if his body’s never found. Even in death he wouldn’t have wished for such attention. He would have ...
NewsroomBy Kyle Mewburn
1 day ago

USP Council votes to bring controversial VC back to Fiji
Council members voted 21 to 4 in favour of Ahluwalia returning to the Laucala campus following a much-awaited meeting in Vanuatu this week. It comes as USP and its two unions — the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff (AUSPS) and the Administration and Support Staff Union ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
1 day ago

Public health expert urges govt to focus on disease prevention
The government needs to step up in the wake of a report showing a third of Kiwis have unmet health needs, Professor Boyd Swinburn says. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Figures like Andrew Tate may help spread misogyny. But they’re amplifying – not causing – the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Henry, Professor & Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University Shutterstock Following an emergency meeting of the National Cabinet this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a raft of measures to tackle the problem ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Free speech debate back on as Victoria University expands diversity on panel
A perceived right-wing bias and concerns about panellist diversity have pushed Victoria University to reformat its debate. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Week in Politics: Polls, pay rises and a Green MP in trouble
Analysis - A poll showing the opposition is more popular than the government raises questions, politicians go through their 'trial by pay rise' and a Green MP loses her cool in the debating chamber. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Māori win customary title over Tokomaru Bay on East Coast
The entire stretch of Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast will be subject to a joint customary marine title for two hapū, and extending up to four miles out to sea. A High Court judge has found the two groups, who during the case settled a dispute over boundaries for ...
NewsroomBy Tim Murphy
2 days ago

Universal’s music is returning to TikTok, ending a spat that hurt fans more than anyone
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hall, Lecturer, Media & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

To tackle gendered violence, we also need to look at drugs, trauma and mental health
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan O’Dean, Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

National raised $10.4m in donations in 2023
Political parties have now fully disclosed the donations they received last year - with National getting more than double the cash of any other party. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Don't 'mistake' Pacific leaders 'quietness' on AUKUS as support for NZ&#039...
A Pacific regionalism expert has called out New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS military pact. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Florist says Julie Anne Genter exchange was 'massive imbalance of power'
The Wellington woman says she felt degraded and humiliated after being confronted by the Green MP. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

China’s new Moon mission is about to launch, and it’s a rare example of countries working togeth...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard de Grijs, Professor of Astrophysics, Macquarie University Bruno Scramgnon/Pexels All systems are “go” for tonight’s launch of China’s next step in a carefully planned lunar exploration program. Placed on top of a powerful Long March 5 rocket, the Chang’e 6 ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

National returned $200,000 donation day after Newsroom story
National returned a massive donation the day after a Newsroom story linked the donors to a property being investigated for operating unlawfully as a migrant workers’ hostel. The party’s 2023 donation filings, released on Friday, show it returned a $200,000 donation from Buen Holdings on August 23. That was the ...
NewsroomBy Andrew Bevin
2 days ago

NZ slumps to 19th as RSF says press freedom threatened by global decline
Pacific Media Watch New Zealand has slumped to an unprecedented 19th place in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index survey released today on World Press Freedom Day — May 3. This was a drop of six places from 13th last year when it slipped out of its ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

Access to documents about Australia’s political history is fraught and inadequate. It needs to cha...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Political Historian and Administrator Officer, Australian Historical Association, Australian National University Australia has had its fair share of public record-keeping controversies in recent years. Some have been mere farce, as in the case of two formerly government-owned filing cabinets (containing ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Greens have 'historically bad' start to the year – political scientist
The party has had faced a challenging set of circumstances over the past five months, Lara Greaves says. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

HWPL Calls For Peace Amid Rising Tensions Between Israel And Iran
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

The Friday Poem: ‘Mātou’ by Tessa Keenan
A poem by Tessa Keenan, from AUP New Poets 10. Mātou These days we are a photograph; one of a farm strewn with cows that used to be bright harakeke or swamp. The kids point at it and say the sun sits behind a smudge (left by someone at Christmas); ...
The SpinoffBy Tessa Keenan
2 days ago

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending May 3
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $25) The masterful Irish writer ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff Review of Books
2 days ago

Marriages, Civil Unions, And Divorces: Year Ended Dec 2023
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. Key facts Marriages and civil unions In ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Marriages, Civil Unions, And Divorces: Year Ended December 2023
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

How effective are domestic violence advertising campaigns for preventing violence against women?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Waller, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney shutterstock Cristina RasoBoluda/Shutterstock Domestic violence is a significant personal, community and social issue attracting much attention. After several recent horrific cases, media discussion, calls for a royal commission to end the violence and ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Taiwan is experiencing millions of cyberattacks every day. The world should be paying attention
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lennon Y.C. Chang, Associate Professor of Cyber Risk and Policy, Deakin University Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

‘There was life in the old girl yet’: Dame Susan Devoy on taking reality TV by storm
In this excerpt from her new memoir, Dame Susan Devoy remembers her turn as star contestant on the 2022 season of Celebrity Treasure Island. The most anxious time of every day was pre-elimination, when you knew this could be your final day on the show. I felt such contradictory emotions, ...
The SpinoffBy Susan Devoy
2 days ago

Auditor-General criticises way University of Waikato contracted Steven Joyce
John Ryan says the University of Waikato did not invite multiple contractors and reached out to the former finance minister directly. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

'Not my first legal rodeo' – Winston Peters on defamation threat
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says he will not be cowed by threats of legal action, having received a legal letter from Bob Carr. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Can the Green Party’s holy mission survive its fallible disciples?
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if there’s something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
The SpinoffBy Duncan Greive
2 days ago

Vanuatu’s Kalsakau resigns, calls for delay on constitutional referendum
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Vanuatu’s former prime minister and opposition MP Ishmael Kalsakau has stepped down — just two days after he confirmed he was the rightful opposition leader. Kalsakau, MP for Port Vila, confirmed to ABC’s Pacific Beat, and the Vanuatu Daily Post on Thursday that he ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

Winston Peters gives China speech amid legal drama and AUKUS questions
The Foreign Minister spoke about the NZ-China relationship amid lingering questions about the AUKUS security alliance . ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Gone By Lunchtime: Mojo machine misfires, honeymoon cancelled
What’s to blame for the coalition’s choppy start? Six months in, and the mojo meter is in the doldrums. A new poll would put National out of power and sees its leader, Chris Luxon, sliding in popularity. How much is it about policy, how much coalition management and a perception ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff
2 days ago

The Waitangi Tribunal’s latest report is about far more than just child protection
The striking report goes far beyond the proposed repeal of the Oranga Tamariki Act’s Treaty of Waitangi provision, and its impact should be felt far beyond the unique circumstances of the claim it addresses. Earlier this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released an interim report on the government’s proposed repeal of ...
The SpinoffBy Luke Fitzmaurice-Brown
2 days ago

Live Winston Peters gives China speech amid legal drama and AUKUS questions
The Foreign Minister was speaking at the New Zealand China Council while questions linger about the AUKUS security alliance . ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

'We weren't informed': Apprentice working on school unaware of asbestos
The Education Ministry is promising to do more about asbestos problems in schools, with tighter controls over detection and removal. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

New Treasury Paper On The Productivity Slowdown
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

The prison slushy story is back, baby, and it’s less nutritious than ever
What’s more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it. Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A “rat” was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
The SpinoffBy Madeleine Holden
2 days ago

AI can now generate entire songs on demand. What does this mean for music as we know it?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Oliver Bown, Associate Professor, UNSW Sydney PeamDesign / Shutterstock In March, we saw the launch of a “ChatGPT for music” called Suno, which uses generative AI to produce realistic songs on demand from short text prompts. A few weeks later, a ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Domestic violence disclosure schemes may not improve safety for victim-survivors of intimate partner...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by men’s violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Clearing the elective surgery backlog will take more than one budget. It’ll need major reform
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this year’s federal budget. That’s the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Why is cancer called cancer? We need to go back to Greco-Roman times for the answer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Electric vehicles will start to cut emissions and improve air quality in our cities – but only onc...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

4 things our schools should do now to help prevent gender-based violence
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Becoming a landlord while still renting? ‘Rentvesting’ promises a foot on the property ladder, b...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Season two of Heartbreak High makes diversity feel ‘banal’. This is its strength
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Winston Peters receives legal letter from Bob Carr after defamation threat
Bob Carr has confirmed his intention to take legal action against the NZ First leader. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Legal action and bullying allegations: Peters and Genter knock government agenda off its perch
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
The SpinoffBy Anna Rawhiti-Connell
2 days ago

New law looks to shake up insurance
The Minister for Commerce and Consumer Affairs says insurance laws are too complicated and change is long overdue. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Winston Peters' comments about former Australian minister 'unstatesmanlike' – L...
David Parker says he has never heard a current minister speak about a senior, retired politician from another country in such a way. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Where is she now? Sally Clark
In 1995, Sally Clark went out on her own in a bold and unorthodox attempt to join an illustrious group of equestrian riders conquering the world. In the days of glovebox road maps, brick cell phones, and the hit song How Bizarre, Clark refused to follow Sir Mark Todd, Blyth ...
NewsroomBy Adam Julian
2 days ago

Despite a tenfold increase in ADHD prescriptions, too many New Zealanders are still going without
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Beaglehole, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago niphon/Getty Images The number of people accessing medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand increased significantly between 2006 and 2022. But the disorder is still under-diagnosed and ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Pay equity taskforce disbanded, 'no longer required' – Minister
The government is being accused of "misdirected priorities" after it disestablished the pay equity taskforce. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

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