Some men just want to see the World burn

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, November 12th, 2020 - 58 comments
Categories: Donald Trump, politicans, uncategorized, us politics - Tags: ,

Normally when you lose an election you say nice things about the winner and make way for them.

But is Trump doing this in the US of A? No sirree.

The last thing that was seen of him publicly was his playing golf as the election result was finally called by media.  How appropriate.

But yesterday was rather disturbing.  The election result is pretty clear.  For Biden to lose there would have to be significant upheavals in a number of States’s results.   The convention is that the existing regime makes sure that Biden and Harris have sufficient resources to start putting their team together and getting ready to lead.

But something happened.  Like everything imaginable.

The funding for Biden to start to prepare has not been released and Biden has had to seek private donations to support organising the transition.  I cannot imagine anything more petty, obstructive or destructive of America’s interests.  Why am I not surprised.  From Gene Maddaus at Variety:

Major donors to President-elect Joe Biden’s campaign are being asked this week to contribute to his transition effort, as the Trump administration has refused to turn over millions in federal funding.

The Biden-Harris transition is holding a Zoom event for donors on Thursday with Evan Ryan, a Biden adviser and former assistant secretary of state. Donors are being asked to contribute $5,000, the legal maximum.

Chris Korge, national finance chair for the Democratic National Committee, and Heather Murren, finance chair of the Biden campaign, sent an email on Monday to donors thanking them for their help in getting Biden elected.

“Unfortunately what we have seen from President Trump since he clearly and undisputably lost his bid for reelection as President of the United States is nothing less than total obstruction,” they wrote. “He has refused to accept defeat like Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, John McCain, John Kerry, Al Gore and every other person who has lost the race for president in our lifetime. To make matters worse the Trump administration has also refused to date to give the Biden Harris Transition Team the federal dollars that are supposed to be given for the transition. Quite frankly this is just flat out WRONG and the American people will be the big losers if we don’t immediately step up and do something about it!”

As if this was not enough the Trump White House has instructed senior Government leaders not to cooperate.  From the Washington Post:

The Trump White House on Monday instructed senior government leaders to block cooperation with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team, escalating a standoff that threatens to impede the transfer of power and prompting the Biden team to consider legal action.

Officials at agencies across the government who had prepared briefing books and carved out office space for the incoming Biden team to use as soon as this week were told instead that the transition would not be recognized until the Democrat’s election was confirmed by the General Services Administration, the low-profile agency that officially starts the transition.

While media outlets on Saturday projected Biden as the winner, President Trump has not conceded the election.

“We have been told: Ignore the media, wait for it to be official from the government,” said a senior administration official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly.

Of even more concern is the firing of the Defense Secretary Mark Esper as well as a number of senior Defense officials. From CNN:

The Trump administration has carried out sweeping changes atop the Defense Department’s civilian leadership structure, removing several of its most senior officials and replacing them with perceived loyalists to the President.

The flurry of changes, announced by the Department of Defense in a statement roughly 24 hours after President Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper, have put officials inside the Pentagon on edge and fueled a growing sense of alarm among military and civilian officials, who are concerned about what could come next.

Four senior civilian officials have been fired or have resigned since Monday, including Esper, his chief of staff and the top officials overseeing policy and intelligence. They were replaced by perceived Trump loyalists, including a controversial figure who promoted fringe conspiracy theories and called former President Barack Obama a terrorist.

A senior defense official told CNN late Tuesday that “it appears we are done with the beheadings for now,” referring to the wave of ousted civilian leaders, including Esper.

Esper’s crime?  Resisting the deployment of troops on US streets to oppose Black Lives Matter protesters.  The reasons offered for these changes could be anything from spiting Biden to ensuring that Trump can return all soldiers from Afghanistan before he leaves to getting the Military ready to handle protests should Trump stay.  These are dark times …

Meanwhile in Court Trump’s voter fraud theatrics are not working.  As various cases are heard they are being shown up as lacking that one particular feature which is pretty important, hard evidence.

It is not as if Trump is a stranger to legal matters.  USA Today estimated in 2016 that Trump or Trump entities had been involved in 3,500 law suits, everything from conventional real estate litigation to settling fraud claims relating to Trump University or paying off a porn star.  From the USA Today article:

As he campaigns, Trump often touts his skills as a negotiator. The analysis shows that lawsuits are one of his primary negotiating tools. He turns to litigation to distance himself from failing projects that relied on the Trump brand to secure investments. As USA TODAY previously reported, he also uses the legal system to haggle over his property tax bills. His companies have been involved in more than 100 tax disputes, and the New York State Department of Finance has obtained liens on Trump properties for unpaid tax bills at least three dozen times.

The latest batch of litigation has not gone well with Trump 0-6 so far.  From the Murdoch owned Washington Post:

Since Election Day, President Trump has repeatedly claimed that a broad conspiracy of misdeeds — apparently committed in both Republican and Democratic states — had cost him the election.

“WATCH FOR MASSIVE BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE,” Trump tweeted Tuesday, the latest in a series of missives in which he has made misleading claims about the vote. Trump’s campaign has encouraged donors to contribute to a legal-defense fund so he can fight the cases in court.

But in the lawsuits themselves, even Trump’s campaign and allies do not allege widespread fraud or an election-changing conspiracy.

Instead, GOP groups for the most part have focused on smaller-bore complaints in an effort to delay the counting of ballots or claims that would affect a small fraction of votes, at best.

And, even then, they have largely lost in court.

The reason: Judges have said the Republicans did not provide evidence to back up their assertions — just speculation, rumors or hearsay. Or in one case, hearsay written on a sticky note.

The cases have been bizarre, like the claim that Republican observers had been barred from witnessing the vote count in Philadelphia which suffered from the fatal flaw that this was not actually true.  Again from the Washington Post:

Republican observers were there, after all. Trump had “a nonzero number of people in the room,” one of his attorneys conceded in federal court Thursday evening.

“I’m sorry, then what’s your problem?” asked U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond, who denied the request to halt the count.

And to top off the sense of foreboding Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said publicly that there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.  He may have been joking.  Time will tell.

The only rational conclusion I can draw from all that is happening is this:

58 comments on “Some men just want to see the World burn ”

  1. Tricledrown 1

    Trump is a spoilt entitled brat money = power and power corrupts absolute power = more corruption.

    Trump knows this so he is sending a message to all the prosecutors lining up when he leaves office that he is going to make as difficult as possible.

    People as powerful as Trump don't face the consequences of their actions as every day people ,That's why he gets away with predatory sexual behaviour,Tax fraud,treason,associating with the mafias.

  2. Ad 2

    There's plenty who still call for revolution from the hard left.

    But the revolution is already here from the right. Trump is but one name for it.

    The result is chaos and anomie – no matter who does it.

    The golfers who finished their round while a forest burned - BBC Culture

    Small countries, weaker groups in society, the poorer, the small business owner, the renter: these are the things that need rules that the rest of society abide by. They are rules that only states banding together can sustain.

    The super-rich don't need order; they game crisis. Nor do the top handful of countries. They make the rules. Witness China crushing Hong Kong's Parliament yesterday through arrests.

    As Robert Putnam argued recently, small and non-aligned states need to work harder together if a rules-based order to the world is to survive.

    And Prime Minister Ardern has a place to play in that if she can start conceiving of New Zealand as less a minor state and more a small power with Pacific influence.

    This chaos about to hit the United States over two months needs voices of conscience from good states to stand up and be heard loud.

    • Anne 2.1

      And Prime Minister Ardern has a place to play in that if she can start conceiving of New Zealand as less a minor state and more a small power with Pacific influence.

      Actually its my perception that is exactly what she is doing. For example, only yesterday she made it clear that any decisions on a Covid vaccine would take into account the needs of our Pacific neighbours.

      Yes, it is time for the good states to stand up and be heard aloud. Too much bowing and scraping towards the current regime and a scaredy-cat attitude has allowed the US situation to deteriorate to an alarming level.

      It's also time for other western governments to do likewise because the antics of Trump and his lackeys affects all of us and will continue to do so if they are not reined in.

      • Ad 2.1.1

        She's required to take into account New Zealand Realm countries.

        Remember in the previous term she stood in the UN and made some actual global noise?

        Now's the time to start again.

    • SPC 2.2

      The US of A is not a democracy – but an order of rule over the people. A constitutional republic.

      The GOP takes this to heart, it regards popular democracy as a form of socialism, something to be suppresssed. They probably view the increased voter turnout with alarm, so we can expect to see them leverage Trump's charges to obstruct future voting.

  3. Dennis Frank 3

    Remember that Trump got elected on an anti-establishment platform four years ago. No surprise that he keeps recycling that stance. Time to moderate was mid-term but he surprised me by not being that sensible. He's likely to tough it out now.

    So the question is the extent to which the establishment permits his stone-walling. If the Republicans stay onside & litigate to the max with him, that will test the resilience of the establishment. Believers of the principles of democracy will be sidelined by those who think democracy is won by whoever games the system best.

    So you, as a lawyer, wonder why he's using his lawyers now. You feel he ought to defer to convention and admit defeat already. That's not in his nature. He self-identified as a winner by being unconventional long ago & too late to stop now. He's providing us with excellent case analysis of why political psychology is a key frame to use.

    • Tricledrown 3.1

      The republicans can't afford to be negative like Trump as there are 2 Senate seats up for grabs in run offs in Georgia.

      Bob Dylan the rich man who does a crime he does no time.

  4. Andre 4

    Err, WaPo is owned by Bezos, not Murdoch. Which is the probable basis for The $750 Man's vendetta against Amazon.

    [Right you are Andre. Now corrected – MS]

    • SPC 4.1

      And the goon hired by Trump to run down the US mail service, his original job was to reduce the speed of delivery for Amazon.

  5. Stephen D 5

    https://mailchi.mp/85e0495769d8/bulletin-world-weekly-a-weather-report-for-the-world-2458370?e=4d18001d77

    This week in dystopia – or the United States of America

    Coup or conniption? That’s the question over Donald Trump replacing the civilian leadership of the Pentagon as he pushes the idea a “rigged” election robbed him of a second term.

    A historian of totalitarianism at Yale, Timothy Snyder, went there this week, tweeting: ‘What Donald Trump is attempting to do has a name: coup d'état. Poorly organized though it might seem, it is not bound to fail. It must be made to fail.’

  6. greywarshark 6

    A Radionz report.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018772375/what-powers-does-trump-still-have-us-law-expert-explains

    What powers does Trump still have? US law expert explains
    University of Wisconsin-Madison law school professor Robert Yablon told Checkpoint that Trump has the same power he always has had as president and can do what he wants, “within the standard bounds of the US Constitution and the law”.

    "… but in terms of running the government, issuing executive orders, issuing pardons, any of that kind of thing. He can do the day after the election what he could do the day before the election.

    "Executive orders can be fairly significant. The president has quite a bit of leeway to act unilaterally. When we're creating law in the United States, Congress needs to be involved. But the president, in the interstices of the law, can do a lot to direct how the government functions….

    "By law in the United States, there is a presidential transition process. Now, the current president has to facilitate that process and so far President Trump has refused to do so.

    "But normally as soon as the election is over the incoming president will form a transition team. That transition team will have access to the existing government and this is meant to facilitate a smooth transfer of power, so we do have that legal device.

  7. woodart 7

    maybe some on this site forget piggy muldoon doing the same sort of thing.

  8. Andre 8

    If you're looking for rational explanations for the refusal to concede, well, conceding would cut off one of the grifts he's currently got going. As always, follow the money.

    He's duping his cultists to donate to a PAC called Save America, which is being sold as fighting against fraud in this election. But the fine print says most of the money is going elsewhere, basically to a CovidCamacho slush fund.

    Save America, however, gets an early cut of the funds raised. The fine print shows that 60% of the funds go first to Save America — up to the $5,000 legal donation limit — and then to the Trump campaign's recount account. Forty percent will go to the Republican National Committee's operating account.

    Campaign finance experts say Trump is engaging in a bait-and-switch tactic with his supporters.

    "He's saying that he needs donors' money for election-challenge litigation, but he's putting the money into an account to be used for his political future," said Paul Ryan, the vice president for policy and litigation at Common Cause.

    […]

    The rules on spending by leadership PACs also are far more relaxed than those for campaign committees and do not restrict politicians from using donors' funds for personal expenses — a use forbidden in a presidential campaign account.

    "Leadership PACs are notoriously abused by politicians as slush funds without violating any laws," Ryan said.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/10/politics/donald-trump-leadership-pac-republicans/index.html

    https://time.com/5910426/donald-trump-fights-election-results/

    • Dennis Frank 8.1

      Yes, I saw news of that con too. Implementation of the Barnum theory (one born every minute). Rational self-interest perhaps, however clinging to power if no viable evidence of electoral fraud is available to fuel court cases isn't rational.

      Incidentally I reported the Georgia recount decision on OM whereas I probably ought to have put it here. It's due to Republican infighting.

    • mickysavage 8.2

      Fark that is such a brutal comment but with the background so accurate …

  9. velcro 9

    Its very clear there was industrial scale electoral fraud – sufficient to swing the result in Trump's favour. He is perfectly entitled to legally challenge the vote in the key swing states. After all, Al Gore did against Bush. Having said that, the legal hurdles are very high, and personally I don't think Trump will be successful. Just have patience and stop wild suppositions – it will work out in Biden's favour in due course

    • Andre 9.1

      It's not that the hurdles are high, particularly for cases in front of a Repug judge. It's that even the most partisan judges still need a teeny-tiny bit of evidence to hang a prejudgement onto, and precisely zero evidence for dodgy votes, or dodgy vote processing and counting, has been forthcoming. Except for a couple of Repug munters, one of whom tried to submit a ballot for his dead mother IIRC.

      Because even though judges get lifetime appointments, they're still subject to impeachment. And handing down an electorally significant judgement with absolutely no evidence to back it up would certainly be grounds for impeachment.

  10. ianmac 10

    The Inquiry into the 9/11 attack found that a major problem was that the long delay in settling the 2000 Election meant that the Transition being halted, caused big gaps in US security. There wasn't a proper connection between those who knew stuff and the ones who were supposed to be finding out and dealing to threats.

    Now the Federal funds have been with-held and the lack of exchange of info again poses the threat of another 9/11.

  11. Gyrogearloose 11

    Since the democrats and MSM are so adamant there was no fraud in the election process they should move fully to support Trumps efforts to find any….

    Going hard out trying to play down any irregularities plays into trumps hands…

    Like Twitter and MSM trying to censor the Hunter Biden hard drive revelations, it just made them look guilty and enraged Trump supporters.

    • Andre 11.1

      Nobody is trying to play down any irregularities or impede idiot Repug efforts to take their allegations to court.

      Quite the contrary. The sooner the allegations get to court, the sooner a Repug lawyer has to admit in front of a judge there is zero evidence for the allegation, and admit they are just blowing smoke and wasting everybody's time.

      Nobody censored the allegations around Hunter Biden's hard drive. The allegations were looked into, and were concluded to be a laughably inept attempt at a smear by bumbling idiot Palputin stooges (ie Ghouliani and Bannon) after Ghouliani refused to provide copies for anyone else to examine.

      Even funnier, even if the worst allegations (which have zero credibility, remember) were taken completely at face value, they didn't show anything dodgy on Joe Biden's part. They merely allegedly showed what everybody already knew – that Hunter sometimes traded on his surname for easy money and didn't actually deliver anything in return.

      https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2020/10/the-media-has-not-ignored-the-hunter-biden-story/

      • mickysavage 11.1.1

        "Quite the contrary. The sooner the allegations get to court, the sooner a Repug lawyer has to admit in front of a judge there is zero evidence for the allegation, and admit they are just blowing smoke and wasting everybody's time."

        I dream of these sorts of cases in court. If it was a local Court with local Judges they would hand you your arse on a plate and tell you to stop wasting their time.

        • Dennis Frank 11.1.1.1

          You might like the legal manoeuvres explored here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/11/can-donald-trump-stay-in-office-second-term-president-coup

          “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, said on Tuesday.

          Just joking? So the

          certification timeline is important because federal law says that as long as election results are finalized by 8 December this year, the result is “conclusive”. That provides a safeguard against Congress, which is responsible for counting the electoral college votes, from second-guessing election results. By dragging out the process, the Trump campaign may be seeking to blow past that deadline and create more wiggle room to second-guess the results.

          Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Nevada all have Democratic governors who would refuse to approve a set of Trump electors with the popular vote clearly showing Biden winning their state. Instead, they would submit the electors Biden is entitled to as the winner of the popular vote.

          It would then fall to Congress, which is charged with counting the votes from the electoral college, to decide what to do. The law that outlines the process for how Congress should handle a dispute in electors from a state is extremely confusing, but experts believe the slate backed by a state’s governor is the legally sound one. There is a rival theory that the president of the Senate, Mike Pence, could have control over the process. A dispute over electors between the US House and Senate is a worst-case scenario and the US supreme court would probably be asked to step in.

      • Gyrogearloose 11.1.2

        "Nobody censored the allegations around Hunter Biden's hard drive. The allegations were looked into, and were concluded to be a laughably inept attempt at a smear by bumbling idiot Palputin stooges"

        Guess you must live in one of those echo chambers…

        "Its the russians"…….. what more to say….

        NZ msm media shows similar biases as USA msm

        From your link " should be confirmed before they’re splashed on the front page. "

        I guess The Washington post never got the memo…. and wrote an arricle with headline

        "Postal worker recanted allegations of ballot tampering"

        In reply to that headline this was published

        "Veritas posted a video of Hopkins explicitly saying "I do not recant."

        Hmmmmm……

        Read from both the MSM and the alternative media, and somewhere between is more likely where the true story lies.

        [Fixed typo in user name]

        • Macro 11.1.2.1

          Guess you must live in one of those echo chambers…

          And you're not??

          • Gyrogearloose 11.1.2.1.1

            What echo chamber am I supposedly in?

            Does my questioning of the 'its Russia' narrative make you belive I live in an echo chamber.

            If so, how ironic as I see blaming Russia as proof you live in an ech chamber.

            If not how am i in an echo chamber.

            Please let me know as I am philosophically against echo chambers, and if I could not see I was in one I would like to know.

            • Incognito 11.1.2.1.1.1

              How would we know? How could we tell?

              Interestingly, the only two times you linked here were to the same site that is not known for being un-biased, balanced, non-partisan, or politically neutral and objective. What is that telling us?

              • Gyrogearloose

                Yes I read zerohedge.

                Yes it has clear biases in the opposite direction, and some of the articles come across as pure conspiracy theory.

                And sometimes articles in the msm are pure bulshit.

                Is the motherjones.com website linked by Andre is given as example objectivity?

                As i specifically mentioned, I read both msm and alternative…..

            • Macro 11.1.2.1.1.2

              Well, some one on this thread keeps repeating the phrase "it's Russia". And it's not me, and it's not Andre, and it's not incognito. So someone who claims to be "philosophically opposed to echo chambers" continues to echo an accusation that no one else on here has made.

              BTW, Hunter Biden was in Ukraine not Russia.

              • Gyrogearloose

                Quote Andre "laughably inept attempt at a smear by bumbling idiot Palputin stooges"

                I read that as 'its tussian interfretence"

                If it is something else please explain what it was supposed to mean.

                • Andre

                  "Palputin" refers to the rotting halloween pumpkin currently rage-tweeting with stubby thumbs from the White Supremacist House.

                  Of the hundreds of nicknames I could have used, choosing that one was bait to draw out your background views on some of the various disinformation efforts flying around. The way you took the bait successfully clarified that for me, thank you.

    • Andre 11.2

      BTW, if anyone's interested in a brief summary of the various lawsuits, Associated Press has put together a good one:

      https://apnews.com/article/ap-explains-fail-prove-election-fraud-d0f13ae6ca370c8716706d3f7d85659e

    • joe90 11.3

      When you've lost Bush's brain…

      https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1326726533491412993

      edit: and you’re too toxic to handle..

      The largest law firm representing the Trump campaign or its allies in post-election litigation challenging votes in key states has withdrawn from an election lawsuit in Maricopa County, Arizona.

      Associate Presiding Civil Judge Daniel Kiley on Tuesday granted Snell & Wilmer’s request to withdraw as counsel of record for the Republican National Committee. The RNC had teamed-up with the Trump campaign and the Arizona Republican Party in the case, which alleges that Maricopa County incorrectly rejected some votes cast on Election Day.
      https://www.reuters.com/article/snell-maricopa-idUSL1N2HY005

    • Dick Michaels 11.4

      Ironic that it's now the right exposing election irregularities and fighting for democracy, while the left couldn't care less and just wants to install their new dictator.

      • Stuart Munro 11.4.1

        Nothing ironic about systematic fraud.

        And the Right never have and never will fight for democracy.

      • Wensleydale 11.4.2

        You kind of have to 'prove' the alleged irregularities though. That's the crux of the matter. They've yet to produce any evidence that hasn't been laughed out of a courtroom. It's all crap someone's cousin's neighbour's dog-walker's best friend read on Facebook. Meanwhile, the Orange Toddler continues skulking about the White House, randomly firing people he feels aren't sufficiently loyal. He's finally discovered what it's like to be told "No!", and his malignant narcissism impedes his ability to accept it.

  12. Maurice 12

    "Light touchpaper"

    "Stand well clear"

    70 million rednecks with Pickup Trucks may attend the inauguration …. but will they have their guns with them?

    • Velcro 12.1

      Virtually all the rioting and mayhem so far has been from the left – Antifa, BLM and the like. So far your 'rednecks' have been pretty restrained. And if Biden had won fair and square they would continue to be so

      • NZJester 12.1.1

        So running over people with vehicles and shooting people is "pretty restrained"?

        Did you know that Antifa is just a shortened form of the words "Anti Fascist". If you are not Anti Fascist then you are one. The only formal Antifa organization was the Allies during WW2 who fought against them.

        Antifa = Anti Nazi / Anti Neo Nazi.

        Most of the so called rioting and mayhem was declared that by the police while peaceful demonstrations where taking place and only became violent after the police started shooting tear-gas and rubber bullets. And most of that violence was by the police themselves.

  13. Velcro 13

    In their violent tactics against anyone who remotely disagrees with their extremist views Antifa resembles nothing so much as the Nazi Brownshirts. No big surprise there, national socialism and communism are just two sides of the same totalitarian coin – controlling the populace through intimidation, lies and brainwashing. Socialism used to be the Kinder version of communism. Today, as the cancel culture demonstrates – not so much.

    the two tragic incidents you refer to have back details which you should familiarise yourself with, which put a different perspective on them than that which you are trying to impose. They were sad individual events, and in no way counterbalance the indiscriminate mob violence of Antifa and BLM

    • joe90 13.1

      Antifa resembles nothing so much as the Nazi Brownshirts

      And self titled patriots resemble nothing so much as the barbaric Daesh.

      New filings claim there was a Plan B the militiamen had drawn up, that involved a takeover of the Michigan capitol building by 200 combatants who would stage a week-long series of televised executions of public officials.

      And, according to government documents now on file in lower Michigan court, there was also a Plan C — burning down the state house, leaving no survivors.

      […]

      Despite the violent nature of the charges, including an alleged plan to hold a mock treason trial for the governor of Michigan once she was kidnapped, several of the defendants have had bond reductions and are now free.

      https://abc7chicago.com/michigan-governor-gretchen-whitmer-kidnapping-plot-militia/8079861/

  14. Velcro 14

    The plot never occurred – it was foiled by the FBI. The anti government anarchists concerned were most akin to parts of the BLM movement

    • joe90 14.1

      Foiled or not, their motives were clear. At least four of the 13 suspects had turned up at the state capitol armed with AR-15s in an attempt to intimidate the state legislature and the Governor. When that failed, they escalated by plotting to emulate the murderous thugs they admired. And your attempt to minimise their actions leads one to think that you agree with them.

      btw, use the fucking reply function.

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  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
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