Student debt, it’s the interest that matters

Written By: - Date published: 4:36 pm, April 10th, 2008 - 48 comments
Categories: education, labour, national - Tags: , ,

Today, outstanding student loan debt reaches $10 billion. That’s a fair old swag of money but what has been ignored in the coverage so far is that this debt is interest-free. Now, an economist will tell you that the price of money is the interest rate, so student loans are free money. It’s not quite as simple as that because, as a loan holder, you have to pay 10 cents in every dollar you earn over $18184 towards the debt but, still, student debts are nowhere near as expensive as they were when there was interest on them.

Say you borrowed $10,000 each year for three years ending this year and the loan would be repaid by compulsory repayments alone. Here’s how it would look with Labour’s interest-free policy, just interest after studying, and interest all the time, like when National was last in power (normal assumptions: inflation 2.5%, real wage growth 2.5% starting at $40,000, interest rate 7%).

studyloan.JPG
Total repayments in 2008 dollars-
Interest-free: $26338, 10 years
No interest while studying: $41409, 15 years
Interest all the time: $45842, 17 years

Because inflation means an interest-free loan is actually worth less in real terms over time; the interest-free $30,000 will cost only $26,000 in today’s dollars to pay back over 10 years. If there was still interest once study had finished repayments would be 57% more. Under National’s interest all the time policy, you would pay 74% more than you do under Labour’s policy and it would take seven years longer.

Labour could do better for tertiary students, there ought to be a universial allowance for starters, but they’re much better off than when National was piling interest on their shoulders.

48 comments on “Student debt, it’s the interest that matters ”

  1. Lampie 1

    I think the increase is because it is more affordable plus interesting to see if there is an increase in part-time students and if so how this affects the overall statistics. I pay while still finishing off papers and by the way, my wife’s one is dropping like a stone under Labour

  2. Billy 2

    “there ought to be a universial allowance for starters”

    What a dingbat of an idea. The poor struggling taxpayer already pays 74% of the true cost of tertiary education. How spoilt, ungrateful and self-important do you have to be to say that that’s not enough.

    All those middle class kids getting subsidies from truck drivers so that they can become lawyers and enrich themselves by charging the truck driver legal fees post-graduation.

  3. Lampie 3

    What I would find interesting Steve is the make up of those debts, i.e. full time versus part time AND what percentage of that $10 billion is studies now finished so loans are now been repaid. Also as mentioned I have a loan but also current paying it while in study, wouldn’t that skew the stats?

    $10 billion may sound a lot but is it really a concern? That is what I would like to know, cheers

  4. Lampie 4

    Also another thing, IRD lumps all your loan as one where StudyLink has them seperate (as most would apply every year). Which stat is used and man I get confused 🙁

  5. r0b 5

    Education is a public good Billy. Your education enriches not only you, but (unlikely as it sounds!) it enriches the whole country. Where are we going to get innovation and growth and a growing economy from, if not from education?

    The tragedy of the student loan system is that it creates exactly the wrong incentives for young people graduating. There they are with with an expensive and valuable education. Their (often huge) student debt is a powerful motivation to just walk out of this country, taking their education with them, and never come back. It’s insane!

    Now, what is worse for the tax payer? (1)Pay 74% of the cost of an education that walks overseas (and ends up building a competing economy), or, (2) pay 100% of the cost of an education that is more likely to stay in NZ, and build our economy, and pay taxes here.

    I vote for Option 2. I think student debt is a scandal. Free education!

  6. Billy 6

    I understand the average loan is $16k. Hardly much of a contribution to a quality education.

  7. Lampie 7

    I vote for Option 2. I think student debt is a scandal. Free education!

    You can’t win r0b, all these Nappy supporters saying we need free education like Ireland and when you agree they will say “no way, pay the full cost”.

  8. Matthew Pilott 8

    All those truck drivers not having to work and save so hard, so they can send their kids to university because they aspire to get them degrees. Gosh it’s awful billy – and it would only get worse with an allowance.

    And, given a degree increases your average earnings, well, the average tax contribution per citizen would increase if they further encouraged people to study. Even worse!

    Steve – I think there need to be greatly increased subsidies for the trades and institutes and so on, actually. I think that would be a better use of money than for allowances – university has become a default for many people, as you can carry on like you did at Mum & Dad’s, even if you end up with a 40k loan. Make the alternatives equally as advertised and attractive.

    Hell they might be, I’m basing this more upon perception than anything else, but that’s where the shortages are developing.

  9. Billy 9

    R0b, you mammering common-kissing horn-beast, it’s not free, you’re just asking someone else to pay for it. And since it’s mainly rich kids who go to university, it’s a subsidy of the wealthy by the poor. What is the public good in educating people to become wealthy accountants? And to whine that you have to pay 26% of something that improves you is just unchin-snouted.

  10. r0b 10

    You can’t win r0b

    Of course I can’t win, but I can go down grumbling!

    Good point re Ireland.

  11. Matthew Pilott 11

    Billy, the loan might be 16k, but the cost given to a student (this is pure heresay) is only about 1/4 of the cost of tertiary study – so make it closer to $75k…

    Anyone got stats on that?

  12. BeShakey 12

    Billy – the mean loan will be skewed by people studying part time or just taking a paper. A better representation of the ‘average’ would be the median. Putting that aside, even if the median was very low there might still be a problem. Doctors and dentists for instance are often cited as having extraordinarily large loans. Surprise surprise they also either charge very large fees, need higher salaries to entice them to stay here, or just leave. Which means that you can wave bye bye to the 74% of their education that you paid for, simply because you were stingy about the last 16%. Of course, even with free education people will leave the country for a time, but needing high pay to pay off an enormous loan can’t help.

  13. Matthew Pilott 13

    And since it’s mainly rich kids who go to university, it’s a subsidy of the wealthy by the poor. What is the public good in educating people to become wealthy accountants?

    It’s alright billy, we tax the bejesus out of them (the rich ones) afterwards don’t we? Makes up for it, don’t you think? If it helps, just imagine that top tax rate is purely to fund university study.

  14. Billy 14

    Jesus BeShakey, with maths like that I hope the taxpayer didn’t front up for with a free education for you.

    Of course, what we should be aiming for is a situation where everyone subsidises everyone else so that we all end up with what we started with, less of course the costs of collection and paying it out.

  15. r0b 15

    Billy, beware my sting thou errant flap-mouthed wagtail!

    it’s not free, you’re just asking someone else to pay for it

    Your taxes pay for my education, I work in this country and my taxes pay for your retirement. It’s not a matter of petty accounting, it’s a social contract. A bigger world view.

    And since it’s mainly rich kids who go to university, it’s a subsidy of the wealthy by the poor

    I don’t have any stats, but that that claim is a lot less true than it was. Society is changing. And I’m not sure the maths works out on “the poor” (who pay less tax) subsidising the wealthy either. But rich and poor alike we need doctors and teachers and agricultural scientists and a growing economy…

    What is the public good in educating people to become wealthy accountants?

    … and yes even a few accountants.

    And to whine that you have to pay 26% of something that improves you is just unchin-snouted.

    And once again, addle-pate, education is a public good.

  16. higherstandard 16

    rob

    Nice to see you’re being amplivagant with you’re verbiage in support of the barbarocracy

  17. r0b 17

    I aim to please HS! But Billy and I aren’t just indulging in random logolepsy, believe it or not there is method in the madness:

    http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=1049#comment-27751

  18. randal 18

    with that gobful hs your loan must be about $500,000! tell us plebs what you really mean in plain english please. mine is 60 grand and everybody thinks I’m stupid…hahahahahaha

  19. r0b 19

    Randal, roughly translated HS said that he was glad I was using so many fancy words in support of the ruling barbarians.

    How many of your friends have loans of a similar size? How does such a loan effect your (or their) plans for the future?

  20. insider 20

    I’m more right than left but a definite believer in free education just because it is a great leveller and opportunity giver, not just for young people but older ones too, no matter what your background.

    The weakness of the loans scheme is IMO that it stifles creativity and options too early. When you are just leaving school, you are forced early on to choose your life direction because the cost issues can be to high to try things and see what you are good at. Remove that pressure and you may find people are more productive long term.

    I suspect people go for accounting because they want a good job that will pay their loans off, not because they ‘want’ to be accountants.

    Anyway, that’s my theory

  21. Dean 21

    Rob:

    “The tragedy of the student loan system is that it creates exactly the wrong incentives for young people graduating. There they are with with an expensive and valuable education. Their (often huge) student debt is a powerful motivation to just walk out of this country, taking their education with them, and never come back. It’s insane!”

    Actually I think the tragedy is more like why we see user pays education to be such a bad thing in this country, when plenty of other countries have it and don’t experience anywhere near the “brain drain” New Zealand does.

    Do you have any ideas why this is the case?

  22. randal 22

    Rob…I have a good degree but am nearly a senior and I cant get a job…I have stopped worryng about it, whats 60 g’s out of $5billion…so much for getting an education

  23. Dave 23

    I’ve got a monster loan ($60,000-ish) after studying for 5 years full time. Good news is that I have an MA. And work in finance. And I think most people would agree that being educated is a good thing.

    Because of the interest free repayments I’ve stayed in the country. Sense of obligation and all that. As soon as interest gets put back on I’ll make like John Key and bugger off overseas to make my millions in London (and pay them my taxes). For me the social contract starts and ends with the interest. Add the interest – remove the social contract.

    We can argue for hours about whether this is a reasonable decision on the part of people like me. Yes the State paid for a large chunk of my education. Thanks truck drivers! And the State benefits from that investment. But the thing that has changed is that twenty-somethings like myself have learned that we don’t have to accept what we’re told. We learned from the 80s and 90s. And now we can make some of the terms. The playing field is more even. (Thanks near-full employment!)

    So – you can argue that it’s only fair that I should pay interest on my loan. But then you can’t complain when I leave. And I’m not the only one by any stretch. You think the brain drain is bad now? Ha. Vote National – and then see what a real brain drain is.

    NB: Few people I know have a $16,000 loan – unless they’re second year or work 20 hours a week on top of their study. Good on them for that – but I would love to see the more relevant stat of ‘what is the median loan for graduate in the last five years>’

  24. DS 24

    “What a dingbat of an idea. The poor struggling taxpayer already pays 74% of the true cost of tertiary education. How spoilt, ungrateful and self-important do you have to be to say that that’s not enough.”

    The baby-boomer generation who implemented the student loan system DID NOT HAVE TO PAY A CENT for their university education. Did they allow their children the same avenues of education that they had enjoyed, in an era where a Knowledge Economy is seemingly so important? No they didn’t. They screwed over their kids, just as they screwed over their own parents.

    As for a universal student allowance favouring the rich, the current system assumes that parents will provide for their children until they’re 25. Which is, frankly, bullshit. Moreover, the really rich can use trust loopholes to get around the income requirement if they so choose. And there are administrative costs relating to deciding whether or not someone qualifies for allowance. Make the allowance universal and you get rid of a load of bureaucratic costs at a stroke.

  25. mike 25

    “It’s alright billy, we tax the bejesus out of them (the rich ones)”
    No Matthew the envy tax kicks in at 60k. If you think that is rich then you are much sillier than I thought.
    Yr use of ‘we’ is interesting – its a real them and us fight for you lefty folk eh.

  26. DS 26

    “No Matthew the envy tax kicks in at 60k. If you think that is rich then you are much sillier than I thought.”

    Mike, if you think 39% is a tax level that reflects envy then you are much sillier than I thought. If implementing a 39% tax rate makes us a bunch of evil envious socialists, what on earth does that make the USA of the 1950s, which had top tax rates above 90%?

  27. big bruv 27

    You have to laugh at all the stupid socialists who want “free” education, just where do you think that money comes from in the first place?

    I agree with Billy, the real working man (the people YOU lot are supposed to represent) already subsidizes tertiary education to the tune of 74%, on top of that they the election bribe interest free loans.

    It is about time students thanked the tax payer for the subsidy they already receive and forget about demanding more money from the working man.

  28. Billy 28

    I am also interested in this idea that the state has to subsidise a “public good”. Many have observed that, when half or more cut, I am significantly more charming, witty and handsome. Surely the public interest is therefore best served by keeping me pissed. Will te state be subsidising my Stolli bill?

  29. AndrewE 29

    BeShakey said: “Which means that you can wave bye bye to the 74% of their education that you paid for, simply because you were stingy about the last 16%.”

    Oh dear, mathematical education sorely needed!

  30. Leftie 30

    I don’t see why education can’t be free from my point of view. The money in the first place would come from the taxes i’ve paid for years, continue to pay as I study, and will pay with my new career. I could sure get it done a lot quicker if it was free. If I want to upskill myself then this seems a fair deal.

    Broaden your mind big bruv.

  31. big bruv 31

    Lefite

    Its just another case of Labour shafting the working man

  32. DS 32

    “I agree with Billy, the real working man (the people YOU lot are supposed to represent) already subsidizes tertiary education to the tune of 74%, on top of that they the election bribe interest free loans.”

    To use the previous example of truck-drivers (the Tory propensity to shed crocodile tears over the plight of the great unwashed masses has always been a source of amusement), those trucks would have nothing to drive on without university-educated civil engineers.

    But hey, those civil engineers-in-training are just bludging off the taxpayer, aren’t they? Just like all those biologists, chemists, mathematicians, computer scientists, and doctors. Who needs ’em? Let’s make ’em pay 100% of their tertiary education – that’ll teach ’em! Ruddy little ignoramuses actually have the nerve to expect the same sort of educational opportunities their parents’ generation had (or as exist in virtually anywhere else in the Western World).

    In fact, why stop there? Why not make everyone pay their own primary and secondary school costs? That way we can return all that tax money to those poor long-suffering inhabitants of Remuera.

  33. randal 33

    dave you are a liar. you lie on tr*d*m*, you lie in the cesspit and you cant tell the truth about anything. you are an angry man with no friends and then you come and lie here even though you say you hate liars. well look in the mirror and deal with it and stop bothering decent people.

  34. Billy 34

    randal, I think I am starting to see why no-one wants to employ you.

  35. Dave 35

    Randal: dave you are a liar. you lie on tr*d*m*, you lie in the cesspit and you cant tell the truth about anything. you are an angry man with no friends and then you come and lie here even though you say you hate liars. well look in the mirror and deal with it and stop bothering decent people.

    Wow. I think that pretty much rebutted every point I made.

    Insightful. Witty. And coherent.

    Well done.

  36. Leftie 36

    big bruv
    “Its just another case of Labour shafting the working man”

    Nope, National started the student loan scheme but I don’t need to remind you of that. Another case of the working man being shafted by National.

  37. r0b 37

    Dean: Actually I think the tragedy is more like why we see user pays education to be such a bad thing in this country, when plenty of other countries have it and don’t experience anywhere near the “brain drain’ New Zealand does. Do you have any ideas why this is the case?

    I don’t know how other countries handle their education costs Dean, I’m not an expert. I suspect that user pays education is regarded as a bad thing in plenty of countries. In NZ I think it interacts with an already strong tradition of the Big OE (young Kiwis travel for many reasons, not all of them economic). The combination is disastrous. I personally know of several (extended) family members and children of friends who have left NZ to escape their student loans.

    randal: Rob I have a good degree but am nearly a senior and I cant get a job I have stopped worryng about it, whats 60 g’s out of $5billion so much for getting an education

    Very sorry to hear it Randal. Don’t give up.

  38. Matthew Pilott 38

    “It’s alright billy, we tax the bejesus out of them (the rich ones)’
    No Matthew the envy tax kicks in at 60k. If you think that is rich then you are much sillier than I thought.
    Yr use of ‘we’ is interesting – its a real them and us fight for you lefty folk eh.

    Envy tax, my favourite. I won’t start on that piece of bigotry again, but it’s a real us versus them thing for you isn’t it?

    Just think, in a comment where you tried to paint someone else as using the us versus them thing, you then used a “you lefty folk” type generalisation. That could have been a clever ironic remark, but I doubt it… Did you think about what you were writing?!?

    P.S you’re assuming I’m not being “envy taxed”? I might have been part of the “them” getting the bejesus taxed out of by “you”, but you assume otherwise… More crass stereotyping is it – I’m from the left, so I must be poor and envious of those on 60k ?

  39. mike 39

    “I’m from the left, so I must be poor and envious of those on 60k ?”
    No you sound more like a latte’ liberal, champagne socialist to me Matt..

  40. RedLogix 40

    No you sound more like a latte’ liberal, champagne socialist to me Matt..

    I’ve always wondered what was the driver behind this banal and commonplace epithet. After all what could be more praiseworthy than a wealthy person who has not allowed their wealth to become a barrier between them and caring for those less fortunate?

    Is the nastiness nothing more than the dark guilt of those lessor folk who know (but would never admit) that they do not measure up?

  41. DS 41

    “I’ve always wondered what was the driver behind this banal and commonplace epithet.”

    Basically, it goes back to the US Republican Party (the undisputed masters of framing political language). In the 1970s they sought to splinter the New Deal coalition that had sustained Democratic Party dominance in the US since the 1930s, and so tried to win over blue-collar workers by creating this image of “welfare queens, limousine liberals,” etc. And it worked: for thirty years, the term “liberal” has been a dirty word in swathes of the US, simply because Republican propaganda has created this image of leftists being elitists (an image that gets downright Orwellian if you consider what the Right represents).

    Right-wingers here are simply following the lead of their American counterparts. They’ve been rather less successful though, if only because New Zealanders tend to vote on their economic interest (you generally don’t see poor people voting National, for instance, whereas most of the poorest states in the US invariably vote Republican).

  42. higherstandard 42

    DS

    “You generally don’t see poor people voting for National ”

    Who do the “poor people” vote for ? And God forbid who do they vote for if they turn into “rich people”

  43. IrishBill 43

    MJ Savage had a line about that HS, it went something like “they came in their rags to vote us in then came in their motorcars to vote us out.”

  44. higherstandard 44

    Great line IB

    If only our current batch of politicians had a similar grasp of the English language.

  45. RedLogix 45

    DS,

    Ah yes. I like your explanation. I guess I forgot the principle contribution American has made to the world… marketing. Delivered via Hollywood and Madison Avenue.

  46. higherstandard 46

    Bit more than that maybe Red – I know it’s fashionable to blame the worlds ills on the USA but it’s be a very different world without their influence over the last 100 years and I very much doubt it would be a better one.

  47. Matthew Pilott 47

    HS – if nothing else, can we blame the US for the ills inflicted upon the english language? I’m sure they’re behind the decline of the semicolon, to say nothing of the abomination that is apostrophe usage.

    P.S Top contribution mike, keep it up; it’s a shame there’s no easy political stereotype for the inane…

  48. higherstandard 48

    MP

    In the aforementioned blame we are in complete agreement.

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    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 ...
    2 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 ...
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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 ...
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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 ...
    3 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 ...
    3 days ago
  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    3 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    4 days ago
  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    5 days ago
  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    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 arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    5 days ago
  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    7 days ago
  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    7 days ago
  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week 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
    15 hours 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
    15 hours 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
    17 hours 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
    23 hours 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
    23 hours 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
    1 day 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    2 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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
    4 days 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
    5 days 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
    5 days 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
    5 days 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
    6 days 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
    6 days 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
    7 days 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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 ...
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  • 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 ...
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    1 week 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 ...
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  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
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    1 week ago
  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
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  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
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  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
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  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
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  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
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    1 week ago
  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
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  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
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    2 weeks ago
  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
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