Sua William Sio: COP21 and the Pacific Islands

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, December 12th, 2015 - 25 comments
Categories: climate change, Environment, global warming, john key, national, same old national - Tags: , ,

Sua William Sio

When the dust has settled on Climate Change negotiations at the COP21 Paris meeting, America, New Zealand and the many other industrial nations will return to the comfort of their homes for a well-earned break. The world media will return pleased with their coverage of the Paris conference.

France will congratulate themselves for a job well done in hosting a safe and robust conference. Environmental activists will return home satisfied they have pressured industrial nations to do the right thing by highlighting the hypocrisy of promises made versus the opposing actions of some nations who say one thing, and does something else. But what about the Pacific Island nations?

Pacific island leaders attended COP21 determined to fight for their right to live in their Pacific island homes. They were very clear that it is the economic activities, the fossil fuel appetites of industrial nations that is accelerating climate change. The destructive effects of climate change is causing harm at a rapid pace to the most vulnerable, low-lying atolls, such as Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands.

The sea levels are constantly rising with each incoming tide, destroying crops, undermining foundations of homes, roads and disrupting economic activities. Eventually the most vulnerable islands will be under water. The acidification of the ocean also undermines drinking water supplies. It destroys food crop supplies and damages flora and fauna. The reality for the Pacific island nations is that they are now almost at a constant state of emergency with storms and hurricanes becoming more frequent and more intense.

From the start of COP21, the Pacific Island Countries had wanted a Treaty that was legally binding on all nations. From their perspective it wasn’t just about the islands, it was about saving the world from itself. However, it wasn’t what the USA, New Zealand and others wanted. The industrialized countries instead framed the debate to focus on a non-binding agreement.

Pacific island nations were united on a 1.5 degree temperature limit. Others championed a 2 degree limit, arguing that 1.5 degrees was too hard.

Industrial nations committed billions of dollars to the Green Climate Fund but made it extremely difficult for Pacific Island nations to access these funds for damage control projects.

Embarrassingly, New Zealand showed itself up as a weak leader, earning itself dishonorable recognition for both Messers Key and Grosser’s contributions with two Fossil of the Day Awards. I suspect both will be content. Mr Key will fly off and holiday in Hawaii. Mr Groser will take up a new posting as Ambassador to the USA.

For the Pacific and its peoples, when all is said and done, and irrespective of the text of the final agreement, and when everyone else has returned safely to their homes, the Pacific delegations will return to face their reality and the constant quest to find answers to address their real and immediate plight.

How do we survive the constant onslaught of climate change impact? Merry Christmas.

25 comments on “Sua William Sio: COP21 and the Pacific Islands ”

  1. AmaKiwi 1

    27 years ago Marilyn Waring (Counting for Nothing) attacked our GDP accounting system for counting destruction of natural resources as positive rather than negative.

    If we take a million barrels of oil out of the ground, the resource is gone forever. It’s a permanent loss for the country and future generations. Instead, our GDP system measures it as good because it makes profits.

    We use an accounting system which measures an evil as a good; which rewards destruction.

    I have not answered the question, “How do we survive the constant onslaught of climate change impact?” I’m pointing out how difficult it is for our profit driven society to find daylight when it’s core principles are about sticking our heads up our asses.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1

      If we take a million barrels of oil out of the ground, the resource is gone forever.

      Which is, of course, what makes renewable energy always cheaper – it simply doesn’t continue to use up precious resources.

      Our entire system is wrong. It pushes the idea that using more resources costs less, that private business will always do things better than the government when the opposite is true and that private ownership will always bring about the best result while reality shows that private ownership brings about the worst result.

    • Smilin 1.2

      The accounting system is there so that those who profit the most dont have to be responsible for their destruction and greed of the worlds resources and covering the actions with the next God redemption of PROFIT for the good of all, giving credence to their supposed philanthropic nature in being in business and their way is the only way to run the world

  2. Ad 2

    Key’s government will simply have to find out about sea level rise the hard way. On New Zealand, the greatest impact upon people’s daily lives will be in cities; Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, and a few parts of Wellington and Auckland’s coasts. Billions upon billions of losses.

    There was a not too distant past in which New Zealand was a good friend of a number of Pacific island countries – with particular responsibility for the Cook Islands and still for Tuvalu. Key in particular has deeply degraded our strong historical diplomatic core with Pacific islands and essentially handed it to the Chinese via their aid.

    When Fran O’Sullivan calls for binding targets and scolds the New Zealand position as “muddled” and “untenable”, you know how John Key looks:

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11559889

    We are now a weaker part of the world for Key’s poor international leadership.

    • Pat 2.1

      before the actual loss of billions in infrastructure and property NZ (and others) will have to deal with the undermining of our financial system when the insurers progressively remove /limit cover on those assets….an action that has already begun and will only accelerate.

      • Ad 2.1.1

        That’s what I was hinting at in “billions and billions of losses”.
        Definitely easy to see climate change being insurance-industry led in near future. Hero Adjusters! (ahem)(cough)

    • New Zealand will also have to make provision for climate refugees coming from the likes of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu where a combination of sea level rise and salination is making these places gradually more and more inhospitable to humans.

      I have yet to hear any one in National fully acknowledge this.

  3. ianmac 3

    I read somewhere this morning that NZ had buckled to the call for 1.5 degrees.

  4. Bill 4

    A couple of things about 1.5 degrees.

    Bearing in mind that 2 degrees is more or less impossible now, what’s with the nonsense of ‘making a decision’ to limit warming to 1.5 degrees?

    When governments scraped their signatures to the Copenhagen Accord in 2009 they signed up to adopt notions of equity and scientific feasibility when tackling climate change. Are these things now to be jettisoned?

    An impossible target being thrown out there as a ‘decision’ might convince anyone who hasn’t been paying attention that governments are in control of the situation. And a 1.5 degree target could be used as a huge stick to beat the crap out of the worlds poorest people should they (or their governments) be thinking about laying in basic infrastructure (power and transport systems, water networks and hospitals etc)

    • Murray Simmonds 4.1

      Sorry to say it, but i think you are probably right about that, Bill. Likewise Draco T. Gareth Morgan makes a similar point over on his blog in a new posting there. I find his arguments, alas, fairly convincing.

      What we DON’T know is how a 2 degree increase will pan out across the planet. Obviously some countries will be more heavily impacted than others. (The Siberians for example may relish the idea of warmer, though stormier winters?).

  5. Manuka AOR 5

    The appointment of Bennett as Climate Change Minister says it all. The present NZ govt does not give a toss!

    “The sea levels are constantly rising with each incoming tide, destroying crops, undermining foundations of homes, roads and disrupting economic activities. Eventually the most vulnerable islands will be under water. The acidification of the ocean also undermines drinking water supplies. It destroys food crop supplies and damages flora and fauna. The reality for the Pacific island nations is that they are now almost at a constant state of emergency with storms and hurricanes becoming more frequent and more intense.”

  6. BLiP 6

    COP21 is a waste of time. TiSA is going to limit what few options New Zealand has left after the TPPA is signed . . .

    . . . Our Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which is designed to reduce New Zealand’s contribution to global climate change, and to meet our obligations under the Kyoto protocol. The government has proposed legislation that will extend the transition period for full implementation of the ETS indefinitely. If New Zealand were to sign-up to the TPPA with the ETS in such a weakened form, any future changes to the scheme to seriously address climate change would risk ISDS litigation from overseas companies invested in New Zealand farming or industrial operations . . .

    “How do we survive the constant onslaught of climate change impact?” <— get rid of National Ltd™ and vote Green. Its the only chance Pacifika and New Zealand has over the long term.

    • Bill 6.1

      Can’t say I have any problem with any and all Emission Trading Schemes crashing and burning. They’re a dangerous con that do absolutely nothing in terms of global emissions reduction and may well actually increase global emissions.

      • BLiP 6.1.1

        Carbon tax – simple, easy, cheap to run, and stimulates effort into developing alternatives.

        (My link to the quote in Comment 6 has disappeared into the ether. It comes from here —> http://itsourfuture.org.nz/tppas-effect-on-the-new-zealand-environment/)

        • Bill 6.1.1.1

          Carbon tax is much better. The only question is whether any market based mechanism can bring the reductions we need fast enough. 15% every year from western countries for a mere 50/50 punt at 2 degrees is a big call. To put that into perspective, just 4 or 5 years ago, the west needed 10% p.a. reductions for a 50/50 punt. Things are moving very, very fast.

    • Manuka AOR 6.2

      “Its the only chance Pacifika and New Zealand has over the long term.”

      We don’t have a “long term”. The changes are here NOW! From what Sua William Sio has written above: ” The reality for the Pacific island nations is that they are now almost at a constant state of emergency “

      And Key appoints Madam Bennett as “Climate Change Minister”!

      Given that our neighboring Islands are now virtually in a constant state of emergency, for us to speak of the effects as being away some time in the future is, as Naomi Klein has noted, “subliminally racist”. And, in this same situation, for the govt to appoint someone to the Ministerial post who openly denigrates people who speak out about environmental problems and who seems almost to wear her lack of knowledge of these matters as a badge of honour, appears to be overtly racist.

      From Amy Goodman’s interview with Naomi Klein:
      “We are already living the era of dangerous warming. It is already costing thousands of lives and livelihoods, from the Philippines to Bangladesh to Nigeria to New Orleans and the Marshall Islands—I could go on and on. But it’s important to understand that language matters and that when we speak about dangerous warming as something that is far off in the distance, it is nothing less than, as my friend Kumi Naidoo put it yesterday, “subliminal racism.” And that racism is getting less subliminal every day. We are discounting lives when we speak that way, and we have to stop doing it.” http://www.democracynow.org/2015/12/9/naomi_klein_decries_climate_deal_as

  7. MeganF 7

    Climate change refugees will become a reality sooner than NZ thinks and as the closest neighbour to many of the affected Pacific Islands there needs to be more thought on how we will support these countries from the imminent reality of displacement.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 7.1

      If “we” involves the National Party in any government role, the answer to how we will support our neighbours is two words: “we won’t”.

      • Tautuhi 7.1.1

        It will not be John Key’s problem he will be gone after the 2017 or 2020 Election, also NZ’s overseas debt will not be his problem, it will be our problem the taxpayers.

        • Smilin 7.1.1.1

          When he does go I wonder if all his blind trust profits and Natcorps increased coffers could be assessed for liable contribution to the nations debt incurred by his and their mismanagement of the economy and his liability in failing to serve the nations best interest
          Sort of a Truth and Reconciliation process like has happened in SA after apartheid

  8. Draco T Bastard 8

    Editorial: An inviting waterfront the answer

    Tauranga City Council’s proposed revamp of Tauranga’s downtown waterfront is just what the city needs.

    Overwhelming public support has helped drive the first round of decisions to spend $3.2 million to develop the plan.

    City councillors this week agreed to press ahead with preparing detailed designs on the plan to build tidal steps down to the harbour’s edge in front of the children’s playground and Hairy Maclary statues.

    This whole lunacy around global warming reminds me of the opening in Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds:

    It seems totally incredible to me now that everyone spent that evening as though it were just like any other. From the railway station came the sound of shunting trains, ringing and rumbling, softened almost into melody by the distance. It all seemed so safe and tranquil.

    And that’s exactly how we’re reacting

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgIuUyAUxaw

    • Halfcrown 8.1

      Nice one Draco That was a good trip down memory lane before the neo rightwing fuckwits had got the cradle marks off their arses and fucked the world

      Off topic Draco a great set of records like vinyl LP’s in a sleeve type cover complete with great book of artwork. I still have mine. great narrative by Richard Burton and great lyrics like

      “They said the chances of anything coming from Mars was a thousand to one, but still they came.”

      I suppose we can apply this to Tauranga City Council

      The chances of the sea levels rising are a thousand to one, But still it rose.

  9. Poission 9

    The reality for the Pacific island nations is that they are now almost at a constant state of emergency with storms and hurricanes becoming more frequent and more intense.

    The reality for the south pacific is that they are neither more frequent or intense in the 21st century.

    http://blog.metservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Number-and-intensity-of-cyclones-in-the-South-Pacific.png

  10. Bill 10

    Kevin Anderson talking to Amy Goodman on Democracy Now from Paris…

    http://www.democracynow.org/2015/12/8/top_climate_expert_crisis_is_worse

  11. sabine 11

    How do we survive the constant onslaught of climate change impact?

    We don’t.

    Merry Christmas indeed.

    Northwestern US.

    http://www.rawstory.com/2015/12/pacific-northwest-braces-for-mudslides-as-record-setting-rainfall-continues/

    quote: ……In a rare event for the Pacific Northwest, the National Weather Service on Thursday said it had received reports of a moderate-strength tornado in Battle Ground, Washington. Television footage showed residents clearing debris from roads and blue tarps covering damaged roofs.

    NWS forecasters have also warned Alaskans about a powerful encroaching storm that could bring hurricane-force winds to the Aleutian Islands over the weekend. AccuWeather said that system could become “the strongest on record” for the region.

    Meteorologists say the El Nino weather phenomenon, which can trigger above-average precipitation on the West Coast, is expected to remain strong through this winter.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-29T05:35:30+00:00