Nobody's got the heart to tell you where to goBut in all honestyFuck offFuck offJust F-U-C-K O-F-F, fuck offSong: Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt & Tré Cool.A disclaimer: Please be aware that this newsletter is about David Seymour and therefore contains swear words; however, not the one that is forever ...
Opinion/Analysis:Chris Bishop, the man who wants to be PM, is not interested in “local control, local democracy” anymore now that Labour have been turfed from power. Subscribe nowNor does he appear interested in democracy at all.Similarly changed is the organisation his father, the late John Bishop, helped to set up ...
The National-led government, under Christopher Luxon’s watch, is steering New Zealand toward a grim horizon, guided by Treasury’s cold, austerity-obsessed hand. It’s a betrayal of ordinary Kiwis, workers, families, small businesses, who are being financially crushed to pad the pockets of the ultra-wealthy. The 2025 NBR Rich List exposes the ...
Carl von Clausewitz’s On War remains one of the foundational texts on strategy. It’s quoted in war colleges, cited in white papers, and clutched by officers the world over trying to sound profound in briefings. ...
The Indo-Pacific’s economic and security architecture is under strain. Strategic competition, supply chain fragility and the contesting of trade norms demand bold moves—greater efforts in strengthening diplomatic and economic ties and supporting the rules-based order. ...
In the interests of efficiency, maybe Brooke van Velden should just outsource her Workplace Relations and Safety Ministry to Business NZ and be done with it. Because (obviously) corporate wishes are her command. Within a short time in the job, van Velden has trashed a decade of pay equity work, ...
Book clubs aren’t typically my thing. Like many tech CEOs, my calendar is a blur of calls across multiple time zones. But when David Tudehope from Macquarie Technology Group handed me a hardcopy of Freedom’s ...
Paul Rusesabagina was the manager of Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali when the Rwanda genocide began in April 1994. The movie Hotel Rwanda was inspired by his actions in preventing the massacre of over 1200 Hutu and Tutsi refugees hiding in the Hotel. He was awarded the Presidential Medal ...
Busy today, but want to add a little bit more about the Regulatory Standards Bill. I did not think I could think any less of the ACT party and their weird blend of sanctimony, ideological delusion and thuggery, but then they pull this shit.Eighteen months of Seymour puffing up his ...
As tensions grow between China and the West, and Moscow drifts further into Beijing’s orbit, a strategic question is emerging. In 1971, the United States opened to Mao’s China to weaken the Soviet Union. Could ...
The New Zealand state has traditionally taken an expansive role in our society, providing health, education, and welfare systems to enrich and enable all our people. But ACT's weirdo radicals want to change that, and are directing the weak National government into enacting their agenda of dismantling the state. There's ...
Christopher Luxon’s neoliberal government is lurching from one communications disaster to another, making a complete mockery of their promise to govern with transparency and competence. The PM’s incessant bleating about “turbocharging the economy” is laughably detached from reality, while Ministers such as Brooke van Velden and Tama Potaka trip over ...
Last year, Health Minister Shane Reti and Prime Minister Chris Luxon visited Auckland’s Ormiston private hospital to talk up privatisation.Everything was up for grabs, Luxon said - “schools, health, hospitals, roads, 3 Waters investment”1. The Prime Minister also inferred he was talking to finance related companies, echoing Former NZ Health ...
The Government is considering cutting sick leave entitlements for part-time workers. Brooke van Velden has introduced a new bill which legislate changes to personal grievances, the 30-day rule and the ability of workers to test their employment status in court. NZEI is considering legal action against the government’s decision to ...
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi is urging all political parties to vote against Brooke van Velden’s new Employment Relations Amendment Bill, as it will severely undermine workers’ rights. “This new Bill will legislate many of the attacks on workers’ rights signalled by Brooke van Velden, ...
Hi,Firstly, I just wanted to say thanks for all the outpouring of comments you left under yesterday’s story about Alex — and thanks to all of those who shared the article. It’s a huge help to my work when you share it.Again, here is the link to Alex’s story ...
An executive order by the United States in April authorising expanded engagement in seabed mining reflects shifting approaches to the governance of critical mineral resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction. As legal frameworks evolve beneath ...
Morena, folks, I’m in a bit of a rush this morning with an appointment, so today it’s something short and silly.No, not your Miniature of Health, although Simeon certainly fits the description if that’s who came to mind. I’m talking about the grand Poobah, your Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon.Yes, our ...
Australia needs clearer guidelines around domestic deployments. Australia’s constitution mirrors many key features of the United States, including a provision that allows federal troops to intervene domestically in states. But unlike the US, Australia has ...
Van Velden shows her inexperience — and the privilege of the MPs surrounding her — as she announces potential new sick leave for part time workers doing the types of jobs she wouldn’t deign to call “real work”. Her older, more established colleagues are equally sheltered, or equally uncaring. David ...
Israel’s unprovoked airstrikes on Iran, justified by baseless claims of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, expose a glaring double standard in global politics. While Israel, an undeclared nuclear power, operates beyond international scrutiny, Iran faces relentless pressure, even as a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), despite ...
Australia’s approach to the Israel-Iran war has so far been based on a flawed model of statecraft. It’s one that tends to balkanise problems into convenient buckets, to be tackled piecemeal, rather than recognising the ...
As climate volatility increases and regional instability looms, Australia should consider developing Darwin into the Indo-Pacific’s leading humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) hub. This will require recognition of Darwin’s strategic value beyond defence, funding ...
The big news this morning was that the Prime Minister thought the government he leads was going to steal your sick leave. But apparently even the ACT zealots could see that that would deeply unpopular, so they've "clarified" that the Prime Minister was wrong, and really they're just going to ...
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi is dismayed by the Government’s decision to abstain from the new International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on biological hazards that would strengthen worker protections. “This Convention provides a comprehensive framework for preventing and managing biological workplace health and safety issues,” ...
Back in 2016, the Panama Papers ripped the veil off New Zealand’s squeaky-clean image, exposing our foreign trust regime as a playground for tax dodgers and money launderers. The leak of 11.5 million documents from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm, revealed how Kiwi lawyers facilitated secretive trusts for the ...
I’m pretty tied up for the next couple of weeks so unless there are significant new developments (things like, for example, complying with the OIA) this will be my final post on events around the Orr resignation for the time being. We know from what the Reserve Bank did choose ...
After the federal elections of 2022 and 2025, a certain supposed truth is taking root in Australian political discourse—namely, that discussion of potential conflict involving China is politically disadvantageous, because it is likely to have ...
For paid subscribers - Van Velden steers WorkSafe toward a softer touch has an interesting revelation about Brooke Van Velden’s Worksafe reforms.Not only is the Minister transforming Worksafe from enforcement to a soft ‘advisor’ mandate, she “wants to see more prosecutions of workers” and “reduce the obligations on directors.”Think about ...
You've got the words to change a nationBut you're biting your tongueYou've spent a lifetime stuck in silenceAfraid you'll say something wrongIf no one ever hears it, how we gonna learn your song?Songwriters: Emily Sande / Benjamin Kohn / Iain James / Peter Kelleher / Stephen Manderson / Thomas Barnes.Morena, ...
India strives to render Pakistan strategically irrelevant to better focus its attention on China. But neither Pakistan nor China has an interest in allowing that to happen. It’s an ongoing saga of which we saw ...
The StrategistBy Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan and Linus Cohen
Note: This story contains sensitive content, including discussion of eating disorders and disordered eating. Please read with caution.Hi,Last week, Radio New Zealand published a story about a 17-year old trans man who had tragically died, alone, in 2023.It was an extensive, detailed piece from journalist Ruth Hill — over 3500 ...
Hi,In light of today’s piece about Alex, it’s important to share some places where support can be found.To prevent further loss of life, we need to help families support trans young people, ensure medical and social services are equipped to understand and respond to their needs, and resource community organisations ...
Clearly, the world needs to stop talking about Israel’s right to defend itself, and start talking about the world’s need to defend itself against Israel. Gaza, Lebanon, Iran….these have become the stepping stones in Israel’s plan to expand its rule, unrivalled, over all the land between the river and the ...
A listing of 28 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, June 8, 2025 thru Sat, June 14, 2025. Stories we promoted this week, by category: Climate Science and Research (8 articles)Stefan Rahmstorf - Atlantic ocean circulation: a ...
As we all know, New Zealand Superannuation (NZ Super) faces a looming fiscal challenge, with costs projected to soar from $19 billion in 2025 (5% of GDP) to $45.3 billion by 2037 (~7% GDP) and 8% by 2060, driven by an ageing population (20% over 65 by 2036). As debates ...
Cartoonist: Musa GusmusOpinion:The assassination of Democrat lawmakers in America is regrettably predictable. Democratic House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, 55, and her husband, Mark, 58, were both shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park in what Gov. Tim Walz called a “politically motivated assassination.”Another couple were also attacked: DFL ...
There’s a post still coming about farming and our future that spans oceans and centuries, but I’m sending something else today because time is of the essence. So: first some memories, and then some words from Sir Geoffrey Palmer about Seymour’s goddam bill.Before I share with you something written by ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Was 1934 the hottest year in the global record? 1934 was a particularly hot year in the contiguous United States, but not globally ...
I have played less chess in recent times, largely out of frustration at my internet connection cutting out in the middle of Blitz games. But I have not given up my hope of ...
The NBR rich list has been published for 2025. The combined wealth of the 130 listed is $102.1 billion. In 2015 the 180 individuals and families listed had a combined wealth of $55 billion. According to the Reserve bank inflation calculator the percentage of change over the last decade was 32.9%. Given that ...
Yes, that subject again/still. Today, three main points: the comments by the Minister, including claims that she didn’t know why Orr had resigned the latest set of Quigley comments given to Newsroom’s Jonathan Milne, and (largely for the record) restating events around MPC appointments that are minimised by Milne ...
No hatred, no violenceNo starvation and no greedAnd no kings, no kingsNo kingsNo lies and no bulletsNo bombs and no needFor kings, no kingsNo kingsSong: Jesse Welles.Morena, all, as I begin writing, the missiles are flying, and it doesn’t matter which side is right or wrong to the people they ...
News that the US Department of Defence has launched an AUKUS review has Canberra’s defence circles in overdrive, with familiar critics already proclaiming the pact is ‘sinking’. Yet this outbreak of anxiety poses a bigger danger than ...
Hi,I have left the United States. But it’s much less dramatic than it sounds.This is a trip I’d been planning for months, and it has taken me out of the US. I’m in Manchester, here to see my best friend Rosabel who’s working on a project here in the land ...
Israel’s strikes against Iran will form the backdrop to New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s upcoming trip to China. Speaking in the immediate aftermath of the strikes at a scheduled press conference on Friday, Luxon characterised the strikes by Israel as ‘potentially catastrophic for the Middle East’, observing ‘the last ...
The Government’s plans to remove the wellbeing provisions in the Public Finance Act represents a reversal of the way society is travelling. I welcomed the Ardern-Robertson’s Government decision to focus on wellbeing in its budgets. It went on to amend the Public Finance Act to require the government to state ...
Australia must stop talking about being a middle power that punches above its weight. Talking about it is far less interesting to the rest of the world than Australia actually doing it. The occasion for ...
The Trump administration has ordered a review of AUKUS to be led by Undersecretary of Defense Policy Elbridge Colby. The review has some attendant risks, but also a potential upside for the three-way partnership. The ...
I do not mean to be pedantic about this sort of thing, but since it lies within my area of supposed “expertise,” here goes: Unlike what is being reported in the corporate media and by some defense officials, the Israeli strike on Iran was not “pre-emptive.” “Pre-emptive” means “a sudden ...
1. What would you let David Seymour or the people he put on a board decide for you?a. Whether to order the chicken or the flounderb. Whether to watch Dept Q or Sirens on Netflixc. Whether to read Ayn Rand or smack my head with a frypand. Nothing, not one ...
New story acceptance. My 2,000-word New Zealand folk-horror piece, The Patupaiarehe Concerto, has been accepted by Eternal Haunted Summer for their upcoming Summer Solstice issue, which has an overarching theme of music (https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/). ...
Excerpt: Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Aotearoa New Zealand, the Rt Hon Christopher LuxonRe: The Regulatory Standards Bill..This legislation would:Impose financial penalties on environmental action, making it a new and unprecedented expectation that the Crown would compensate corporations when laws to protect nature or the climate affect the ...
The post-coup Ukrainian government was the first to declare an anti-terrorist war – although their forces were the ones carrying ut terrorist acts against civilians in Eastern Ukraine. Russian politicians are starting to discuss the necessity of escalating the Russia-Ukraine war from a limited military operation into ...
Australia faces a growing dilemma: in attempting to ease genuine climate challenges, it is creating national security vulnerabilities by embedding Chinese smart technologies in critical infrastructure. This includes solar inverters and batteries. Electric vehicles, too, ...
The StrategistBy Tilla Hoja, James Corera and John Coyne
This morning as the Quigley/Orr/Board saga rumbles on I wanted to touch on three items: the latest comments from Board chair Neil Quigley (and the Minister’s comments on and to him) a reminder of where this all started, with the Board unanimously approving a budget last year far in ...
Australia’s long-term interests in space are best served by independent capability, diversified international partnerships and a civil-led strategy that reflects national priorities. As global competition intensifies, Australia must avoid tying its trajectory to the political ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking with regular guests and about the week’s news in geopolitics and climate. This week’s Hoon featured special guest New Zealand freelance journalist Andrew Gunn speaking from Kyiv.The Hoon’s ...
It’s a rare day when the New Zealand courts deliver a sharp reminder to the right-wing that actions have consequences, even for those who’ve built a career on peddling disinformation. Chantelle Baker, the self-styled “citizen journalist” and darling of New Zealand’s anti-vax, anti-government fringe, has been ordered to pay a whopping ...
..The latest two out of three polls for National are - to put it mildly - troubling.Fresh on the heels of Minister Nicola ‘NoBoats' Willis' austerity budget and the scrapping of thirtythree pay equity agreements to fund tax cuts for the already-rich, the public's appetite for this rightwing coalition government ...
Shane Jones is an outdated fossil of a minister. Born in 1959, his model of how our economy and society should look is stuck sometime in the late 70's: a dirty, fossil-fuel powered, racist, sexist, homophobic shitstain of a country which most of us never experienced, and most of those ...
Australia’s defence manufacturers are essentially a cottage industry, with the average supplier employing only 13 people and achieving net annual sales of about $2.2 million. These averages, drawn from the annual review of the industry ...
Dr Robert Howell UN Secretary General: We are sleepwalking to climate catastrophe. In facing this wake up call, Dr Howell will describe the lessons to be learned from Wesfamers; the work of the External Reporting Board; the National Climate Change Risk Assessment for New Zealanders; and the Dasgupta Review.Dr Robert Howell ...
Beneath Taiwan’s high-profile fight for global recognition lies a parallel contest in capitals scattered across the Caribbean and the Pacific. This is Beijing’s relentless campaign to isolate Taiwan diplomatically—country by country—until Taipei is left with ...
There is no depression in New ZealandThere are no sheep on our farmsThere is no depression in New ZealandWe can all keep perfectly calmPerfectly calm…Songwriters: Donald Bain Mcglashan / Richard Paul Von Sturmer.The National Party and farmers go together like Vogels and Vegemite - a classic Kiwi combo, based on ...
My Food Bag Co-Founders’ Tend Health approved to become a Government Primary Health Organisation (PHO)Opinion and analysis:In April, I wrote about My Food Bag Co-Founders James and Cecilia Robinson telehealth organisation, Tend, and its positive chances of securing government contracts.An industry contact wrote this in response to me at the ...
A hardy perennial in Ottawa politics is whether Canada should create a foreign intelligence service equivalent to the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, aka MI6). If it does, ...
Council of Trade Unions Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges has taken New Zealand’s pay equity fight to the International Labour Organisation conference in Geneva. Opposition parties say the government should be going much further, much faster in sanctioning Israel. Government ministers did not get advice on what the changes to pay equity ...
The recent sanctions placed on just two Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, by New Zealand, alongside Australia, Canada, Norway, and the United Kingdom, mark a timid but critical step toward halting Israel’s relentless genocide.However, targeting these two for their vile incitement of violence against Palestinians is the bare ...
In my post yesterday, I documented a whole series of ways in which Neil Quigley, Reserve Bank board chair (appointed by the Minister of Finance) appeared to have actively misled the public (and overseen the misleading of Reserve Bank staff) on the day Adrian Orr’s resignation was announced. Some of ...
Australia needs to coordinate national digital infrastructure investment and resilience or risk falling behind in security and missing economic opportunities. For the past decade, Australia has focused outward on projects such as funding regional telecommunications ...
The Government’s review of Early Childhood Education funding, announced today, is a clear and appalling reflection of its priorities, with a ministerial group being directed to balance “quality and affordability for services”. ...
The Green Party says proposed changes to the Employment Relations Act announced today by the Government will further undermine workers’ rights while pandering to big business. ...
The Government’s directive to give private hospitals 10-year outsourcing contracts to perform elective surgeries is yet another step down the path of privatisation in our healthcare system. ...
Te Pāti Māori is calling out the Government’s proposed changes to sick leave entitlements as a cruel step backwards that punishes low-income, part-time, single parents and essential workers. We staunchly support the concerns raised by PSA National Secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons, that this move will disproportionately harm wāhine, who are most ...
The Green Party has released its fiscal strategy, demonstrating how we can and must invest in the real-world needs of our country, planet and people. ...
Te Pāti Māori Co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi, has slammed the Rotorua Lakes Council’s treatment of homeless whānau as “inhumane and disgraceful,” following the forced police removal of people sleeping outside the Salvation Army on Amohia Street yesterday. “Our most vulnerable whānau were woken by police, trespassed like ...
The Green Party says the Government’s newly announced Biodiversity Credit scheme is a tiny positive that doesn’t undo the biodiversity harm caused by the Luxon Government. ...
A new report, ‘Outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi Māori and their whānau in the oranga tamariki system 2023/24,’ has confirmed that Oranga Tamariki is severely failing our most vulnerable Māori youth. ...
Today’s damning report on Oranga Tamariki shows Māori children are being left with little chance of success, or even survival, after their experiences in the state care system, and Minister for Children Karen Chhour is making it worse. ...
Last week, world-leading climate scientists called out the Government’s approach to agricultural emissions. This week, climate lawyers have sued the Government because its Emissions Reductions Plans do not add up. ...
Parliament today took an important step to improve women’s safety with the Government moving closer to Labour’s position on how stalking should be defined in law. ...
Te Pāti Māori condemns the Israeli navy’s armed interception of the Madleen, a civilian aid vessel carrying food, medical supplies, and international activists to Gaza, including Greta Thunberg. Communications of the Madleen have been cut, and there is no knowing if the crew are safe and unharmed. This is the ...
The Green Party is calling for the safe passage of the Madleen, a civilian aid vessel on course to Gaza, following the Freedom Flotilla being seized by the Israeli Military and urging the New Zealand Government to sanction Israel for its illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
Thanks to a successful community-led campaign backed by Labour, Lower North Island locals are today celebrating the toll-free opening of Te Ahu a Turanga – Manawatū Tararua Highway. ...
The Green Party is calling out the Government’s parent boost changes that benefit a wealthier minority while doing nothing to help reunite thousands of migrant families. ...
The Green Party condemns the unprecedented decision to suspend Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi for 21 days, and MP for Hauraki-Waikato Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke for 7 days. ...
The Government is quietly leaving some of our poorest families hundreds of dollars worse off, ignoring warnings that changes to the accommodation supplement and public housing subsidies will disproportionately target disabled, older, Māori, Pasifika, and young people. ...
Today, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi slammed the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee’s refusal to extend the public submission period for the Regulatory Standards Bill, calling it a deliberate act to silence whānau, hapū, iwi, and community voices. Waititi had urged the Committee to extend the submission period by ...
Workforce shortages that mental health Minister Matt Doocey tried to hide are now resulting in increasing pressure on our emergency departments as people needing help have nowhere else to go. ...
Te Pāti Māori join health professionals, medical bodies, and community organisations across Aotearoa in calling on Te Whatu Ora to immediately release the updated Guidelines for Gender Affirming Healthcare. The guidelines were developed by medical professionals with expertise in this form of care and approved by Te Whatu Ora’s National ...
Today’s sweeping changes to environmental protections paint a damning picture of a government hellbent on profit at all costs, openly allowing more environmentally harmful activities under the guise of progress. ...
Good Morning. It is a pleasure to be in Jakarta again today. Indonesia is an absolute priority for the New Zealand government, which is why we have now visited here four times since re-taking office as New Zealand Foreign Minister in late 2023. Indonesia is one of New Zealand’s oldest friends ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ visit to Indonesia today has secured tangible progress in New Zealand’s relationship with Southeast Asia’s most populous nation. “Indonesia is an indispensable partner for New Zealand,” Mr Peters says. “Demonstrating our commitment to the relationship, this is our fourth visit to Indonesia in the past 18 ...
His Excellency Sugiono, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, and Rt Hon Winston Peters, Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, convened the 12th meeting of the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) on 13th June 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Ministers welcomed meeting in person, underscoring the importance ...
At least four new rapidly deployable relocatable inpatient units will be rolled out across the country to ensure hospitals can continue delivering care to patients while major infrastructure projects are underway, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. “These new inpatient units – part of the Government’s $1 billion Budget 2025 investment ...
The Government is tackling talent shortages in manufacturing and boosting New Zealand’s economic recovery by fast-tracking residency for skilled tradespeople. “We know how important skilled workers are to the resilience of the manufacturing sector. When we don’t have enough people to fill these roles, productivity slows, business growth stalls and the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Liz Gellert as an Associate Judge of the High Court. Associate Judge Gellert graduated from the University of Auckland in 2003 with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts. She was a law clerk with David Williams KC before ...
The Government is delivering 32 more safe, warm and dry classrooms and a major school redevelopment for Kiwi kids living in the Central North Island. “As communities continue to grow, we remain committed to future-proofing our education system so parents have certainty about where to send their child to school. ...
The Government is expanding the permitted voltage range for electricity networks, so Kiwis with solar panels can send more power back to the grid. Changes are being made to clarify that a building consent is not needed to install rooftop solar panels on existing buildings. Councils will be required to ...
A successful programme to help Māori health providers lift childhood immunisation rates will be renewed, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. "The Immunising our Tamariki programme, originally launched in 2023 by Hon Dr Shane Reti, invested $50 million in Māori health providers to deliver targeted, community-based immunisation outreach. It aims to ...
Forestry, Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay, today announced at the Fieldays Forestry Hub, both inbound and outbound forestry trade missions with India this year, aimed at strengthening trade links, deepening industry ties, and unlocking greater value for both countries’ forestry and wood processing sectors. “India is one of the ...
A Judicial Conduct Panel will inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken, Acting Attorney-General Paul Goldsmith says. “Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct at the Northern Club on 22 November 2024 was the subject of a preliminary examination by the Judicial Conduct Commissioner. “The ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will travel to China and Europe next week. He will be joined in Shanghai and Beijing with a delegation of senior New Zealand business leaders. “China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner and a vital part of our economic story,” Mr Luxon says. The visit will focus on ...
Forestry Minister Todd McClay today congratulated the winners of the inaugural Growing Native Forests Champions Awards for driving real progress in native forest establishment and land use innovation. “This is what good land management looks like — native forests that support both the environment and the rural economy,” Mr McClay ...
New Zealand has extended its commitment the Operation Gallant Phoenix multinational intelligence mission in Jordan, the Government announced today. The deployment of up to 10 New Zealand Defence Force and Police personnel has been extended for two years until June 2027. “This operation is essential to our commitment to a ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown has today announced funding for the first stage of a major project to upgrade and expand interventional radiology services at Auckland City Hospital. “This project will significantly improve access to radiology services for patients across Auckland and beyond,” Mr Brown says. “A $41.2 million investment will ...
The return of wool carpets to state homes has been welcomed by Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson. State housing agency Kāinga Ora announced today that from next month, a new supplier agreement will deliver woollen carpets for the fit-out of new state homes. “The ...
The Government is supporting the expansion of a voluntary credits nature market through the running of pilot projects across New Zealand. Establishing a market that is durable, measurable and transparent will help farmers, landowners, iwi, and conservation groups unlock new income streams for looking after nature on their land, Associate ...
Farmers, growers, foresters, fishers and primary processors are driving New Zealand’s economic recovery with export revenue on track to surpass $60 billion for the first time, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced today at Fieldays. “The latest Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries (SOPI) report forecasts export earnings of ...
A key milestone in the push for a more connected digital economy has been reached, with over one million businesses now registered with a New Zealand Business Number (NZBN), Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Chris Penk says. “The NZBN is a simple idea with a big impact. It gives each ...
New Zealand’s aquaculture sector has experienced double-digit growth in export revenue over the past year, sending a clear signal that more is to come from the enormously promising sector, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The forecast export results were released today as part of the latest Situation and ...
More than 9,500 additional procedures have now been delivered as part of the Government’s elective boost, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. “This is what putting patients first looks like. We are focused on increasing delivery of elective treatments – across both public and private hospitals – to reduce wait times ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has concluded a constructive visit to Italy, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations. Mr Peters and Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani met in Rome overnight and confirmed the strength of the bilateral relationship that New Zealand and Italy share. “New Zealand and Italy are long-standing ...
A new agreement between the Government and key livestock industry groups marks a major milestone in New Zealand’s readiness for a potential foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard announced today. “The Foot and Mouth Disease Operational Agreement confirms how Government and industry will jointly prepare for, ...
Public consultation begins today aimed at improving the legal aid scheme for those who cannot afford advice and representation, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “We have a duty to ensure all New Zealanders have access to justice by means of a fair and open process. “To do so, we need ...
Energy Minister Simon Watts has announced the Government’s new Solar on Farms initiative, which will support farmers in taking the next step towards installing solar and battery systems, helping them reduce energy costs, increase on-farm resilience, and allow farmers to gain greater control over their power use, leading to increased ...
New Zealand is raising its game on the global stage with a new Grass-Fed certification scheme to help our red meat and dairy producers go head-to-head with competitors in premium international markets, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today at Fieldays. “International consumers are increasingly willing ...
The Government is backing a $17 million partnership with farmers to boost productivity, profitability, and sustainability by identifying the most resilient, high-performing pastures for New Zealand conditions, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today at Fieldays. Minister McClay confirmed the Government will invest $8.269 million in the Resilient Pastures project through ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the clearance of a significant radiology backlog at Taranaki Base Hospital, calling it a practical outcome that puts patients first. “In March, more than 6,000 x-ray reports were sitting unprocessed at Taranaki Base Hospital. That was causing unacceptable delays for patients needing diagnosis and ...
City-shaping changes are coming to New Zealand’s largest city, ensuring that Auckland can fully harness the economic growth benefits of the new City Rail Link, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown say. The Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill (the Bill) has been ...
The Government is stepping up support for rural New Zealand with a $4 million Rural Wellbeing Fund to expand investment in community-based initiatives, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced today at Fieldays. “The establishment of this fund is a result of advocacy by Federated Farmers Chair, Wayne Langford, who ...
Applications have opened for a $30 million fund for projects that will enhance the resilience of New Zealand’s coastal shipping connections and help boost economic growth, Associate Transport Minister James Meager has announced. The Coastal Shipping Resilience Fund was established through the Government Policy Statement on land transport. Funding will ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has taken part in two major international events in Nice, France this week, focused on Pacific resilience, prosperity and security. The sixth Pacific-France Summit, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, took place in Nice overnight. “The Summit brought together Pacific countries for discussions with France on ...
New Zealand has joined Australia, Canada, the UK and Norway in placing travel bans on two extremist Israeli politicians, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. The bans will prevent Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from travelling to New Zealand. “Our action today is not against ...
6th Pacific-France Summit Intervention by New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rt Hon Winston Peters Nice, France, Tuesday 10 June 2025 Thank you, President Macron, for convening this meeting today, the sixth Pacific-France Summit. We were privileged to have also been at the second Pacific-France Summit, during the Presidency of ...
Tēnā koutou katoa. Thank you for the warm welcome. It is my pleasure to welcome you all to MEETINGS 2025. First, I would like to acknowledge Mayor Wayne Brown attending MEETINGS 2025 today and a special acknowledgment to Ngāti Whatua Orakei for their pōwhiri and welcome. I would also like ...
The Government is increasing funding for attracting overseas visitors and investing in tourism infrastructure as part of its new Tourism Growth Roadmap, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston says. “We’re investing $35 million to deliver the first stage of the Roadmap, which sets out the Government’s plan to double the ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is welcoming changes to toughen up the proposed anti-stalking law, including being triggered after two specified acts within 24 months. “This change better recognises patterns in stalking behaviour and time that can pass between incidents. For example, stalking that occurs around anniversaries would not be covered ...
I am delighted to be here in Singapore once again, to speak to you in my capacity as New Zealand’s Minister for Resources and Associate Minister for Energy. If you haven’t heard of me before today, I’m proud to declare myself the champion of New Zealand’s petroleum and minerals sector. ...
Thank you all for the invitation to speak with you this morning. I have been looking forward to this opportunity. May is a busy month for the Government, and it is always a relief to have the Budget delivered. Today, I would like to speak about what I see as ...
The government is boosting support for rural resilience and wellbeing announced by Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson. “We’re backing Rural Support Trusts by committing $3 million over the next four years, to help improve rural communities’ access to primary mental health services and specialist ...
They’ve built aqueducts for the piss. A state-of-the-art municipal pipe network purely for transporting the piss.Chris Bishop started his speech at the Wellington Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday paying tribute to an unlikely list of allies. Labour’s Phil Twyford deserved “great credit” for pushing through the pro-housing National Policy ...
As legal voices within our own legal fraternity have acknowledged, our Government holds not only a right but a duty to lead—ahead of electoral cycles—by placing human rights and international justice at the heart of its foreign policy. ...
RNZ Pacific The Solomon Islands Foreign Ministry says five people who completed agriculture training in Israel are safe but unable to come home amid the ongoing war between Israel and Iran. The ministry said in a statement that the Solomon Islands Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was closely ...
A whole week dedicated to putting Budget 2025 spending under the microscope means a whole lot of bickering. Welcome to another edition of scrutiny week. Although our government is always supposed to be acting democratically or whatever, this relatively new process gives parliament’s select committees the chance to put recent ...
Analysis: Since early in the Old Testament, leaders have counted their population. Sometimes to raise taxes, sometimes to raise an army. They counted the men, their wives and children, their donkeys, goats and sheep … Indeed, the fourth book of the Christian Bible is named ‘Numbers’, because it starts and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scarlett Smout, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use and Australia’s Mental Health Think Tank, University of Sydney skynesher/Getty Images We know young people in Australia and worldwide are experiencing growing mental health ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Jotzo, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy and Director, Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, Australian National University Photo by Jie Zhao/Corbis via Getty Images Australia is the world’s third largest exporter of gas and second largest exporter of coal. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isaac Gross, Lecturer in Economics, Monash University The Conversation, CC BY-NC The first term of the Albanese government was defined by its fight against inflation, but the second looks like it will be defined by a need to kick start Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Hartigan, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney rarrarorro/Shutterstock The tax cuts bill currently being debated by the US Senate will add another US$3 trillion (A$4.6 trillion) to US debt. President Donald Trump calls it the “big, beautiful bill”; his erstwhile ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Cole, Composer and Lecturer in Screen Composition, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney Universal Pictures Our experience of the world often involves hearing our environment before seeing it. Whether it’s the sound of something moving through nearby water, or ...
The estimates for those with chronic fatigue (now known colloquially as ME) in New Zealand have risen sharply. Danny Rood shares his personal experiences of living with the illness for six years, and what eventually helped improve his quality of life. You may have heard of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, or chronic ...
The government will take back power from local councils if their decisions are going to negatively impact growth, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. ...
The mental health minister says clear milestones and better accountability are among the reasons he’s hopeful the plan will work, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.A new strategy with sharper teeth Mental health minister Matt Doocey ...
The Smokefree 2025 goal is only months away, but Māori smokefree advocates are concerned that Māori smoking rates have remained more than double that of the general population. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago Ahead of his first visit to China, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been at pains to present meetings with Chinese premier Xi Jinping and other leaders as advancing New Zealand’s best interests. ...
A friend of a New Zealander stuck in Iran says the government needs to help provide safe passage, and that the advice so far has been "vague and lacking any substance whatsover". ...
Two overlooked votes on obscure council policies could make a significant difference to new housing in Wellington. It’s no secret that council rules and processes are arcane. Local government is a bureaucratic minefield of jargon and seemingly pointless minutiae. It’s not uncommon for councillors to sit through hours of explanations ...
A British billionaire with links to offshore tax havens and a history of controversial political donations has been granted New Zealand residence, and he’s been meeting with government ministers in Wellington. This story is supported by The Spinoff Members. To join them in supporting independent journalism, please donate today. The ...
The Serious Fraud Office, which has been forced to change its investigative practices after stringent criticism by an appeal court, will be put in charge of a government-wide crackdown on corruption among public servants. The agency will take the lead in a national counter-fraud and corruption strategy being launched across ...
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Paying to bury (or cremate) the person who meant the most in the world to you is going to be fraught with resentment right from the start. “It’s a grudge purchase and also a grief purchase isn’t it … it’s a purchase you don’t want to make,” says Gillian Boyes, ...
Analysis: Fisheries and Resources Minister Shane Jones has positioned himself at the coalface of the current government’s economic agenda, labelled in some quarters as the ‘war on nature’. While other Ministers tinker with big ticket items like the fast track bill, it tends to be Jones on the ground calling ...
I’m getting my Christmas wish list in early. I don’t want golf clubs, diamonds or a pony I can ride twice. I have two simple wishes for this Christmas, both to do with the dear old Public Lending Right. I dream of the modern equivalent of a cheque in time ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – In April 2025, several of the Greenpeace crew visited Matauri Bay, Northland, the final resting place of the original flagship, the Rainbow Warrior. This article was one of the reflections pieces written by an oceans communications crew member.COMMENTARY: By ...
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