Talk is cheap Tamihere

Written By: - Date published: 5:13 am, August 22nd, 2019 - 56 comments
Categories: john tamihere, local body elections, local government, phil goff, politicans, Politics, transport, uncategorized - Tags:

I am really not a fan of political candidates bullshitting that they and only they can get the unachievable in politics.

John Tamihere – candidate for Auckland city Mayor, is just the epitome of this kind of blowhard. Politically over many years, he has been the kind of fool who seems to keep his brain mounted right next to his testicles to inform his mouth what to say.

He released a transport policy fantasy that appears to have been born directly out of a sustained release of testosterone while tripping on illegal substances in an alternate universe. 

So far he has been promising money that the city doesn’t have for multiple projects on transport infrastructure that is owned and operated by the state. Funding that he has doesn’t have a shit show of getting because it is based on funding that the rest of NZ is also competing for. He also says that he can get them happening on impossible timeframes.

Each project will cause traffic chaos while they’re implemented because they will require construction on existing infrastructure while it continues to run. Ask anyone who has had to deal with the choke points on the much needed   – just look at the joy for motorists that has been the much needed Southern Corridor Improvements  for the last 4 years. 

Most of the transport he is blithfully talking about isn’t Auckland City controlled. Changes to them depend on national funding because they are state roads. But there is a curious silence about the kind of business case that would be required to convince the rest of NZ to fund them. I guess that level of detail was too hard.

Even looking at his policy for the locally controlled transport infrastructure is just sheer fantasy. Somehow cutting the regional petrol tax that is funding the existing expansion is meant to magically cause transport projects to rise. Apparently by sweetheart deals with capital funding 

Mr Tamihere said: “There are investors wanting to invest in park and ride facilities that will help get this city out of grid lock,

I’m sure that there are. All that they will require is the free land, a removal of all local input during the planning process, zero risk built into secret contracts that require ratepayers to be liable for the private profits, and a massive cost to Aucklanders. After all, every PPP scheme I have ever looked at closely seems to contain those elements. 

Auckland is a city that is currently bumping up against its debt ceiling.  Rate payers (like myself) have a steadily rising price to pay for the previous lack of local transport work by his political partners in National’s C&R over past decades. Because of this beholden relationship, it appears that chopping the regional petrol tax that is helping to user fund current local transport projects is part of the deal. So is the hugely expensive East-West road link because there is no way that makes any sense nationally.

In fact the actual John Tamihere transport policy has a complete lack of ANY information about how any of this is going to get funded. Which really is my signal that he really is a flatulent do-nothing whose only really useful role appears to be a radio shock jock.

John Tamihere comes across as just being another dimwitted loud-mouthed conservative who is good at being a chattering critic and and grossly unrealistic at the reality of actually doing anything. Reminds me of John Banks as mayor or John Tamihere’s previous outing as a MP. 

I think I’ll just vote for Goff who is actually working on a reality that has funding plans and way less blowhard magic.

 

56 comments on “Talk is cheap Tamihere ”

  1. Bomber is backing JT, amazing how he picks 'em (internet mana, kim dotcom lol)

    • Rapunzel 1.1

      It seems that things stay behind the paywall but this was a snippet from a Herald story on Monday that not all have seen,

      "Is there a crisis? Rates, debt and Auckland Council
      Is spending out of control?
      No. At the end of the third quarter of 2018/19, Auckland Council was $56 million better off than budget. That was caused by $24m in additional income and $32m less spending.
      That's part of a trend. Over the three-year term of the current council, it has reduced general spending by $69m. For the next three years, savings of a further $62m are projected. Since the Super City's first full budget back in 2011/12, the council has made general savings of $293m.”

      • lprent 1.1.1

        That paywall is somewhat irritating for Auckland.

        It isn't that I mind paying for news and view services. After all we currently pay for NYT, Economist, Guardian, Medium, and a host of professional information sources.

        It is just that I expect value for money. And that is exactly the kind of information that I like. But the "Unlimited premium content from NZ Herald" is mostly junk opinions on local content as far as I can see. I can get that here or anywhere around the local net.

        And to pay for that, I would have to dump something that is useful.

        I'd go for a pay per view on a prepaid account without a time limit. But not coughing up a few hundred dollars per year every year just in case there is something worth reading.

        • Sacha 1.1.1.1

          I would happily pay per story or even per author.

          • esoteric pineapples 1.1.1.1.1

            Interesting to hear that. See my comment just below on that subject

        • Rapunzel 1.1.1.2

          Our local BOP paper had become so pitiful and full of Herald stories anyway, the paywall option and the local paper just on Saturdays costs us the same amount we were paying. Not sure if I will stay what they choose to paywall and what is "free" seems to have an ominous pattern to it – I would pay to avoid Hosking but I notice that Hawkesby is not getting many inches now, not sure but certainly no loss.

        • esoteric pineapples 1.1.1.3

          There's a real opportunity for independent media outlets that pick off the news that really matters and leave all junk opinions etc to the Herald and other media (media not being the same as news) outlets.

          All you need is a couple of journalists and a free Google blogger blogsite, then get advertising avenue on the page which will quickly build up a following, An accompanying youtube channel could be used to attract advertising revenue as well. Plus you invite people to become members with the bonus of extras, and also invite people to donate to the site or individual journalists pages using Patreon etc.

          You will never get rich but you could earn a living from it. There's plenty of people now earning a full time living from posting videos on Youtube alone.

          • Sacha 1.1.1.3.1

            Digital advertising is not enough to be viable, sadly. Newsroom.co.nz is doing that model but with sponsorship, presspatron.com donations, and a premium subscriber service for business news, not relying on advertising.

            • David Mac 1.1.1.3.1.1

              I think digital advertising will accumulate value as it becomes more targeted.

              A Toyota full page ad in the Herald might cost them $10,000. Of the 50,000 people they've paid to reach, 10 might purchase the new Corolla. The Toyota marketing dept would prefer to place their ad in front of people that have spent time with a digital road test of the model.

              • Dukeofurl

                Stuff revenue last financial year was around $300 mill

                Thats huge for a media business, cant explain what they spend it on as 100 journalists on an average of $75k salary per year is only $7.5 mill. For the whole country make that 200 including production journalists ( used to be sub editors) and overheads looks like $20 mill plus.

                We need a full Commerce Commision investigation like they did for the Oil companies to find out what they are spending their money on – before they start dipping into the tax payers pocket

          • Dukeofurl 1.1.1.3.2

            "There's plenty of people now earning a full time living from posting videos on Youtube alone."

            Plenty ? Maybe in the worldwide sense but not locally. And creating news is expensive . Youtube videos are essentailly about nothing or are advertisments for products anyway

            I was amused to read about Sparks live sports feeds, sure its a lot cheaper than paying for Skysport – if thats your thing.

            But some viewers noticed they arent getting half time commentaries and after match analysis that Sky Sport provided ( and could plug in advertising)

        • Dukeofurl 1.1.1.4

          There was a free Chrome store extension for workaround of the type of paywall NZME was using . They changed their HTML a few times to overcome it but as you would expect the extension was updated too. Then Herald got the software removed from Chrome store, so no more updates , but it still works if I disable javascript.

          You are right about the premium content being of poor quality, and often Stuff will 're-purpose' Herald stories within an hour or so ( happens the other way too). They have bought back that Key fanboy Roughan and hes at the same level as Hosking now, but more verbose.

        • Jimmy 1.1.1.5

          NZ Herald used to be my home page and by far the most read (even though some of the articles were pretty average). But now its become pay wall, I hardly ever visit it anymore.

    • lprent 1.2

      Bomber is backing JT

      Same style. Talk is cheap – politics is just boring hard detailed yakka over decades.

      I'm pretty well out of the political sphere these days while I concentrate on work (while I still can). But after many decades of doing ground-level productive political work looking at what needs to be done to make everything work, you learn to who is worth supporting. Anything else is wasted effort.

      I don't think Bomber ever really learnt that.

    • Incognito 1.3

      The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

    • Clive 1.4

      Bomber backs anyone who may in the future provide him with work/funds/benefits. The differences between himself and Slater are too small and insignificant to list but I will. Bomber still has a blog.

  2. Sanctuary 2

    Tamihere is simply a full of shit blind blowhard with a campaign being run by the serial loser Matt McCarten who seem to think they can fool enough of the people for long enough to win and then… What? Like Trump I doubt he actually thinks he can win and like Trump if he did he is so stupid he would simply double down on his ridiculous behaviour and waste three years fighting his imagined enemies in a culture war about everything.

    Tamihere offers nothing to address the real issues facing transport in Auckland, like the 1990s Rogernomics legacy of a Byzantine operating model for PT in Auckland, the rear guard of structural opposition within NZTA and AT to multi-modal models for transport, the glacial pace of cycling infrastructure roll out, and the chronic underfunding of PT.

    He simply offers grandiose fantasy projects paid for by God knows what, since he is totally captured by the right who are finding him as their useful idiot and is therefore proposing to cut sources of dedicated transport funding like the fuel tax. Presumably as the right's puppet he'll declare an emergency and flog off Auckland's assets to the plutocrats who are funding him.

    What a fucking idiot he is.

  3. Sacha 3

    Interesting how the right is now pulling other candidates and putting support behind this oaf. Shows how much they respect voters, I guess.

    • Sanctuary 3.1

      The model they are looking for is a useful idiot to fight a culture war while they get on with the job of asset stripping Auckland.

  4. Visubversa 4

    JT has just adopted the Trump model of saying outrageous things to attract the press attention. The Nats have obviously worked out that they can't beat Goff on competance, so they are having a go at beating him with bluster and bullshit.

  5. David Mac 5

    Verbal flights of fantasy are good for getting a talkback radio switchboard lit up. Not so good for creating a harbourside home for over a million people.

    JT can prove he is the man for the job. He need only table his performance as the chief executive of the Waipareira Trust. Highlight the Whanau Ora dollars we've invested and the outcomes he has been able to achieve. If we're getting fantastic bang for our buck there, maybe he does have what it takes.

    Last time I heard him commenting about the Trust he was defending the payment of $600,000 to individuals in the form of dividends.

    • Dukeofurl 5.1

      And the other 'arrangement'

      Trust funds moved day of Tamihere house deal

      "It shows a "Te Whanu [sic] O Waipareira Trust advance" for $500,000 was paid into the "Tamihere Childrens Trust" held with Corban Revell lawyers on April 18, 2008. The money was paid out again the same day into an unknown BNZ account. .."

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11231114

      And this
      https://www.propertytalk.com/forum/showthread.php?32873-How-to-Buy-a-House-John-Tamihere-Style
      1) Get to be the CEO of a government quango.
      2) Get this organisation to give you a mortgage.
      3) Buy a big flash house using this money (and some of your own if you have to).
      4) Get this organisation to forgive the debt i.e. wipe the mortgage.
      5) Sit back and relax. Maybe think about increasing your salary by becoming an MP

      • Sanctuary 5.1.1

        Some right thinking people may in their opinion consider this corruption, but who are we to say?

        • Dukeofurl 5.1.1.1

          Not a peep from The Herald when hes backed by National party types for mayor, that was a different approach taken when he became a labour MP.

          Surely the journalist Nippert who dealt with this before is itching to write a major feature covering Tamiheres 'history' [ I understand hes been in UK on Wolfson study but that is finished now and as he says on Twitter – Back to Work]

    • Sacha 5.2

      Tamihere is not applying to be CEO of the Council though. Mayor is the wrong sort of job for him.

  6. David Mac 6

    Yep, Roastbusting foot in his mouth and his money hook in our pockets.

    Ricky Houghton's name is in your link. His name is occasionally in the press. Usually in association with a genuine and plausible initiative to raise the Nga Puhi waka. Mayoral campaign aside, JT generally hits the press for being dodgy.

    I think JT could be a viable candidate if were reading 'West Auckland Maori Health best in NZ' headlines instead of reports of half a million mystery dollars appearing in his childrens' trust account.

  7. tc 7

    A graduate from the Shane Jones/Tau Henare school of political management.

    These mayoralty contests are perfectly suited to egomaniacs like him.

    It's easy to be loud and destructive, however it takes time, skill, patience, empathy and collaboration to get stuff done which JT's proven aren't his strengths.

  8. Shadrach 8

    I am writing this sitting in a café in the Mt Albert shops, looking out on the cluster f%%& that AT made of my local shopping village.

    A few months back, Jacinda Ardern (our local MP) and Phil Goff attended a ceremony to mark some kind of milestone in this project that simultaneously managed to utterly stuff up traffic flows and nearly destroy some local businesses. I was genuinely surprised by the level of anger visited upon both by locals. Jacinda Ardern was actually engaging, Phil Goff was an arrogant sod. He spoke condescendingly to business owners, and refused to engage in any meaningful way, palming the whole discussion off to local board members.

    Phil Goff is a dead set useless mayor. He has endorsed AT’s approach to wrecking local shopping villages, and has proven himself to be arrogant, with some alarmingly dictatorial tendencies. I have no time for Tamihere, but at the moment the mayoral election is shaping up to be between someone who is currently wrecking Auckland, and someone who might. What a choice we have.

    • Muttonbird 8.1

      Bring back Banksie!💩

      • Dukeofurl 8.1.1

        His illegitimate son was looking for him too…. all that family first, god fearing bullshit from Banks…and the two big donations to Dotcom …

        I suppose all that means Banks wasnt going to run on his 'record'

    • Sanctuary 8.2

      The Mt. Albert redevelopment is a first class disaster for sure. It is probably a poster child of how to be penny wise and pound foolish and waste 6.5 million dollars of ratepayers money to make everything worse.

      Take a bold design to transform an area (roof over the station, build a plaza, covered access to Unitec, traffic redesign, cycle ways) then let ferocious opposition from the local retailers to losing car parks and the sort of local yellow journalism Bernard Boresman specialises in spook you over the cost so you end up with a piece of work that keeps all the worst aspects of the proposal and delivers none of the benefits.

      It doesn't help that the "Mt. Albert "upgrade" has worked" has assumed zombie fact status on sites like greater Auckland, those guys need to visit more of the city than wherever the latest AT junket takes them.

      • Shadrach 8.2.1

        Not much in there I disagree with, although I'm with the retailers on the car parks. The place is dead now, and peoples livelihoods have been ruined.

    • David Mac 8.3

      Phil Goff didn't kill our suburban shopping villages. We did, we all turned into mall rats. Just over the last year or 2 shopping mall patronage has plateaued and is trending downward.

      We are slowly starting to rediscover the charm of places like the old Mt Albert shop facades. They'll never be electrical and hardware stores again, we'll see Cafes, delis and boutiques. Traffic flow didn't kill Mt Albert Village, Westfield did but they're bouncing back Shad.

      • Sanctuary 8.3.1

        Albert's Post hints at the beginning of gentrification of the Mt. Albert shops. The 3000 new dwelling at Unitec will provide a huge injection of bodies looking for retail. They should have roofed the station and provided the covered link to the Unitec site when the original development was done, I hope they revisit the whole project and carry through on the original promise.

        • Dukeofurl 8.3.1.1

          Its 700m from the station to the main Unitec buildings along Carrington Rd

          I dont think you are really familiar with the station and the residential area before the Unitec site.

          St Lukes and its big box retailers nearby will be the big winner from any residential development. Mt Albert shops date back to the 1920-30s and are small size and arent how modern retail works. Fine for cafes and little owner operator businesses

          • Sanctuary 8.3.1.1.1

            Ummm, I worked there for ten years and live 2km away.

          • Shadrach 8.3.1.1.2

            Funny that. The retailers in Mt Albert have been told by our mayor and his council that they will be big winners from the Unitec site development.

            "Fine for cafes and little owner operator businesses"

            Totally agree.

        • Shadrach 8.3.1.2

          When the re-paving was laid along the frontage of Albert's Post, AT laid the concrete incorrectly, and they couldn't open one of their front doors. There is more I could say, but I'd be getting someone into trouble, and that isn't my intention.

      • Shadrach 8.3.2

        Thanks David, let's hope so.

    • That_guy 8.4

      I'm a Mt Albert local and I honestly don't see what's so bad about the redevelopment. But I'm willing to be educated.

      • Shadrach 8.4.1

        1. Less parking – which is really hurting local business.

        2. Provision of cycle lanes no-one uses – which has added to traffic congestion.

        3. Try coming along Carrington Rd from the Pt Chev end and going straight ahead at the intersection. At peak times it takes multiple phases to get through.

        4. Because of the stupid way the cycle lane has been incorporated into the pedestrian way, there are issues on rubbish collection day. Go through on a Thursday (??) – you'll see what I mean.

        I could go on and on but it makes me f'ing angry.

    • lprent 8.5

      I grew up on Fowlds Ave a few kilometres down the road. The Mt Albert shopping area was always pretty useless.

      A natural choke point. Terrible to get to, hard to get in and out of. Completely dangerous to bike around.

      Before St Lukes changed my shopping area (and killed off my favourite skink rock pile), I'd head to Sandringham or even Mt Roskill to shop before I went near Mt Albert.

      About the only thing that I ever saw change in the last 50 years was the change to the rail station and 'new' post office. It really was an archaic dead hole.

      Hard to see how any development could have made it worse. Getting rid of the parking and putting it off the main drag would have at least freed up the road space.

      • Shadrach 8.5.1

        Freed up the road space for what? Carrington Road is now a total bottleneck. Virtually no-one uses the dead set waste of space that is the cycle lanes, and now all we have is congestion. Mt Albert could have been so much better, but no AT made it into yet another monument to their stupidity.

        PS – my wife grew up in Fowlds Ave. Scary.

      • Anne 8.5.2

        I go back a bit further when the Mt Albert shops were a hive of activity. There were the trams in the very early days followed by trolley buses. The only time traffic became a problem was around 5 pm. We had every type of shop in existence including a local theatre (as we preferred to call cinemas in those days). The trains were a big draw card and we kids would travel in and out of the city by train at holiday time. I grew up in Weston Ave on the western slope of the mountain – many a grand time was had sliding down those slopes on Nikau palms.

        • lprent 8.5.2.1

          My mother said that as well about the trams.

          We used to head up the mount a lot from the Owairaka side. Great place for kids to lose themselves for most of a day.

  9. cleangreen 9

    "Talk is cheap Tamihere" good one Iprent;

    Our family is likely to vote for ‘Social Credit’ now during the 2020 election, because Social Credit is far more ‘socially responsible’ above all others, at a glance.

    All the other parties at present appear to be leaning towards being “risk adverse” as they are all desending into the big dark hole of being risk adverse and willing to endanger our population and damaging the health and wellbeing of all citizens now.

    There are far better ways for political parties to meet with providing citizens with health and welbeing success while taking a bare minimum of risk.

    Risk-adverse politics now seem to favour the method of playing it safe, preferring slow and steady gains to the possibility of a political failure.

    Assessment
    The first key to managing the risks involved in any project is to make an assessment.

    Developing a framework for risk assessment is worthwhile, and it doesn’t have to be a complex or high-budget endeavor.

    Risk assessment involves taking stock of any project and determining what problems could arise beyond normal expenses.

    Many outside factors must be considered, such as any adverse environmental impacts to citizens interests, while assessing the economy, citizens demand and labour relations.

    A good risk assessment takes account of anything that could go wrong with a project and firstly must have regard for the cost to provide Environmental, social, health and wellbeing responsibility then determine what it would cost would finally be.

    Risk assessment allows a political party to decide if proceeding with a project is worthwhile, ater first considering their responsibility to provide citizens with Environmental, social, healh and wellbeing.

    Labour needs to shut down half the truck freight and spend big on regional rail, as rail has a definate proven safety advantage while offering a ‘low carbon footprint’ as well.

    This is simply one way to save our ‘Environmental, social, healh and wellbeing’, as there are many more that need addressing also.

    Yesterday the national shadow transport MP said “NZ are registering 1200 new vehicles each day”.
    QUESTION; Labour what are you doing to reduce the vehicle fleet?

    nothing I see here if these numbers are correct.
    We need a bold policy of ‘action not words.’

    As the saying goes; -“Action speaks louder than words”

    • Dukeofurl 9.1

      Not. Going. to. happen. We arent a dictatorship where big things changes for many are only wanted by a few- that was the Roger Douglas approach

  10. Dean Reynolds 10

    Tamihere's campaign is being run by Michelle Boag – that means that he's in bed with a National Party Bezelebub

    • Obtrectator 10.1

      Surprised to hear any female could be running his campaign, bearing in mind the grossly opprobrious term he used for them – in public too – not so long ago.

  11. peterlepaysan 11

    Tamihere and Boag in cahoots? Something smells.

  12. rod 12

    Wonder who is bank rolling JT's mayoralty campaign. I expect he will tell us all before voting starts, but I won't hold my breath. wink

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    41 mins ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    4 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    5 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    9 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    10 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    12 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T07:03:35+00:00