Taxpayers Union receives funding from British American Tobacco

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:36 am, January 25th, 2019 - 39 comments
Categories: accountability, drugs, Media, Politics, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags: jordan williams, nz taxpayers union, sam sachdeva

I don’t know what it is about the Taxpayer’s Union (*not a real union) but they really annoy.

Perhaps it is the use of the word “Union”. You can imagine Jordan Williams, David Farrar and various other doyens of the right sitting around a table having a few beers and talking about what they could do to really annoy the left. Like pretend to be a Union.

Perhaps it is the intimate relationship between the union and Dirty Politics operatives. Who can ever forget Jordan’s frankly misogynist statements in private messages that he clearly thought would never see the light of day.

Perhaps it is because it is clear to us that the Taxpayer’s Union (*not a real union)is there to push neoliberal right wing ideas, basically government is bad and private enterprise is more efficient and that it seems that any chance they have to ridicule a collective they do so.

But, at least for me, the most annoying thing about them is their pretension. That they are there to represent our (taxpayer’s) interests and to make sure that the powerful do not inappropriately use too many resources.

And their lack of transparency has always been disturbing. They manage, thanks to obviously large resources, to maintain a rather significant office and a large media presence that left wing organisations would die for.

And so the truth has emerged. It appears that the Taxpayers Union (*not a real union) is nothing more than a sock puppet for industry interests, and some of the worst industry interests like British American Tobacco.

From Sam Sachdeva at Newsroom:

A right-wing lobbying group which has railed against cigarette tax increases and plain packaging laws in New Zealand counts a tobacco giant among its corporate funders.
The NZ Taxpayers’ Union has not disclosed its financial support from tobacco companies in its reports or press releases, with one public health academic calling on it to be more transparent about its donors.
The Guardian identified the relationship between the Taxpayers’ Union and British American Tobacco as part of its series on “the huge damage of the tobacco epidemic … and the industry behind it”.
In an investigation into the ties between “free-market thinktanks” and the tobacco industry, the Taxpayers’ Union was identified as being supported by multinational firm British American Tobacco.
A British American Tobacco spokesman told Newsroom the company had been financially supporting the Taxpayers’ Union for three years, paying “a standard annual corporate membership fee”.
“We, like many other companies, support like-minded organisations on issues that are important to us and our consumers,” the spokesman said.
The company did not disclose the size of the fee it paid.

Perhaps in the interests of transparency the Taxpayer’s Union (*not a real union) should disclose how much it received from BAT. And who its other funders are.

The funny thing is the strong relationship between BAT and the National Party. Chris Bishop served his apprenticeship at BAT before entering Parliament. Todd Barclay (remember him?) did the same. What is the link between wanting to work for a corporate dedicated to selling a product that causes misery and shortens peoples’ life expectancy and wanting to represent a party whose ethos, blind support of the free market, comes up with a not dissimilar result?

And it is pretty chilling that the Taxpayer’s Union (*not a real union), which has major claims to occupation of the moral high ground, should apparently be working as a glove puppet for an international organisation dedicated to the selling of cancer sticks, and not the proper representation of us taxpayers.

And if you need proof have a look at this:

And the report itself reads like the typical high quality PR spin report that takes significant resources to produce.

So here is some free advice to the Taxpayer’s Union (*not a real union) if they wish to rescue what is left of their reputation.

Stop occupying the moral high ground.
Stop calling yourself a union.
And tell us who you are really funded by.

Until this happens they should be ignored.

39 comments on “Taxpayers Union receives funding from British American Tobacco ”

Comments are now closed

Nick 1

25 January 2019 at 7:46 am

Assholes Union.
- soddenleaf 1.1
  
  25 January 2019 at 5:02 pm
  
  Psuedo Libertarians, they claim a love of freedom, yet their corporate backers money tells us the truth about their framing. Taxing the wealthy would mean most will have to pay less, which would in turn shrink the wealth gap and stop the whinging about how the wealthy pay the lion share of tax, since as most become wealthier we would inevitablyhave more taxable items. Contrary, lowering taxes on the wealthy makes them richer and so burdens them with a greater share of govt taxation. Any tax union would want greater taxes on wealth
Hooch 2

25 January 2019 at 8:23 am

It’s worth noting a similar outfit in the UK. The taxpayers alliance. Basically the same formula just formed earlier. Hardly surprising some bright spark suggested doing it here given the links with the Tory’s/national/Crosby textor etc.
- soddenleaf 2.1
  
  25 January 2019 at 5:04 pm
  
  Conservists who dant stomach democracy to cheat and rig pirot victories, since weaken democracy and capitalism is the result.
One Two 3

25 January 2019 at 8:55 am

Nothing unusual about conflicts of interest…not a surprise…

The World Bank guy, whose now the RBNZ Govenor…

+/- 100% of MPs along with other public and private industry ‘professionals’, will be conflicted…

Name the sector…

Revolving doors…
greywarshark 4

25 January 2019 at 9:10 am

No-Tax-Payers Union. There FIFY.
They’re BATty.
Gosman 5

25 January 2019 at 9:44 am

And the problem with this is what exactly? If you think Tobacco companies should not be allowed to give money to other gorups in society then pass a law. Until such time they aren’t doing anything wrong and it also doesn’t mean the Taxpayer Union is somehow invalid because it gets money from them. It gets money from all sorts of sources. It would be like claiming the Labour party is tainted with it’s association with Trade Unions.
- Robert Guyton 5.1
  
  25 January 2019 at 10:00 am
  
  Trade Unions are “selling a product that causes misery and shortens peoples’ life expectancy “??
  I didn’t know that!!
  - Gosman 5.1.1
    
    25 January 2019 at 11:13 am
    
    Some people could argue they cause long term misery 😉
    
    However it is irrelevant. Tobacco companies are a legitimate business. The vast majority of people are well aware of the negative health implications of Tobacco smoking and they don’t seem to want to dispute these facts anymore. Unless you want them to not be able to fund stuff then what they are doing is completely okay.
    - Nic the NZer 5.1.1.1
      
      28 January 2019 at 8:24 am
      
      “Some people could argue they cause long term misery ”
      
      But in making such an argument they would say more about themselves than about any Union.
      
      “Unless you want them to not be able to fund stuff then what they are doing is completely okay.”
      
      All business agree to a corporate charter when they incorporate. This can and in many cases does and should place limitations on what the company may do.
- Robert Guyton 5.2
  
  25 January 2019 at 10:02 am
  
  ” it also doesn’t mean the Taxpayer Union is somehow invalid because it gets money from them”
  I’d say, I does …
  - Gosman 5.2.1
    
    25 January 2019 at 11:14 am
    
    But that is because YOU are left wing and YOU most likely thought they were invalid even BEFORE this information came out.
- Adrian Thornton 5.3
  
  25 January 2019 at 10:37 am
  
  Yes Gosman of course you don’t see a problem, and why would you?
  As you have quite forcefully, clearly and proudly made a point of showing to everyone who will read you on this site (your 70+ comments on Venezuela yesterday will stand testament to this!) that you have absolutely no moral compass whatsoever and make no bones about it, and good on you for not apologizing for that, and standing steadfastly by your twisted regressive ideology.
  But so now that we all know this in no uncertain terms, I guess that’s the end of the story… I can’t see what else you could possibly add….unless you are quite happy to just keep on saying the same old shit over and over and over and over….
  - Gosman 5.3.1
    
    25 January 2019 at 11:15 am
    
    A number of left leaning people backed me on the Venezuelan issue. In fact one left leaning person commented they were disturbed by the hard left opposition to my views were making my opinions seem logical and rational. 🙂
    - Siobhan 5.3.1.1
      
      25 January 2019 at 1:26 pm
      
      People who ‘lean Left’ are slouchers and layabouts. Either that, or they are, infact, Centrists, so their support is hardly a surprise.
Tricledrown 6

25 January 2019 at 9:47 am

Drug Dealer’s Tobacco an addictive Drug that kills 5,000 New Zealanders a year every year! cost’s the economy $6 billion a year every year! in lost productivity. Kills 10 times more people than alcohol a 100 times more than all illicit Drugs combined, I thought Tobacco companies were banned from all sponsorship. The taxpayers Union ie ACT propaganda dept should be prosecuted. Or Jordan Williams made to smoke sponsors product continuously until they stop taking funding. If this was an illegal Drug Williams would be doing serious time for corruption in accepting bribes from a Drug dealing gang.
Sanctuary 7

25 January 2019 at 10:23 am

Pretty sad that it took a report in a foreign newspaper to reveal something that should have been low hanging fruit for any half curious reporter here, given the high profile of the taxpayer onion.
- Bearded Git 7.1
  
  25 January 2019 at 1:54 pm
  
  my thoughts exactly Sanc….where are the journalists in this country?..(actually I’m in Nicaragua at the moment…but you get the drift).
  
  p.s. deviation here ….walked around the lovely peaceful main plaza in Leon Nicaragua at sunset today and not an extranjero in sight…2 years ago you couldnt move for gringos….Trump and other governments have stuffed this lovely country with their stupid “travel advisories”
  - Gosman 7.1.1
    
    25 January 2019 at 2:37 pm
    
    No what has stuffed that country is Daniel Ortega and his cronies.
NZJester 8

25 January 2019 at 10:38 am

I have always said it is not the fact they call themselves a union that is the biggest lie in their name but the part of the name that says “Taxpayers”
They are not a union of taxpayers, they are a Union of Taxdodgers.
- Gosman 8.1
  
  25 January 2019 at 11:16 am
  
  Why is it a lie? Just because you think it is a lie doesn’t make it one.
  - Draco T Bastard 8.1.1
    
    25 January 2019 at 12:28 pm
    
    He explained his position and he’s right.
    - In Vino 8.1.1.1
      
      25 January 2019 at 10:38 pm
      
      Gosman, if you really need it spelt out, they earn huge amounts of money, but hide most of it away from personal income, and avoid paying the same proportion of their income as tax in the way we normal salaried people have to. They are legalised tax-cheats, and we normal salaried people are probably not the only ones sick and tired of a corrupt system that you so often defend with obfuscatory, diversionary and disputatious questions. OK?
- Bearded Git 8.2
  
  25 January 2019 at 1:56 pm
  
  ha ha +1 million
Draco T Bastard 9

25 January 2019 at 12:27 pm

Perhaps in the interests of transparency the Taxpayer’s Union (*not a real union) should disclose how much it received from BAT. And who its other funders are.

IMO, every single political organisation should operate under the same rules about funding as political parties. They may not be running for office but they’re trying to influence the populace and so the populace needs to know who they represent.
- Wensleydale 9.1
  
  25 January 2019 at 1:00 pm
  
  Come on, Draco. How can you be expected to play dirty, disingenuous, double-dealing games with the lives of the populace you ostensibly represent if some annoying pleb keeps insisting you do so with a great big spotlight being shone on your iniquitous activities? If people knew everything there was to know about the inner workings of the Taxpayer’s Onion, Jordan Williams and friends would likely be driven into the sea by an angry mob waving pitchforks and torches. What fucks me off is the media’s insistence on shoving a microphone under the nose of Williams whenever someone’s caught being a little too free and easy with the public purse. I know they’re lazy and the Taxpayer’s Onion is a convenient port of call when you’re desperately craving some faux righteous indignation, but for fuck’s sake… a little variety would be nice.
Brutus Iscariot 10

25 January 2019 at 2:00 pm

Weird article. The Taxpayers Union are not a political party, they’re a lobby group with a well known political slant.

The notion of “transparency” is pretty much irrelevant.
- Draco T Bastard 10.1
  
  25 January 2019 at 2:53 pm
  
  No, transparency isn’t irrelevant. It’s essential in a democracy so that people can make informed decisions.
  
  And, yes, that means being able to make informed decisions about a political lobby group.
- arkie 10.2
  
  25 January 2019 at 2:59 pm
  
  The landing page of the Taxpayers Union:
  LOWER TAXES
  LESS WASTE
  MORE TRANSPARENCY
  
  …so more transparency just not about who pays them to lobby.
  
  https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/
Kevin 11

25 January 2019 at 10:22 pm

So this ‘Taxpayers Union’ is nothing more than foreign corporation ‘Front’ organisations. It is BRT & ACT/Libertarianz in a new guise. Remember before ACT recast itself as a political party it was the ‘Association Of Consumers & Taxpayers’ which too similarly was occupying the same ground/role as ‘TU’ today. I imagine we’llsee after Seymour disappears & ACT folds TU will recast itself as a political party with ‘new ideas’ but actually pushing more of the same old trickle down neoliberal/neo con shit.
WILD KATIPO 12

26 January 2019 at 11:31 am

The Taxpayers Onion.

Whose mission statement , supporters and leader are as shonky as this…

Benny Hill – Hospital Hi-Jinx w/Closing Chase (1986) – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zat9CRfUr-E
Richard McGrath 13

28 January 2019 at 2:48 pm

Er, it is a union, as per the following definition: “a society or association formed by people with a common interest or purpose.” For instance a trade union or credit union.
- McFlock 13.1
  
  28 January 2019 at 3:15 pm
  
  A definition so useful it includes marriage. But it is not a taxpayer’s “marriage”, nor is it a taxpayers’ “union” in a more precise sense.
  - Gosman 13.1.1
    
    28 January 2019 at 3:33 pm
    
    Why do you think that is more precise? I don’t see the NZRFU on that list. Does that mean it isn’t a Union either?
    - McFlock 13.1.1.1
      
      28 January 2019 at 3:43 pm
      
      In the imprecise sense, they are.
      
      The register drops 200,000-odd married couples from the previous definition, sadly also drops one or two sports unions and maybe credit unions.
      
      So it’s still more precise, even if we all pretended that’s why the fuckers chose the name, that they wanted to be viewed as a sporting code.
    - te reo putake 13.1.1.2
      
      28 January 2019 at 4:07 pm
      
      Er, the fact that the NZRFU doesn’t exist anymore means it’s not a union. However, I think the current entity, which trades as NZ Rugby, may still have union in its name somewhere. However, if it does, that is likely to be a reference to the game (Rugby Union) rather than its actual governance structure.
      
      I guess the point of taking the piss out of the taxpayer’s onion is that they are likely to have chosen that name as an in joke at real unions’ expense. They’re not a union in any real sense; just a paid PR front for big business. They’re no more a union than Steve Jobs’ company Apple was a fruit shop.
      - Gosman 13.1.1.2.1
        
        29 January 2019 at 2:55 am
        
        Ummm… The NZRFU DOES exist. The organisation is a affiliationbof it’s member Union’s (e.g Wellington RFU). Just because it has rebranded does not mean it is different. Also where are the individualbprocincial Unions on that list?
        
        You may well be correct about the reason for them to select the term but then you have fallen in to their trap. Trade Unions do not hold a patent on the use of the word Union and to get upset about others using it displays a large degree of preciousness and arrogance.
        
        te reo putake 13.1.1.2.1.1
        
        29 January 2019 at 8:13 am
        
        According to NZ Rugby, the sport’s peak body, the NZRFU doesn’t exist.
        
        “New Zealand Rugby (formally the New Zealand Rugby Union and formerly New Zealand Rugby Football Union) was formed in 1892 to administer the game of rugby union at the national level.”
        
        http://www.nzrugby.co.nz/about-us/history
        
        McFlock …
        
        29 January 2019 at 12:53 pm
        
        lols

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National will be buoyed, and Labour possibly slightly depressed after last night’s One News Kantar poll. National and ACT on 48 per cent with 62 seats between them, enough to form a Government. Meanwhile, Labour was down one per cent to 35, and the Greens dropped four per cent ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
4 days ago

Skeptical Science New Research for Week #21 2023
105 articles in 60 journals by 644 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects A Possible Hysteresis in the Arctic Ocean due to Release of Subsurface Heat during Sea Ice Retreat, Beer et al., Journal of Physical Oceanography 10.1175/jpo-d-22-0131.1 Connections between Upper Tropospheric and Lower Stratospheric Circulation Responses to ...
Skeptical Science
4 days ago

Plenty to ponder on economy: while OCR stance softens, a widening current account deficit threatens ...
It’s been an eventful week for the New Zealand economy. On one side, the Reserve Bank was seen as putting the brakes on the Official Cash Rate, with a 25 basis points increase heralded as good news for mortgage-holders. On another, NZ’s record current account deficit is seen as posing ...
Point of OrderBy tutere44
4 days ago

Luxon kills the hopes of Townhouse Nation
Luxon told voters in Birkenhead yesterday that the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) that his deputy Nicola Willis shaped with Labour Housing Minister Megan Woods in 2021 were a mistake. File photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National Leader Christopher Luxon looks set to abandon within weeks the ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
4 days ago

We don't need another Zero
I have already found four different reasons today to walk down into the village, enjoy the blue sky and belated Autumn sun and put off writing, again, about the leader of the opposition. But here it comes anyway, because this guy —this policy dimwit on issues ranging from universality to ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
4 days ago

Labour lectures rather than acts
Yesterday EECA launched its usual winter energy-saving campaign. Normally this is aimed at reducing energy usage, to reduce the risk of a blackout. If successful, it also reduces spot-market prices, so also reducing whining at the government from big corporate users. But this year, someone had the brilliant idea of ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
5 days ago

Media Link: “A View from Afar:” Is Putin a dead man walking?
In the second episode of our podcast this year, Selwyn Manning and I discuss the stability and near-term future prospects for Vladimir Putin’s regime in Russia. All is not well. ...
KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
5 days ago

THOMAS CRANMER: The state of Stuff – media ownership and transparency under scrutiny
Yesterday marked the third anniversary of Sinead Boucher’s acquisition of Stuff but questions still remain unanswered about the media group’s governance structure and the identity of its backers. Thomas Cranmer writes – As the general election looms, the media will play an increasingly critical role in presenting ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
5 days ago

Past Budget spending shows up as Bushmasters arrive – and govt will hope to make a bang with $8m f...
Buzz from the Beehive Budget 2023 continues to provide grist for the mills of ministerial spin doctors charged with drawing favourable attention to the government’s largesse. Goodies generated by Defence appropriations in budgets past are winning headlines today, too. Defence Minister Andrew Little has been enthusing about the arrival of ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
5 days ago

Gordon Campbell on America’s plunge into religious extremism
Yikes. If either Donald Trump or Florida governor Ron De Santis win next year’s presidential contest with Joe Biden, the commander-in-chief of the world’s greatest nuclear arsenal will be beholden to millions of voters who expect Armageddon to occur during their lifetimes. Unfortunately, the Republican Party is being led by ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
5 days ago

Hurrell’s message to Fonterra’s shareholders should also be encouraging to those who chart NZ’...
It’s been a hard season for New Zealand’s dairy farmers, on which the country’s export economy so heavily depends, but the big co-op Fonterra has delivered a cheering message to the cowsheds this week. The news on the payout for the season just ending may not be so cheerful, ...
Point of OrderBy tutere44
5 days ago

NZ Politics Daily: 25 May 2023
ECONOMY, BUDGET, TAX Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Welcome to the age of the Bleurghget (paywalled) Luke Malpass (Post0: Adrian Orr and his committee give Grant Robertson’s Budget a pass mark (paywalled) Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Hipkins crowds Luxon’s post-budget space (paywalled) Richard Harman (Politik): Orr v Willis; a credibility battle (paywalled) Mark Quinlivan and Rachel Sadler ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
5 days ago

Spring wildfires in the eastern US got off to a roaring start this year
This story by Katie Myers was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Spring fire season is a regular occurrence in the eastern U.S. It’s not nearly as dramatic as what’s seen ...
Skeptical Science
5 days ago

CRL Delay Implications for Other Projects
Back in March we learnt about the change in cost and timeline for the City Rail Link. An article in the Herald the other day brought the issue of the timeline back up again Auckland’s $5.5 billion City Rail Link (CRL) will not open until sometime in 2026 or later, ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
5 days ago

'We Will Restore Law & Order'
If I asked you what was likely to be on the news tonight what would you say?Something about the cost of living, could be. Or the war in the Ukraine, probably. A report of terrible weather on the way - yeah, that’s a good bet too. How about one on ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
5 days ago

Orr v Willis; a credibility battle
Reserve Bank Governor and the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee yesterday ended up at odds with National’s Finance spokesperson, Nicola Willis, over whether the Budget was inflationary. Willis said it was. The exchange is looking like a significant test of Willis’s economic credibility. The MPS statement and the Governor’s media ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
5 days ago

Go to Galatea, if you want to differ from other schools and be inspired by a celebrated Dutch artist
A bit of googling was necessary to find out about Galatea School – Te Kura o Kuhawaea. Its website says it is a small rural school, opened in 1935 and nestled under the Te Urewera Ranges, opened in 1935, among lush green dairy farms and beside various forest plantations. It ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
5 days ago

Letter of apology from Zoo Miami
On behalf of everyone at Zoo Miami, please accept our most sincere apology to the New Zealand National Party of New Zealand and the proud people of the LinkedIn tribe. It stunned us all to learn that Kiwi Chris the Robot Politician was in fact an actual person.This was not at ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
5 days ago

Letter of apology from Zoo Miami
On behalf of everyone at Zoo Miami, please accept our most sincere apology to the New Zealand National Party of New Zealand and the proud people of the LinkedIn tribe. It stunned us all to learn that Kiwi Chris the Robot Politician was in fact an actual person.This was not at ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
5 days ago

Still rotten
In the early 2000's, we learned that the New Zealand Police had covered up rape and sexual assault by police officers, because the criminals were their own, part of the gang. The resulting scandal led to prosecutions, sackings, a commission of inquiry, and a promise by police to change. But ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
5 days ago

Dogs decision delayed – but the horse-racing industry looks like a good bet (at least for now) aft...
Buzz from the Beehive Money was profusely flowing or generously being committed in a raft of ministerial announcements and speeches over the past 24 hours. If we tallied all the dollar signs in all the new press statements on the government’s official website, billions would be involved. But in some ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
6 days ago

Recycle the ETS cash++ into emissions cuts here
A much better alternative than cash in consumers’ pockets would be emissions-reducing vouchers or spending that effectively ‘buys’ even more emissions reductions through, for example, bigger discounts on public transport and electric bikes, solar panel installation vouchers and discounted energy-efficient appliances and lights. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / T… ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
6 days ago

The Great Donkey Special.
Hi all,I’ve been getting lots of nice feedback about my newsletter from yesterday, Laughing with Donkeys. Which is nice, but feels a bit sad considering most people can only read the first part of it. I was particularly keen to share the end of Jacinda’s WHO speech as it summed ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
6 days ago

NZ Politics Daily: 24 May 2023
ELECTION, PARLIAMENT Andrea Vance (Stuff): National using AI for attack ads: The AI political campaign has arrived Jenna Lynch (Newshub): National uses realistic-looking AI-generated health workers, scared woman to front attack ads Herald: National Party uses AI in attack ads: Christopher Luxon ‘not aware’ Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): National leader Christopher ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
6 days ago

Miami Zoo Says it Will Immediately Stop Deranged Treatment of its Kiwi Bird
Hi,I’ve been on the phone to Miami all morning. After a bunch of emails overnight, I called Miami Zoo’s media department first thing, who told me I needed to talk to the mayor of Miami. Apparently “big” zoo business was dealt with by the mayor. So I called the City ...
David FarrierBy David Farrier
6 days ago

At a glance – Global cooling – is global warming still happening?
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 ...
Skeptical Science
6 days ago

Feeding that dark flame in men
We attended a funeral last night in the comfort of our own lounge. It was for Logan Roy who is, when the eulogies are all said and done, only an imaginary character. But then again, aren’t we all to some extent imaginary characters?Such eulogies they were. Only the Succession subtitles ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
6 days ago

Working from home and the paucity of GDP
Paul Krugman's column today talks about the economics of increased working from home. The primary benefit? People don't have to waste a huge portion of their lives commuting. And while this is difficult to quantify, the impact is huge: it’s not hard to make the case that the overall ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
6 days ago

THOMAS CRANMER: New Zealand’s Thin Blue Line
The Parliament Protests and the Posie Parker Rally have exposed the extent to which the Police frontline is under-resourced and under-funded. Thomas Cranmer writes – Soaring levels of crime and high profile protests at Parliament and the Posie Parker rally have made policing a political hot topic ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
6 days ago

Rachel Brooking hates waste – and she wants us to know about a $20m trough (funded by levies) to h...
Buzz from the Beehive It was tempting – for a moment – to suggest Rachel Brooking become an Associate Minister of Finance to keep Grant Robertson on the straight and narrow. The temptation was triggered by Brooking’s speech (as Associate Minister for the Environment) to the WasteMINZ conference in Hamilton, ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
7 days ago

Why Budget 2023 is more austere than it appears
If net migration keeps pounding along at a rate of over 100,000 per year the implications for the economy, residential land prices, interest rates and Government borrowing will be profound. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Stronger-than-forecast net migration and population growth looks set to make Labour’s last Budget before ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
7 days ago

NZ Politics Daily: 23 May 2023
CLIMATE CHANGE, NZ STEEL DEAL Simon Wilson (Herald): Christopher Luxon gets it right and terribly wrong on NZ Steel deal (paywalled) Duncan Greive (Spinoff): Why did we give $140m to a shady Australian corporate? Because we had no choice Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): The NZ Steel carbon deal: shape of things to ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
7 days ago

The end in sight for bus disruption?
It’s been a tough year for public transport users who have had to suffer through thousands of service cancellations, delays and rail network closures. ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
7 days ago

Geoffrey Miller: How successful was Chris Hipkins’ trip to Papua New Guinea?
Chris Hipkins is blazing his way through New Zealand’s foreign policy. The New Zealand Prime Minister’s fast-but-furious visit to Papua New Guinea this week – which saw Hipkins spend just 23 hours in Port Moresby, the PNG capital – was the PM’s fourth such rapid international trip since he took ...
Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
7 days ago

Laughing with Donkeys.
It sometimes occurs to me. When I’m thinking what to write about. That I spend an awful lot of time reading about idiotic things that idiots have said.The radio, the news, social media. You look at the content coming out and it makes you remember not to swim at a ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
7 days ago

Yoga diplomacy
Thirty-six years ago, almost to the day, after he launched Fiji’s first military coup in 1987, the now-elected Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, yesterday awarded the Prime Minister of India Fiji’s highest honour. That 1987 coup was targeted against a Labour government which contained Indian Ministers and led to fears ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
7 days ago

The Song of Saqua: Back to D&D
It has been a while since I last did a write up of my D&D shenanigans. Part of it has been motivation, part of it has been that the more interesting stuff has been in the form of one-shots, rather than long campaigns. I actually DMed a three session ...
A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
1 week ago

Can Climate Change spark (zombie) Pandemics?
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). The Last of Us tells the story of a fungal zombie apocalypse... triggered by climate change. So could this kind of ...
Skeptical Science
1 week ago

‘No one cares’: 25-year-old with extensive family cancer history can’t access genetic testing That’s the headline on a Stuff report which alerted the public to the experiences of a woman who was pregnant with her first baby when she found out she was likely to be at higher risk of ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
1 week ago

Chris Hipkins: Speech to the Labour Party Congress 2023
Chris Hipkins addressed the Labour Party Congress in Wellington. Read the Labour Leader’s speech here. ...
Labour Blog
1 day ago

National’s backtrack forces another visionless, shambolic policy
The National Party has released another confused and rushed policy that will only further worsen the inequality that is driven by unaffordable housing. ...
Greens
2 days ago

Grant Robertson: Speech to the Labour Party Congress 2023
Welcome to sunny and calm Wellington, which I know those of you who are visiting would of course expect to be the case. It’s been a busy week since we put forward the 2023 Budget. Labour MPs have been out across the motu giving the good oil on the Budget. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Carmel Sepuloni: Speech to the Labour Party Congress 2023
Kia orana, Talofa lava, Mālo e lelei, Taloha ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Noa’ia e mauri, Ni sa bula vinaka, Kia ora, Tena Koutou Katoa. Labour Party President Jill Day, Prime Minister Hipkins, Party faithful, delegates and comrades, whānau and friends, it’s a privilege to be here today. I begin my ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Kelvin Davis: Speech to the Labour Party Congress 2023
One of my kaumātua up North stood before the Waitangi Tribunal and said: ‘He aha kē ahau, te tangata kore hara i mua i te Atua, e tu nei kia whakawaatia e koe, te tangata tāhae, te tangata hara, te tangata kore tikanga? Ko koe kē te tika, kia tū ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

W.H.O. Director General Seeking Powers To Override Sovereign States
New Zealanders will be highly concerned that the World Health Organisation proposes to effectively take control of independent decision making away from sovereign countries and place control with the Director General. W.H.O International Health Regulations on future outbreaks of disease aim to give the Director General extraordinary and wide-sweeping powers. ...
NZ First Press Release
5 days ago

We don’t need to engineer a recession, Government can tax wealth
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take responsibility for reducing inflation by taxing wealth instead of leaving RBNZ to continue hiking the Official Cash Rate. ...
Greens
6 days ago

Enough posturing, let’s get on and build enough public housing
The Green Party is urging the Government to take its own advice and come up with a long-term plan to build thousands more public homes. ...
Greens
6 days ago

Green Party unveils its list for the 2023 election
The Green Party has released its list of candidates for the 2023 election. With a mix of familiar faces, fresh new talent, and strong tangata whenua voices, this exceptional group of candidates are ready to set the direction of the next Government. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Beyond the Farm Gate Lurks Separatism
Thank you for your invitation to be here, after yesterday's budget, and for the opportunity to talk with you. In the economic and social turmoil following the arrival of COVID 19 in New Zealand many concerns emerged. How would we keep our economy going and maintain our exports which are ...
NZ First Press Release
2 weeks ago

Budget 2023: More cost of living support
At the heart of Budget 2023 is a cost of living package, designed to ease the pressure on New Zealanders in the face of global inflation and the challenges of rebuilding from extreme weather events. It provides practical cost of living relief across some of the core expenses facing Kiwis ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Highlights of Budget 2023
Budget 2023 delivers practical cost of living support for New Zealanders today and makes targeted investments to build a better future. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Greens welcome much needed investment but Labour can go further for Te Ao Māori & Pasifika in t...
Today the Green Party’s Te Mātāwaka (Māori and Pasifika) caucus supported the 2023 Budget, but there’s still room for improvement. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Free prescriptions important step forward
The Green Party is today welcoming free prescriptions. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Long-term commitment needed on public housing
Budget 2023’s investment in public housing falls short of what’s needed. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

ECE extension Green win nearly 10 years in the making
The Green Party is today celebrating Budget 2023 funding extending free ECE to two year olds. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Green initiative addresses both climate and inequality
A long standing Green Party policy has been extended yet again in this year’s Budget. This will deliver warmer homes for thousands of people, lower power bills, and cut climate pollution. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Greens on board with more affordable buses and trains
The Green Party is fully on board with free bus and train travel for under 12s and half price travel for under 25s - next stop, free travel for all under 18s, students, and apprentices. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Budget 2023 falls short of what’s needed
Today’s Budget makes good progress on climate and inequality, but falls short of what’s needed to fix both. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Forestry sector must compensate for slash damage
The Green Party welcomes today’s release of the report of the Ministerial Inquiry into slash and sediment, and are clear that the forestry industry must foot more of the bill. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Winston Peters – why mess with the magic of the monarchy?
When Chris Hipkins appeared on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he described himself as a “technical republican”. At least it was clearer than when he stumbled over what a woman is. In the blue corner, the other “Chris” said, “New Zealand will become a republic, eventually.” Of course, they both supported ...
NZ First Press Release
3 weeks ago

Govt must break up supermarkets
The Government needs to do much more to address supermarket profiteering, which is driving high food prices. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Grant Robertson: Pre-Budget speech to BNZ business breakfast
This morning, the Minister of Finance Grant Robertson delivered a pre-Budget speech in Auckland. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

Action to support people to put food on the table more urgent than ever
Yet another increase in food prices shows the urgent need for the Government to tax wealth and use the money to help people put food on the table. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Grant Robertson: Pre-Budget speech to Wellington Chamber of Commerce
This morning, the Minister of Finance Grant Robertson delivered a pre-Budget speech in Wellington. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

Our preoccupation with Māori theatrics while sacrificing economic realism
May is significant in the New Zealand parliamentary calendar, given the Minister of Finance delivers the Budget - a whopping $128 billion last year, over a third of our GDP. This year Grant Robertson is riding a unicycle on a tightrope. The sugar rush is over but will he still ...
NZ First Press Release
3 weeks ago

Labour left floundering on seabed health
Labour has once again avoided taking decisions to protect ocean health and shown exactly why we need more Green MPs. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Minister Sepuloni to attend 61st Anniversary of Samoa’s Independence
Deputy Prime Minister and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pacific Region) Carmel Sepuloni will represent New Zealand at Samoa’s 61st Anniversary of Independence commemorations in Apia. “Aotearoa New Zealand is pleased to share in this significant occasion, alongside other invited Pacific leaders, and congratulates Samoa on the milestone of 61 ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 hours ago

Govt backs retailers with expansion of fog cannon programme
The Government is continuing to support retailers with additional funding for the highly popular Fog Cannon Subsidy Scheme, Police and Small Business Minister Ginny Andersen announced today. “The Government is committed to improving retailers’ safety,” Ginny Andersen said. “I’ve seen first-hand the difference fog cannons are making. Not only do ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
10 hours ago

Government will consider recommendations of Intelligence and Security Act review
The Government has received the first independent review of the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says. The review, considered by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee, was presented to the House of Representatives today. “Ensuring the safety and security of New Zealanders is of the utmost ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
14 hours ago

Govt expresses condolences on the passing of HRH Princess Sui’ilikutapu
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
14 hours ago

Govt expresses condolences on the passing of HRH Princess Siu’ilikutapu
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
14 hours ago

Security support to Solomon Islands extended
Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have today announced the extension of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) deployment to Solomon Islands, as part of the regionally-led Solomon Islands International Assistance Force (SIAF). “Aotearoa New Zealand has a long history of working alongside the Royal Solomon ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
16 hours ago

Minister Mahuta to attend the first Korea-Pacific Leaders’ Summit
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will travel to the Republic of Korea today to attend the Korea–Pacific Leaders’ Summit in Seoul and Busan. “Korea is an important partner for Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific region. I am eager for the opportunity to meet and discuss issues that matter to our ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Agreement between Indo-Pacific partners for supply chain resilience
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor joined ministerial representatives at a meeting in Detroit, USA today to announce substantial conclusion of negotiations of a new regional supply chains agreement among 14 Indo-Pacific countries. The Supply Chains agreement is one of four pillars being negotiated within the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Celebrating Samoa Language Week 2023
Our most spoken Pacific language is taking centre stage this week with Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoa Language Week kicking off around the country. “Understanding and using the Samoan language across our nation is vital to its survival,” Barbara Edmonds said. “The Samoan population in New Zealand are ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Nationwide test of Emergency Mobile Alert system
Over 90 per cent of New Zealanders are expected to receive this year’s nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system tonight between 6-7pm. “Emergency Mobile Alert is a tool that can alert people when their life, health, or property, is in danger,” Kieran McAnulty said. “The annual nationwide test ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Whakatōhea and the Crown sign Deed of Settlement
ENGLISH: Whakatōhea and the Crown sign Deed of Settlement A Deed of Settlement has been signed between Whakatōhea and the Crown, 183 years to the day since Whakatōhea rangatira signed the Treaty of Waitangi, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little has announced. Whakatōhea is an iwi based in ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

New Chair appointed to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO
Elizabeth Longworth has been appointed as the Chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, Associate Minister of Education Jo Luxton announced today. UNESCO is the United Nations agency responsible for promoting cooperative action among member states in the areas of education, science, culture, social science (including peace and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Tourism transformation starts with people
Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation scheme to recognise quality employers Better education and career opportunities in tourism Cultural competency to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Innovation and technology acceleration to drive satisfying, skilled jobs Strengthening our tourism workers and supporting them into good career pathways, pay and working conditions ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Tourism transformation starts with people
Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation scheme to recognise quality employers Better education and career opportunities in tourism Cultural competency to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Innovation and technology acceleration to drive satisfying, skilled jobs Strengthening our tourism workers and supporting them into good career pathways, pay and working conditions ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Te ao Māori health services more accessible for whānau
Greater access to primary care, including 193 more front line clinical staff More hauora services and increased mental health support Boost for maternity and early years programmes Funding for cancers, HIV and longer term conditions Greater access to primary care, improved maternity care and mental health support are ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Te ao Māori health services cheaper and more accessible for whānau
Greater access to primary care, including 193 more front line clinical staff More hauora services and increased mental health support Boost for maternity and early years programmes Funding for cancers, HIV and longer term conditions Greater access to primary care, improved maternity care and mental health support are ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Government’s work for survivors of abuse in care continues
The Government continues progress on the survivor-led independent redress system for historic abuse in care, with the announcement of the design and advisory group members today. “The main recommendation of the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Abuse in Care interim redress report was for a survivor-led independent redress system, and the ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Humanitarian support for the Horn of Africa
Aotearoa New Zealand is providing NZ$7.75 million to respond to urgent humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The Horn of Africa is experiencing its most severe drought in decades, with five consecutive failed rainy seasons. At least 43.3 million people require lifesaving and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Two brand new mental health facilities opened in Christchurch
Health Minister Ayesha Verrall has opened two new state-of-the-art mental health facilities at the Christchurch Hillmorton Hospital campus, as the Government ramps up its efforts to build a modern fit for purpose mental health system. The buildings, costing $81.8 million, are one of 16 capital projects the Government has funded ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Government invests more than $24 million in regional projects
The Government is continuing to invest in our regional economies by announcing another $24 million worth of investment into ten diverse projects, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan says. “Our regions are the backbone of our economy and today’s announcement continues to build on the Government’s investment to boost regional economic ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Budget 23 supports the growth of Māori tourism
An $8 million boost to New Zealand Māori Tourism will help operators insulate themselves for the future. Spread over the next four years, the investment acknowledges the on-going challenges faced by the industry and the significant contribution Māori make to tourism in Aotearoa. It builds on the $15 million invested ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

First Bushmasters ready to roll
Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the first 18 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles for the New Zealand Army, alongside personnel at Trentham Military Camp today. “The arrival of the Bushmaster fleet represents a significant uplift in capability and protection for defence force personnel, and a milestone in ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Humanitarian support for the people of Sudan
Aotearoa New Zealand is providing NZ$3.5 million to help meet urgent humanitarian needs in Sudan, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The severe fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has had devastating impacts for civilians. At least 705 people have been killed and 5,287 injured. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Clean-up at Hawkes Bay facility to help region deal with cyclone waste
Repairing a Hawke’s Bay organic composting facility devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle is among the latest waste reduction projects getting Government backing, Associate Environment Minister Rachel Brooking announced today. “Helping communities get back on their feet after the devastating weather that hit the northern parts of the country this year is ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

8% pay boosts for GP & community nurses
About 6,100 more GP, community nurses and kaiāwhina will be eligible for pay rises of 8% on average to reduce pay disparities with nurses in hospitals, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. The top up comes from a $200 million fund established to remove pay disparities between nurses ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Govt turns the sod on new Jobs and Skills Hub for Hawke’s Bay
New Jobs and Skills Hub to begin construction in Hawke’s Bay The Hub will support the building of $1.1billion worth of homes in the region and support Cyclone Gabrielle rebuild and recovery. Over 2,200 people have been supported into industry specific employment, apprenticeships and training, by these Hubs across NZ ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Community Housing Aotearoa Conference Speech
Tēnā koutou e nga maata waka. Kia koutou te mana whenua tēnā koutou Ngā mate huhua o te waa, haere, haere, haere atu ra. Hoki mai kia tātou te kanohi ora e tau nei, Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Tēnā koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

New mental health tool launched for small business owner-operators
The Government has launched a new tool to help small business owner-operators manage and improve their mental wellbeing, Small Business Minister Ginny Andersen announced today. The Brave in Business e-Learning series is another tool the Government has delivered to support small businesses with their mental health and wellbeing. “A pandemic, ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

TAB partnership helps secure future of racing industry
Minister for Racing Kieran McAnulty has announced the approval of a 25-year partnership between TAB NZ and UK betting company Entain that delivers at least $900 million in guaranteed funding for the racing industry over the next five years. Entain, a UK based group that operates multiple sports betting providers ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Government project delivers more reliable and resilient water source to Northland
The Government has delivered the first of three significant water security projects in Northland, boosting regional business and climate resilience, with the opening of Matawii reservoir today, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced. A $68 million Government investment supported the construction of the reservoir, along with two other water storage ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Trade Minister to US to attend Ministerial meetings
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor will travel to Detroit tomorrow to represent New Zealand at the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting from 24 – 29 May. Whilst in Detroit, Damien O’Connor will also host a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Ministers ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Murihiku Regeneration energy and innovation wānanga
I want to start by thanking Ngāi Tahu and the Murihiku Regeneration Collective for hosting us here today. Back at the Science and Innovation Wananga in 2021, I said that a just transition in New Zealand must ensure Iwi are at the table. This is just as true now as ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

New Ambassador to Mongolia announced
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today announced the appointment of diplomat Dr James Waite as Aotearoa New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Mongolia. He is currently the Deputy Head of Mission at the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing, a role he will continue to hold. “New Zealand and Mongolia share a warm and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Government commitment to Māori Education continues
Biggest-ever investment in property with more money for new sites and modernisation Roll-out of learning support coordination in kaupapa Māori and Māori Medium Schooling Boost in funding for iwi and schools to work together on Local Histories content Substantial support for Māori Education has continued in Budget 2023, including ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

More students to benefit from next round of Creatives in Schools
Applications for the next round of Creatives in Schools will open on Friday 16 June 2023, Minister of Education Jan Tinetti and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni announced today during a visit at Te Wharekura o Mauao in Tauranga. “The Creatives in Schools programme funds schools and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Speech to WasteMINZ conference, Hamilton
Tena koutou katoa and thank you all for being here and welcoming me to your annual conference. I want to acknowledge being here in Tainui’s rohe, and the mana of Kingi Tuheitia. I hate waste. So much so that when we built our home in Dunedin, I banned the use ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Extra boost for Southland’s Just Transition
Southland’s Just Transition is getting a further boost to help future-proof the region and build its economic resilience, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods announced today. “This Government is committed to supporting Southland’s just transition and reducing the region’s reliance on the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter at Tiwai Point,” Megan ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

PM concludes successful Pacific visit, confirms intention to visit India
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has concluded a series of successful international meetings with Pacific region leaders in Papua New Guinea. Prime Minister Hipkins secured constructive bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, PNG Prime Minister James Marape, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and United States Secretary of ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Agreed statement from NZEI, PPTA and the Minister of Education
On Friday 19th May, Minister Tinetti facilitated a meeting between NZEI and PPTA with the Ministry of Education to discuss options for finding a way forward in the current stalled collective bargaining. The meeting was constructive, and the parties shared a willingness to work towards a solution. The following was ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Five community energy projects kick start
Eighty-nine households will soon benefit from secure, renewable, and more affordable energy as five community-level energy projects are about to get underway, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods announced today.  Five solar projects – in Whangārei, Tauranga, Palmerston North and Christchurch – are the first to receive funding from the ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Background to SCORI – is this a sell-out of Pacific’s ‘Sea of Islands’?
By concerned citizens of the Pacific The signing of the memorandum of understanding between the University of the South Pacific’s vice-chancellor and president, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, and the Indian government’s National Centre for Coastal Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, in March for the setting up of a Sustainable Coastal and ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
1 hour ago

No sedition charges against Kanak pro-independence leader, says prosecutor
By Walter Zweifel, RNZ Pacific reporter The president of New Caledonia’s largest pro-independence party Daniel Goa will not be prosecuted for alleged calls for violence and sedition. Last month, a coalition of anti-independence parties had lodged a formal complaint with the Public Prosecutor over a speech given by Goa at ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
1 hour ago

Kramer still working on ‘unfinished’ exposure of PNG corruption
PNG Post-Courier Dismissed Member of Madang Bryan Kramer says the dismissal notice by Papua New Guinea’s Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae does not affect his appeal. “What I can confirm is that on the morning the notice was issued, I had filed my appeal before the National Court,” he said. “My ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
1 hour ago

PNG lawyer Paraka found guilty of misappropriating K162m
By Todagia Kelola in Port Moresby Papua New Guinea lawyer and businessman Paul Paraka has been found guilty of misappropriating K162 million (NZ$75 million) belonging to the state. Criminal track judge Justice Teresa Berrigan, in a comprehensive and detailed judgment in 114 pages, found him guilty on all five charges ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 hours ago

Tokelau covid: Two new cases announced as lockdown ends
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Tokelau’s largest atoll, Nukunonu, is now out of lockdown after experiencing its first community cases of covid-19. In a statement, the government said Fakaofo Atoll has had two cases at the border and Nukunonu now has six positive community cases — all within the ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 hours ago

Mark McGowan quits in his own time, after dominating Western Australian politics
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Drum, Lecturer Politics and International Relations, University of Notre Dame Australia One of the most dominant premiers in recent Australian political history, Mark McGowan, has resigned as Western Australian premier and the member for Rockingham. Put simply, McGowan has dominated WA ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
7 hours ago

Can high-stakes debt-ceiling brinkmanship in the US lead to unprecedented political unity?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jared Mondschein, Director of Research, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/AAP Congress appears to be on the cusp of passing legislation that would not only avoid an unprecedented US government default – and economic catastrophe – but ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
8 hours ago

National's housing backdown: Preserving character or ditching a fit for purpose framework?
While some say the move will help preserve culture and heritage, others are concerned about what it could mean for the future of New Zealand's cities. ...
Radio NZ – political
8 hours ago

National's housing backdown: Preserving character or ditching a fit for purpose framework?
While some say the move will help preserve culture and heritage, others are concerned about what it could mean for the future of New Zealand's cities. ...
Radio NZ – political
8 hours ago

Hipkins accuses National of dog-whistling over bilingual roadsigns
The prime minister says bilingual signs are nothing new to countries around the world, and do not create public safety concerns. ...
Radio NZ – political
8 hours ago

Stuart Nash donor communications review delayed
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says he has deliberately kept out of the investigation into the former minister, but the reviewer has asked for a couple more weeks. ...
Radio NZ – political
9 hours ago

WA Premier Mark McGowan quits in shock announcement, declaring he is ‘exhausted’
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Aaron Bunch/AAP Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has announced he is quitting as premier and leaving parliament. In a shock announcement, McGowan told a news conference in Perth on Monday he had ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
10 hours ago

Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Visualising Countries’ Deficits and Debts, Surpluses and Credits, ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. The topic of financial debt is one of the hardest for humans to get their heads around. The normal understanding of a debt is a sacrifice made by one party (the owner of the debt) in favour of another party (the ower) which will be remedied ...
Evening ReportBy Keith Rankin
10 hours ago

A warning to NZ Succession fans: Avoid social media
The final ever episode of Succession will be hitting Neon at 7pm tonight, just a few hours after it’s finished airing in the US. Right now, Twitter is a Succession spoiler minefield. My feed is currently made up of news, clips of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour… and Succession spoilers. ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
10 hours ago

Watch: PM Chris Hipkins speaks after Cabinet meeting
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is speaking to media after this week's Cabinet meeting. Watch live. ...
Radio NZ – political
11 hours ago

Extra $11m for expansion of fog cannon subsidy
The government’s announced an additional $11 million to extend the fog cannon subsidy scheme, which the police minister said has given shop workers peace of mind during a spate of retail crime. So far there have been 582 installations completed, said Ginny Andersen, with 1,664 applications approved. “The scheme has ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
11 hours ago

Green MP says ‘fake meth’ at WINZ adds to argument for inquiry into agency
Reports a Work and Income staffer brought “fake meth” to a “cultural diversity” morning tea add to the argument for an inquiry into the agency, said a Green Party MP. The Spinoff first reported today that a worker at the Hornby branch of Work and Income had taken bags labelled ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
12 hours ago

Melbourne earthquake 2023: are they becoming more common? A seismology expert explains
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dee Ninis, Earthquake Geologist, Monash University Report locations from people who felt the Sunbury earthquake on May 28. Geoscience Australia Last night at 11:41pm local time, the greater Melbourne region was shaken by a magnitude 4.0 earthquake – as calculated by the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
12 hours ago

Ten tips for your first noho marae
The prospect of your first marae stay can be daunting, but go in armed with Airena Ngarewa’s top tips and you’ll come out feeling like a pro. Noho marae are a fundamental part of many Māori haerenga, whether you are preparing for the stage, learning the reo or simply trying ...
The SpinoffBy Airana Ngarewa
12 hours ago

Is it true the faster you lose weight the quicker it comes back? Here’s what we know about slow an...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Fuller, Charles Perkins Centre Research Program Leader, University of Sydney Pexels/Andres Ayrton, CC BY When people decide it’s time to lose weight, they’re usually keen to see quick results. Maybe they have an event coming up or want relief ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
13 hours ago

Milton Moon: the Australian artist who brought a Zen Buddhist, modernist and painterly sensibility t...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Speck, Emerita Professor, Art History and Curatorship, University of Adelaide Milton Moon in his studio in Tarragindi, Queensland, 1966, photo: John McKay, Milton Moon archive Milton Moon (1926-2019) was not your regular potter. He was deeply imbued with Zen Buddhism ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
13 hours ago

Beer Tax Hits During Cost-of-living Crisis
Joint media release from the Brewers Association of NZ and Brewers Guild of NZ The Government has just announced it will implement the second largest beer tax increase in 30 years. The annually adjusted alcohol excise rate has been confirmed to increase ...
Scoop politics
13 hours ago

New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week
What are you going to be watching this week? We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ+. The biggies I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (season three streaming on Netflix from May 30) When the ...
The SpinoffBy Sam Brooks
13 hours ago

Slow down Simeon Brown – bilingual traffic signs aren’t an accident waiting to happen
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Shaw, Professor of Politics, Massey University Getty Images When the National Party’s transport spokesperson, Simeon Brown, questioned the logic of bilingual traffic signs, he seemed to echo his leader Christopher Luxon’s earlier misgivings about the now prevalent use of ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
14 hours ago

Act owns ‘coalition of cuts’ line: ‘The next government will need to make cutbacks’
If you’ve been paying even a loose attention to politics over the past few weeks, you’ll almost certainly have come across two competing attack lines. One, the “coalition of chaos”. That’s the line National’s been rolling out to reference a prospective Labour, Green and Te Pāti Māori coalition. Then there’s ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
14 hours ago

Free but unfair election: how Erdogan held onto power in Turkey, and what this means for the country...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mehmet Ozalp, Associate Professor in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University Ali Unal/AP Recep Tayyib Erdogan will remain president of Turkey for another five ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
14 hours ago

More Police Pursuits Will Mean More Deaths And Injuries
An increase in the number of police pursuits will inevitably mean an increase in the number of serious injuries and deaths, says the car review website dogandlemon.com . Dogandlemon.com editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, ...
Scoop politics
14 hours ago

Why are cafes still charging extra for coffees made with non-dairy milk?
There are myriad reasons why an increasing number of us are opting for dairy alternatives in our coffee orders – and that comes with a hefty fee. It’s such standard practice that most of us, in our daily caffeine-hungry haze, probably take it for granted. If you’re lactose intolerant, trying ...
The SpinoffBy Charlotte Muru-Lanning
15 hours ago

Australian shelters and pounds kill 50,000 mostly healthy cats and kittens in a year. There’s a wa...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacquie Rand, Emeritus Professor of Companion Animal Health, The University of Queensland Shutterstock Stray cats are a longstanding problem in Australian towns and cities. Common complaints about roaming cats include nuisance (fighting and urinating), disease risks to humans and other ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
15 hours ago

Get ready for Taskmaster NZ season four
Big news for Taskheads dropped over the weekend as TVNZ unveiled the cast for the upcoming fourth season of Taskmaster NZ. Dai Henwood, Karen O’Leary, Melanie Bracewell, Ray O’Leary and Bubbah are the lucky five who will be tackling whatever is thrown at them by Jeremy Wells and Paul Williams. ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
16 hours ago

Newsletter: May 29 2023 – Items of interest and importance today
New Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. Today’s content LABOUR PARTY CONGRESS Luke Malpass (Stuff): Labour congress lays bare Chris Hipkins’ and Labour’s election strategy Claire Trevett (Herald): Labour Party Congress: Energy ...
Evening ReportBy Bryce Edwards
16 hours ago

114,000 Not-for-profits In Aotearoa Make A Difference To People And Planet!
Community Governance Aotearoa is set to launch our first ‘I Love Community Governance’ Nationwide Online Event on Friday 16 June, 2023. This free online event is designed to be interactive, engaging, and connect attendees to the many organisations and ...
Scoop politics
16 hours ago

Government Clings To Ambulance At The Bottom Of The Cliff Approach To Health
The New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association is warning that the Government’s winter preparedness plan is a continuation of its ambulance at the bottom of the cliff approach to healthcare Chiropractor and NZCA spokesperson Dr Jenna Duehr says: ...
Scoop politics
17 hours ago

National's backdown on bipartisan housing accord 'a massive flip-flop' – Sepulo...
The National Party is denying stepping back from a bipartisan housing policy, which it helped to draft, is a backdown. ...
Radio NZ – political
17 hours ago

Business as Unusual: A new series with the University of Auckland Business School
In an exciting new regular series, we’re going to look deeper at the local research innovations bringing us closer to the big, weird and buzzy future of business. Are widely accessible large language models going to cause a collective atrophy in the broader population’s writing ability, or serve as an ...
The SpinoffBy Matthew McAuley
17 hours ago

Business as Unusual: A new series with the University of Auckland Business School
In an exciting new regular series, we’re going to look deeper at the local research innovations bringing us closer to the big, weird and buzzy future of business. Are widely accessible large language models going to cause a collective atrophy in the broader population’s writing ability, or serve as an ...
The SpinoffBy Matthew McAuley
17 hours ago

A hopeless quest to find something half-decent to watch on linear TV
Watching whatever was on TV used to be fun. Why is it so bad now? According to the great Aotearoa oracles, Flight of the Conchords, Wednesday night is the night to make love. By their own teachings: Wednesday night is the night that we make love. Cos everything is just ...
The SpinoffBy Paula Harris
17 hours ago

A hopeless quest to find something half-decent to watch on linear TV
Watching whatever was on TV used to be fun. Why is it so bad now? According to the great Aotearoa oracles, Flight of the Conchords, Wednesday night is the night to make love. By their own teachings: Wednesday night is the night that we make love. Cos everything is just ...
The SpinoffBy Paula Harris
17 hours ago

National's housing plans need more infrastructure investment – construction expert
National says its new policy would require councils to zone enough new land for 30 years of demand, but an AUT professor says a stronger commitment to improve infrastructure is needed first. ...
Radio NZ – political
18 hours ago

Mike Puru’s new live shopping show is absolutely hectic
NZME’s wild live shopping show is the perfect vehicle for New Zealand’s chattiest man, writes Alex Casey. Mike Puru is proudly presenting a royal blue jug emblazoned with lemons and peaches. “Keri Blue: it is pre-loved but I think it is straight out of the box, in all honesty,” he ...
The SpinoffBy Alex Casey
18 hours ago

The Bulletin: Bouquets and brickbats for Wellington mayor Tory Whanau
Andrea Vance had an in-depth profile of Wellington mayor Tory Whanau on the paywalled Post (and a write-off on the free-to-read Stuff) that looks at her rise to the top job, and how she’s doing six months in. “She has delivered on a promise to unite council – public spats are largely a ...
The SpinoffBy Catherine McGregor
19 hours ago

Our cemeteries face a housing crisis too. 4 changes can make burial sustainable
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Falconer, Lecturer, T.C. Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland Australia’s housing crisis is no secret. What many people don’t realise is that there’s another, less visible housing crisis. Australia’s urban cemeteries are running out of space to house the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

Over half of eligible aged care residents are yet to receive their COVID booster. And winter is comi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Shutterstock As Australia heads towards the fourth winter of the pandemic, we have once again started seeing an increase in the level of COVID circulating. With this comes an increased risk of infection ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

3 little-known reasons why plastic recycling could actually make things worse
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pascal Scherrer, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business, Law and Art, Southern Cross University Chanchai Phetdikhai, Shutterstock This week in Paris, negotiators from around the world are convening for a United Nations meeting. They will tackle a thorny problem: finding a ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

DIY degree? Why universities should make online educational materials free for all
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard F. Heller, Emeritus Professor, University of Newcastle Sam Lion/Pexels This article is part of our series on big ideas for the Universities Accord. The federal government is calling for ideas to “reshape and reimagine higher education, and set it ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

Why taxing the world’s biggest companies at 15% won’t fix the gaping hole in global tax rules
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kerrie Sadiq, Professor of Taxation, QUT Business School, and ARC Future Fellow, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Australia’s federal government has a plan to discourage companies from shifting profits to tax havens. The idea is to impose a “global minimum ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

A long and fishy tail: before Disney’s Little Mermaid, these creatures existed in mythologies from...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Pryke, Honorary Research Associate, University of Sydney 13th century painting of mermaids from a house in Barcelona. Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona Mermaids are multicultural mythical figures, reflecting the continuing human fascination with the sea in stories echoing thousands ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

Bishop says u-turn on housing accord will offer more ‘flexibility’ for councils
The opposition’s housing spokesperson Chris Bishop has defended the decision to pull out of a cross-party policy agreement announced in 2021. National and Labour worked together on legislation that would make it easier for higher density housing to be constructed in main centres. Now, National has decided it wants out, ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
19 hours ago

National u-turn overshadows low-key Labour congress
It was supposed to be Hipkins’ moment in the spotlight, but all anyone was talking about was a backtrack by Luxon, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A policy-light Labour conference ...
The SpinoffBy Catherine McGregor
20 hours ago

'Coalition of chaos' versus 'coalition of cuts' – the voters will decide
Power Play - Labour is ramping up its pitch to regain power, telling voters they "deserve to know the choices they have" in election year, Jane Patterson writes. ...
Radio NZ – political
21 hours ago

How NZ plans to force tech giants to finally pay their taxes
A tax bill introduced alongside the budget commits the government to global rules aimed at stopping the likes of Meta and Google NZ sending their profits offshore. Terry Baucher explains the story so far. Tax is full of acronyms; PAYE, GST, FBT… and BEPS. If you’re not familiar with BEPS, ...
The SpinoffBy Terry Baucher
22 hours ago

Work and Income staffer took fake ‘meth’ to ‘cultural diversity’ morning tea
A photo leaked to The Spinoff shows ziplock bags labelled ‘methamphetamine’ were brought to the morning tea, allegedly as a comment on the culture of Work and Income clients. Stewart Sowman-Lund reports. A staff member at a Canterbury Work and Income branch brought a bag of fake methamphetamine to a ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
22 hours ago

Let's not fool ourselves with our eyes open on the climate
“Believing” in sustainability and making others believe you are doing something is not the same as solving the issues ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Bipartisan politics up in smoke as election looms
There are few “grown-up” moments between National and Labour in recent political history other than the 2021 bipartisan housing accord. But as political editor Jo Moir writes, it only took a whiff of a tightly contested election to unravel it. Comment: Political parties love nothing more than to rain on ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

'Pacific aspiration is not an appendage': Mahuta pushes Pacific-Asia ties in Korea
Foreign minister heads to Korea to push Pacific voice in geopolitical discussions ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

The wallabies threatening a national park
Wallabies might look cute and cuddly, but they're a serious pest in New Zealand – and they're advancing towards Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. Ripping up farms and edging closer to one of our pristine national parks – wallabies have been here for well over 100 years, but there's concern they've become ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

NZ sharemarket dives as earnings disappoint; Kiwi dollar hits 7-month low
Disappointing earnings results from market heavyweights Mainfreight and F&P Healthcare ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Housing: a public policy disaster for 30 years
A major social housing conference this week heard that all parts of the system need a long term vision and goals, but that the crisis has been decades in the making and won’t be turned around quickly. After the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church was destroyed in the February 2011 Christchurch ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Projected 400-500 households won't be allowed to return after Akld floods
Newsroom has learned the number of properties being considered for managed retreat after the Auckland floods ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

The China Tightrope: War on our doorstep?
In this edited extract from The China Tightrope, a new book on the New Zealand-China relationship out this week, Newsroom's own Sam Sachdeva writes about the prospects of a war involving the Asian superpower - and what that would mean for Aotearoa As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stretched into its sixth ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Tiwai smelter sees path to remain until 2039
In a letter to the Government late last year, New Zealand's only aluminium smelter said it believed it could operate for another 15 years beyond its current 2024 closure date. ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

NZ Steel and transitioning to a low-carbon economy
We have been told of what to expect in terms of meeting our 2050 emissions reduction targets, but what about the financial return? ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Water polo star's childhood tricks pay off
One of NZ's top water polo players, Bernadette Doyle's childhood enthusiasm hasn't waned, helping her team to the World Cup super final. If any Auckland water polo teams were short on players, they only had to look to the side of the pool. Bernadette Doyle would be there, ready ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

The coast is doomed
A climate researcher on the future of coastal housing (there is no future) I was once interviewed for television while standing on the beach not far from my home. At one point, the interviewer said to me, "So, by the end of this century, all these houses we see along ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Democracy behind closed doors
Shining a light on the degree to which southern councils exclude the public from their deliberations shows some are much shyer than others Southland’s straight-shooting ratepayers probably don’t love all the decisions their district council makes but at least they know about them. Newsroom asked nine councils in the lower ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 29 May
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Newsroom
23 hours ago

Daily crossword, Monday 29 May
...
Newsroom
23 hours ago

Albanese says nearly 90% of Indigenous people support the Voice, which embodies the ‘spirit of the...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Voice to Parliament is supported by nearly 90% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and provides an opportunity for an intergenerational solution to Indigenous problems, Anthony Albanese will say in a Monday address. ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago

'Zone for 30 years of growth' – National proposes housing growth policy
National party says its housing growth plan would fast-track developments on new land. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

India launches ‘celebration of future’ climate research centre at USP
By Joeli Bili in Suva A partnership forged between the Indian government and the University of the South Pacific (USP) will see the establishment of a new Fiji-based centre for climate change, coastal and ocean management in the region. The Sustainable Coastal and Ocean Research Institute (SCORI) at USP’s Suva ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

Labour Unarmed In Contest Of Ideas
“New Zealanders watching for Labour’s vision for a wealthier, safer, more united country this weekend saw a political party enter a contest of ideas completely unarmed,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “Labour’s first two policy announcements of this ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Apprenticeship scheme would be permanent under Labour government
Labour Leader Chris Hipkins has used his first major speech to his party to promise to keep an existing apprenticeship scheme in place. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Congress 2023 speech: Chris Hipkins
28 May 2023 E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā iwi, e rau rangatira ma. Tena koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa. Mālō e lelei Kia Orana Talofa Lava Fakaalofa lahi atu, Mālō Ni Ni sa bula. Namaste As-salamu alaykum Ni hao … or as we say ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Labour Backing Apprentices And Employers
Labour will back employers and guarantee a pipeline of skilled tradespeople by making the successful Apprenticeship Boost scheme a permanent feature of New Zealand’s tertiary education system, Labour leader Chris Hipkins has committed today. The programme ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

New Zealand’s Version of ‘Know Nothingism’
Rt Hon Winston Peters Public Meeting Marlborough Events Centre Blenheim 1.00pm 28 May 2023 Good afternoon and thank you for taking the time to be here. Blenheim is at the heart of the Marlborough region and an important contributor to New Zealand’s ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Taxpayers Union receives funding from British American Tobacco

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