The fateful tea party – a footnote

Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, May 7th, 2012 - 61 comments
Categories: election 2011, john banks, john key - Tags: , ,

So much of what shapes the current political landscape traces its roots back to the fateful tea party, the meeting between Key and Banks intended to gift the electorate to ACT. It did that – and more. Cameraman Bradley Ambrose accidentally recorded a “private” conversation between the two Johns, and in doing so became part of our political history.

In the aftermath Key attacked Ambrose and the media, and used the police to raid media outlets. The end of the media love affair with Key, and their somewhat more realistic interpretation and reporting of his behaviour, dates from that time.

While speculation raged about the contents of the tape, Winston Peters seemed remarkably well informed. He began dropping hints and snippets, among them the gist of Key’s callous disregard for the elderly. The surge in attention for Peters, and perhaps the anger of older voters, saw NZF surge to over 6% and claim 8 seats in parliament, thus denying the Nats any chance of an outright majority.

And having Banks (with the pretend ACT party) back in Parliament hasn’t worked out well for the Nats either. Key is personally covering himself in muck to try and protect Banks – who holds the one patsy vote that stands between the Nats and a hung Parliament. The longer it drags on the more damaged Key looks, and the more the hypocrisy of all their posturing on ethical standards is exposed.

All this from a cup of tea. It’s almost enough to make me believe in Karma.

Anyway, almost lost in the grand political consequences is the impact of these events on one man, Bradley Ambrose himself. Key laid a complaint against Ambrose with the police. In late April (conveniently timed while Key was overseas), after four months of hell for Ambrose, the police announced that they were dropping charges. However in an act of political vindictiveness the government went after him for almost $14,000 in court costs. In this respect at least there was some welcome news yesterday:

Teapot costs bid dropped

The Attorney-General has ditched plans to demand nearly $14,000 in court costs from freelance photographer Bradley Ambrose over the long-running “teapot tape” saga. … on Wednesday, Crown Law Office spokeswoman Jan Fulstow confirmed the order had been withdrawn by the Attorney-General.

But it isn’t over for Ambrose yet:

Ambrose said his lawyers were still deciding whether to take defamation action against Key for saying Ambrose broke the law. He is also still waiting for police to return $1000 worth of recording gear, despite repeated requests. … Ambrose said he lost “tens of thousands” of dollars as work dried up during the scandal.

I’ll leave him with the final word:

“I became completely disillusioned with the people running the country. And that’s coming from someone who’s been a National voter for 18 years.”

61 comments on “The fateful tea party – a footnote ”

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  1. Pete George 1
    7 May 2012 at 7:33 am

    While speculation raged about the contents of the tape, Winston Peters seemed remarkably well informed. He began dropping hints and snippets…

    How he became so well informed has not been examined by the media. Why not?

    There’s a remarkable impression that the media played a political game plan using Peters, and vice versa.

    Did this affect the outcome of the election? Did it help NZ First take Labour votes? If so should the media be playing political God? Not much chance of them asking themselves those questions.

    • Pascal's bookie 1.1
      7 May 2012 at 8:04 am

      If so should the media be playing political God?

      What on earth does this mean?

      Did the media make people vote for Peters?

      Was the information made available to the public accurate?

      If yes, can that be a problem>

      What are you suggesting?

      • Vaughan 1.1.1
        7 May 2012 at 8:41 am

        The media has pretty shocking ethics around political reporting. One aspect of this is that the current government is somewhat a media creation – the media ran a campaign of encouraging voters to stay home by publishing so many polls that showed national way ahead. Problem with that is, polls are done off landlines, not cellphones, and a growing number of mostly youth have been disappearing off the landline grid for a number of years. The media knew this, but it’s less dramatic to report properly on polling than to play up a landslide which was never going to happen.

      • Pete George 1.1.2
        7 May 2012 at 8:53 am

        The media play a free hand in the political process, devoid of democratic process. What they choose to publicise and what they choose to ignore plays a big part in what the public see of an election campaign.

        The cafe meeting was as much a creation of the media as it was a ploy of Act (particularly) and National. It then overshadowed up to a week of the campaign, which used up coverage that legitimate campaigning didn’t get.

        It was suggested this adversaly affected Labour in particular – it’s debatable whether more coverage would have won them more votes.

        But it swung a significant portion of the floating and protest vote to New Zealand First. As Anthony suggests in his post Peters seemed to be in collusion with someone who new the contents of the recording – and the most likely ones were those who are kniown to have a copy of the recording, TV3 and the Herald.

        TV3 went as far as promoting a speech given by Peters in Invercargill where he talked about the recording.

        I think this suggests the possibility of very dubious use of media power to influence an election. It could adversely affect any party, and I don’t think it’s good for democracy.

        • Pete 1.1.2.1
          7 May 2012 at 9:39 am

          The media relationship with the political establishment is a symbiotic one. The media’s core business isn’t delivering news to an audience, it’s delivering an audience to advertisers. Winston Peters, regardless of your views on the man, makes for good television. He is a skilled populist politician and even I – a staunch Labour supporter – can appreciate his ability to put a bit of stick about and inject some life into the political theatre of this country. So I can understand why he’d be given some airtime.

          I do think your comment demonstrates a lack of faith in the New Zealand electorate too. Voters are going to vote for who they want to. It’s not TV3 and the Herald who are marking those boxes on election day.

          • Pete George 1.1.2.1.1
            7 May 2012 at 9:46 am

            But it’s TV3 and the Herald et al that sell the population on burgers and beauty products, what makes you think they don’t sell the politics their advertises want?

            • Colonial Viper 1.1.2.1.1.1
              7 May 2012 at 10:03 am

              Corporate advertisers in the US can deliberately affect news editorial standards and positions; I don’t think that contagion has really made it to NZ yet.

            • Pascal's bookie 1.1.2.1.1.2
              7 May 2012 at 10:07 am

              Are you saying (unspecified) advertisers wanted Peters to get back in?

              What exactly is the allegation here?

              • Pete George …
                7 May 2012 at 10:11 am

                Not an allegation, just suggesting a possibility.

                What if a survery showed that people eat 20% more burgers under a XXX government?

                We simply don’t know what happens. Perhaps there is always a good separation in media between commercial and journalistic interests, but it’s all done out of sight, no accountability and transparency that media demand of politicians and parties.

                Isn’t that a double standard?

                • Colonial Viper …
                  7 May 2012 at 10:13 am

                  What if a survery showed that people eat 20% more burgers under a XXX government?

                  so funny

                • McFlock …
                  7 May 2012 at 1:03 pm

                  Not an allegation, just suggesting a possibility.

                  Oh, okay – just wasting everyone’s fucking time with no point you’re prepared to commit to, once again. 
                  Might I suggest the possibility that you regularly fellate aardvarks? Perfectly possible, if you can get an import permit. I’m not making the allegation, you understand, just suggesting the possibility.   

                • North …
                  7 May 2012 at 9:18 pm

                  You’re a great one for having a dollar each way Pete George. While blasting Sir Botox Banks for the nasty, creepy, false idol he is you nevertheless pretty much engage apologism for the man.

                  Latest effort, your suggestion that his and Key’s own goal with the cuppa tea fiasco (which begot them Winston actually) should really be sheeted home to the media. More apologism.

                  Where the hell are you coming from Pete George ? Please have the honesty and the courage not to parade a mock distaste for Sir Botox and a PM whose contempt for us all is increasingly evident in dead eyes and a poker face.

                  • Pete George …
                    8 May 2012 at 6:02 am

                    No bob each way on this, I’ve always been critical of the whole sideshow. I haven’t said that the blame for the fiasco should “be sheeted home to the media”, but they have been a significant part of it.

                    Banks seemed to be desperate for the attention of the symbolism of a cafe meeting.

                    Key seemed to me to be a reluctant participant – but of course it was his decision to take part, and I am sure it’s one he regrets making.

                    And the media were enthusiastic promoters of and reporters of the whole nonsense.

                    I think it was a bad look for all involved, and democracy and the election campaign was poorly served by it all.

                    Political patheticism.

        • Pascal's bookie 1.1.2.2
          7 May 2012 at 10:04 am

          Pish posh.

          Key and Banks decided to have their cuppa. The media didn’t force them to. It was part of the Epsom election race, which was of huge legitimate interest. The polling showed Banks wasn’t a shoe in, and the media were quite rightly intrested in whether or not Key would give a more explicit signal. The cup of tea routine has been used many times before, including by Dunne IIRC.

          So Key decided to send the signal. If he had decided the other way, that too would have been a story deserving of coverage.

          As it turned out, the tape was made, and the Key and Banks conversation was recorded, No one forced Key to talk about NZ First, no one forced Key to lay a complaint with the police, and no one forced him to attack the media. He chose to do these things, all of which were of legitimate interest.

          • Pete George 1.1.2.2.1
            7 May 2012 at 10:13 am

            I question whether there was anything of real interest in that whole sorry saga. I agree that Key and Banks were major players – but so were the media. They pushed and pestered for the meeting a week before it took place.

            It was trash trivia.

            • vto 1.1.2.2.1.1
              7 May 2012 at 10:27 am

              “trash trivia”. How on earth is the Prime Minister of New Zealand conspiring with a blow-in from Act to rort the NZ election 2011 “trash trivia”???????

              • Matthew Whitehead …
                8 May 2012 at 1:16 pm

                Endorsing a third-party candidate really isn’t a rort, it’s a natural result of a system where electorates can provide extra seats, and precisely one of the biggest reasons we should get rid of electorates as soon as practical.

            • Pascal's bookie 1.1.2.2.1.2
              7 May 2012 at 10:30 am

              They didn’t push and pester for a meeting. They wanted to know if Key was going to give a signal or not.

              It’s pretty hard to see how that is not a legitimate question. Key could have said ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ at any time. But he decided not to. Then he talked about political things, and was recorded, and filed a police complaint, and attacked the media.

              It was certainly of interest to the people whose votes it’s assumed were changed by the whole affair.

              So who are you to say that they should have been denied the information that they felt was decisive?

    • Lanthanide 1.2
      7 May 2012 at 9:15 am

      “How he became so well informed has not been examined by the media. Why not?”

      Um, because they all know exactly how he became informed? You know who had the copies of the tape/transcript, right? You know it was the media, right? Specifically TV3.

      When asked how he knew, he said something like “well we all know where TV3’s offices are”.

    • jack 1.3
      7 May 2012 at 11:06 pm

      I doubt it. Peters has connections, he’s been in Parliament for a long time and he is smart. I think the last people Peters trust is the newsmedia.

  2. Maui 2
    7 May 2012 at 8:02 am

    “I became completely disillusioned with the people running the country. And that’s coming from someone who’s been a National voter for 18 years.”

    Join the crowd ..

    • Jim Nald 2.1
      7 May 2012 at 8:42 am

      and join most of my once-was-old-Tory family members … my still staunch-National voting brother has been wavering recently

  3. ghostwhowalksnz 3
    7 May 2012 at 8:04 am

    How he became well informed ?
    The contents of the tapes became common knowledge- a newspaper had the original remember.
    Peters was in a position to be able to use it.

  4. deuto 4
    7 May 2012 at 8:14 am

    I just missed Ambrose being interviewed on Morning Report – just before 8am. Must listen when it comes up on the website. Do hope he sues for defamation. Perhaps someone with money will come to his aid on legal costs. Dotcom? That would be a hoot.

  5. Graeme 5
    7 May 2012 at 11:29 am

    I am ashamed to admit, I voted for that sneaky little bastard Key in 2008……He promised a brave new world in NZ politics.
    That’s the last fucking time i take any politician seriously, and expect them to hold their word.
    My Grandfather literraly begged me not to, and may he rest in peace, everything he said would happen, has happened. The attacks on workers rights, the law for sale, the lie’s, the deceit, and general sneaky behaviour of a right leaning Govt.

    • Cin77 5.1
      7 May 2012 at 12:16 pm

      I feel your pain, my poor mother almost howled when I suggested voting National in 08!

      I’m a good girl and did exactly what she told me, thanks Mum for the advice 🙂

      • Lanthanide 5.1.1
        7 May 2012 at 1:42 pm

        People unthinkingly listening to their families is why so many people vote for National in the first place.

        • TheContrarian 5.1.1.1
          7 May 2012 at 5:50 pm

          “People unthinkingly listening to their families is why so many people vote for National in the first place.”

          Complete bullshit

          • Lanthanide 5.1.1.1.1
            7 May 2012 at 6:39 pm

            No.

            It can be equally said of Labour, or any other large mainstream party. Where’s the bullshit?

            • TheContrarian 5.1.1.1.1.1
              7 May 2012 at 7:06 pm

              “It can be equally said of Labour, or any other large mainstream party”

              That I can agree with. It came across as if the only reason people could be voting National, in particular. was because of their families. I apologise for the misunderstanding.

              • Matthew Whitehead …
                8 May 2012 at 1:21 pm

                I think we can all agree that people should be voting based on policy, or maybe secondarily the history of candidates in serving their constituents or in being effective advocates for your principles.

  6. Tiger Mountain 6
    7 May 2012 at 11:39 am

    Stuff Ambrose personally is my reaction, he has done the country a service by default only. That does not excuse the heavy handed treatment he got. If he has learnt something from all this-brilliant, he appears a bit of a slow learner though as a long time tory voter.

    “it burns us” but some of you keep doing it.

    • tc 6.1
      7 May 2012 at 6:27 pm

      Agree, the number of folk who just refuse to see beyond granny and the Nat shills that passes itself off as the MSM is saddening.

      Just the other day I was listening to someone sooo impressed with shonkey in one of his tailored corporate events as he had them laughing and said a lot of impressive stuff…..another new kiwi with no shipley or muldoon experience.

      It’s all to easy for the NACT without an MSM with a spine or interest in future generations quality of life.

  7. PunditX 7
    7 May 2012 at 11:42 am

    Huge sympathy with Ambrose, my only reservation is after being force fed a shit sandwich by Key he still describes himself as a National voter…

    • deuto 7.1
      7 May 2012 at 12:09 pm

      I doubt that he is a National supporter any longer. Although he did not say so directly, in the interview on Morning Report today (link at 4.1 above) he said something to the effect that the tea tape event had changed his political views.

  8. Jenny 8
    7 May 2012 at 6:30 pm

    the fateful tea party, the meeting between Key and Banks intended to gift the electorate to ACT.

    ANTHONY R0BINS

    The tea party gifted Epsom to Banks.

    A simple little concept.

    But how did it work?

    How do you gift a whole electorate from one political party to another?

    When you think about it, it’s amazing really, and hardly the sort of thing that is often witnessed in a democratic election, of any sort.

    Right up until the tea party the National Candidate Paul Goldsmith according to polls was leading Banks by a large margin.

    This was despite Goldsmith doing his utmost to dissuade Epsom from voting for him. Even pulling down his own bill boards, rudely snubbing a delegation of Epsom voters who tried to meet with him to discuss some of the issues in the electorate concerning them. Being objectionable and rude in person and being invisible in public.

    Still Goldsmith was leading.

    But one pot of tea and it all changed.

    The question must be;

    Will the conservative voters of Epsom be happy to be the subject of so much cynical horse trading again?

    Can their votes be that easily taken for granted?

    I now see that John Key has all but given his papal blessing to the Conservative Party. Colin Craig in return has promised to keep National in power.

    Well, well. Will the voters of Epsom be content to be led by the nose again?

    I wonder.

    • Colonial Viper 8.1
      7 May 2012 at 7:48 pm

      But one pot of tea and it all changed.

      In reality, I believe that the people of Epsom when polled answered in such a way to hold ACT to account for their misbehaviour and make them work harder for their votes.

      But they were always going to vote ACT on polling day because that is what was going to help National the most.

      • Jenny 8.1.1
        7 May 2012 at 9:24 pm

        Not really. If David Parker had not stood…. It is very likely that the 3000 votes he received would most likely have gone to Goldsmith, defeating Banks.

  9. Anne 9
    7 May 2012 at 6:43 pm

    Will the voters of Epsom be content to be led by the nose again?

    Of course they will. It’s not about policies, principles and fair pay-packets for all NZers. These people live in Remuera/Epsom. They regard themselves as the Upper Crust of NZ society. The Upper Crust stick together and will always do what their Lord and Master (in this case, John Key) tells them to do. I have known a few of them and they are impervious to independent political thought.

    • Goldilocks 9.1
      7 May 2012 at 7:11 pm

      Not all Epsom voters Anne – I live in Epsom, and I’m neither upper-crust, nor a NACT voter.

      It IS frustrating to think that my electoral vote will probably be wasted on a Labour or Green candidate, though

    • Jenny 9.2
      7 May 2012 at 7:22 pm

      I don’t care how rich you are. There is something in the human psych that resents being taken for granted.

      Will the voters of Epsom will troop into the voting booth and vote for the newly anointed Colin Craig?

      What would this mean for national politics?

      What if, after being ‘gifted’ this seat in a byelection, Craig was able to hold this seat through a national election?

      If Craig’s party vote holds up, the Conservatives could have four MPs in the next parliament virtually guaranteeing them the king maker role.

      What would this mean?

      Firstly it probably would mean the return of another National led government, but with a few added twists.

      For one thing, Colin Craig is an admitted Climate Change Denier.

      • Jenny 9.2.1
        7 May 2012 at 9:27 pm

        What we must do, is give the people of Epsom a real choice.

        • Pete George 9.2.1.1
          7 May 2012 at 9:31 pm

          If there’s a by election in Epsom it would be quite different to a general election, as there is only one seat at stake, for Act to hold or another party to gain, so the dynamics would be quite different.

          And the Herald poll wasn’t much use, especially if Banks (presumably) doesn’t stand.

  10. Jenny 10
    7 May 2012 at 7:53 pm

    With Colin Craig standing in Epsom, Epsom could be ground zero for the first ever election campaign run over the issue of climate change.

    Is it real?

    Is it a fraud?

    Is it dangerous?

    Will rich people be just as affected as everyone else?

    To give this byelection some real zest – What is needed is an independent businessman, or independently wealthy individual, a conservative who has had the time and the interest and the intelligence to investigate this problem and who is able to decimate the denier argument in an election campaign.

    A Kiwi version of Al Gore crossed with Winston Churchill.

    Would Colin Craig be able to hold his own?

    Will Craig back down?

    Will he try to run away from the issue?

    Could Colin Craig be skewered over his support for denialism?

    I want a front row seat for this one.

    • Anne 10.1
      7 May 2012 at 8:06 pm

      Saw him on TV tonight. Not very bright. He would be the nearest thing we have to a Tea Party Candidate. If Labour and the Greens put their heads together and each came up with the right candidate, they would be able to have his guts for garters.

      • Jenny 10.1.1
        7 May 2012 at 9:16 pm

        A realistic candidate in Epsom needs to be a tory. Someone convinced of the danger of climate change.

        One of them, not one of us.

        An environmental Churchill if you will.

  11. Te Reo Putake 11
    7 May 2012 at 9:32 pm

    Technical question. Can a resident (non-citizen) stand for Parliament? If so, I’d have thought there’s a high chance of a flashy, rich and egotistical criminal standing in Epsom next election. No, not Banksie. Kim Dotcom. He’s got the dosh to take this all the way and he’s certainly got the motivation.

    • Pete George 11.1
      7 May 2012 at 9:33 pm

      1.2 Candidate eligibility
      To be a candidate you must:

      be enrolled as a voter,
      be a New Zealand citizen, and
      not be disqualified from enrolling.

      http://www.elections.org.nz/rules/electorate-candidates/electorate-candidate/ceo-nomination-of-candidates.html

    • Jenny 11.2
      7 May 2012 at 10:19 pm

      Dotcom has no policies, and not many convictions, (NPI), as far as I can tell anyway.

      Also, he doesn’t follow New Zealand politics.

      For instance, Kim didn’t even know that his old wheeler dealer friend Banksie had done a deal to become the MP of Epsom, that is until he found himself in Mt Eden. (the prison).

      But he does bear a grudge, and it might might make him happy to derail the auction block that is the Epsom electorate.

      He may may want to bankroll a principled candidate who is willing to take on Craig.

  12. Bankzee 12
    7 May 2012 at 10:02 pm

    ahem, ahem, ahh, blow me, phizz, spit that bit of tea leaf out, God damn it, never thought of this.

    Oh, you are writing about me again? I was only there very briefly, had a cuppa of Darjeeling, a few words, moved on right away. Nothing to stick neither here, nor there. I was out shopping in Newmarket by the way. Never remember much of this photo. Cuppa? Well, what is a cuppa of sorts, we all have one in the morning. Ambrose? Yes I heard about nectar and ambrosia somewhere. Written in the bible, I think. I know the bible too. So what is wrong with that? I am a good guy, never tell un truths and always do good to (most) people.

    Huljich Wealth Mangement? Never heard of them! John Key? Well, who is he? Charter Schools, well where does that come from again?

    I am sorry, must go now, you are harassing me. I am innocent, never was there, it was all trivial anyway, and Winston is to blame for it all! Rodney Hide is also a bit of a let down now, given his last comments in the Herald a day ago. Wonder if I have any friends. But that is David against Goliath, the life story I will write about, before I go. Good night all, you dear old misled souls, be blessed though. JB

  13. Jenny 13
    8 May 2012 at 12:13 am

    ‘
    Climate Change:

    It is the issue, that from now on, every political movement and party will have to be measured and judged on.

    Climate Change:

    If left to run it’s course, experts tell us the death toll will be measured in the tens of millions, crop failure, famine, drought, flood, wild fires, extreme weather events. Add to this the destruction of countless and irreplaceable natural habitats, animals and plants . The bio-sphere severely impoverished, made unrecognisable to any previous generation.

    Climate Change:

    It is the question of our age.

    Climate Change:

    Colin Craig denies it is a problem.

    We should thank this admitted climate change denier for being prepared to step onto the national stage to argue his case.

    Climate Change:

    All we need now is a realistic candidate acceptable to this electorate who can argue the opposite position. Someone who can point out that climate change threatens everyone and their children and grandchildren, all people, every age, every class, every race, from the top of society to the bottom.

    Who are the likely candidates?

    Any volunteers?

    • Colonial Viper 13.1
      8 May 2012 at 12:18 am

      I’d volunteer, but I believe that energy and resource depletion is going to nail modern civilisation as we now it first. Sometime in the next 10 years, in fact. Something as simple as $4/L or $5/L petrol will do it.

      BTW the more economic collapse we get in Europe, China and Japan, the less our GHG problems will be.

    • jaymam 13.2
      8 May 2012 at 1:52 am

      Why don’t you volunteer to be a candidate, Jenny?
      I don’t think Epsom has ever had a woman candidate. 🙂

  14. Graeme 14
    8 May 2012 at 4:33 pm

    If the voters of the left in Epsom understood MMP better, they would have all voted for Goldsmith, and ACT would have been finished. I voted Goldsmith for that very reason, and it turns out the difference was that chunk of 4 odd thousand votes…..That’s how we get rid of ACT.

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    There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...

    My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago
  • Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis

    As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2024

    Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.

    I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago
  • How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?

    Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • A missed opportunity

    The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy

    Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies

    The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Three.

    The notion of geopolitical  “periphery.” The concept of periphery used here refers strictly to what can be called the geopolitical periphery. Being on the geopolitical periphery is an analytic virtue because it makes for more visible policy reform in response … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    3 days ago
  • Venus Hum

    Fill me up with soundThe world sings with me a million smiles an hourI can see me dancing on my radioI can hear you singing in the blades of grassYellow dandelions on my way to schoolBig Beautiful Sky!Song: Venus Hum.Good morning, all you lovely people, and welcome to the 700th ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • I Went to a Creed Concert

    Note: The audio attached to this Webworm compliments today’s newsletter. I collected it as I met people attending a Creed concert. Their opinions may differ to mine. Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • Government migration policy backfires; thousands of unemployed nurses

    The country has imported literally thousands of nurses over the past few months yet whether they are being employed as nurses is another matter. Just what is going on with HealthNZ and it nurses is, at best, opaque, in that it will not release anything but broad general statistics and ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A Time For Unity.

    Emotional Response: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses mourners at the tangi of King Tuheitia on Turangawaewae Marae on Saturday, 31 August 2024.THE DEATH OF KING TUHEITIA could hardly have come at a worse time for Maoridom. The power of the Kingitanga to unify te iwi Māori was demonstrated powerfully at January’s ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again

    National's tax cut policies relied on stealing revenue from the ETS (previously used to fund emissions reduction) to fund tax cuts to landlords. So how's that going? Badly. Today's auction failed again, with zero units (of a possible 7.6 million) sold. Which means they have a $456 million hole in ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Two.

    A question of size. Small size generally means large vulnerability. The perception of threat is broader and often more immediate for small countries. The feeling of comparative weakness, of exposure to risk, and of potential intimidation by larger powers often … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Nicola Willis’s Very Unserious Bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander Cancellation

    Open to all with kind thanks to all subscribers and supporters.Today, RNZ revealed that despite MFAT advice to Nicola Willis to be very “careful and deliberate” in her communications with the South Korean government, prior to any public announcement on cancelling Kiwirail’s i-Rex, Willis instead told South Korea 26 minutes ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Satisfying the Minister’s Speed Obsession

    The Minister of Transport’s speed obsession has this week resulted in two new consultations for 110km/h speed limits, one in Auckland and one in Christchurch. There has also been final approval of the Kapiti Expressway to move to 110km/h following an earlier consultation. While the changes will almost certainly see ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago
  • What if we freed up our streets, again?

    This guest post is by Tommy de Silva, a local rangatahi and freelance writer who is passionate about making the urban fabric of Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland more people-focused and sustainable. New Zealand’s March-April 2020 Level 4 Covid response (aka “lockdown”) was somehow both the best and worst six weeks of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    4 days ago
  • No Alarms And No Surprises

    A heart that's full up like a landfillA job that slowly kills youBruises that won't healYou look so tired, unhappyBring down the governmentThey don't, they don't speak for usI'll take a quiet lifeA handshake of carbon monoxideAnd no alarms and no surprisesThe fabulous English comedian Stewart Lee once wrote a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Five ingenious ways people could beat the heat without cranking the AC

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Every summer brings a new spate of headlines about record-breaking heat – for good reason: 2023 was the hottest year on record, in keeping with the upward trend scientists have been clocking for decades. With climate forecasts suggesting that heat waves ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • No new funding for cycling & walking

    Studies show each $1 of spending on walking and cycling infrastructure produces $13 to $35 of economic benefits from higher productivity, lower healthcare costs, less congestion, lower emissions and lower fossil fuel import costs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • 99

    Dad turned 99 today.Hell of a lot of candles, eh?He won't be alone for his birthday. He will have the warm attention of my brother, and my sister, and everyone at the rest home, the most thoughtful attentive and considerate people you could ever know. On Saturday there will be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Open Government: National reneges on beneficial ownership

    One of the achievements of the New Zealand’s Open Government Partnership Fourth National Action Plan was a formal commitment from the government to establish a public beneficial ownership register. Such a register would allow the ultimate owners of companies to be identified - a vital measure in preventing corruption, money ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt One.

    This project analyzes security politics in three peripheral democracies (Chile, New Zealand, Portugal) during the 30 years after the end of the Cold War. It argues that changes in the geopolitical landscape and geo-strategic context are interpreted differently by small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Tea and Toast

    When the skies are looking bad my dearAnd your heart's lost all its hopeAfter dawn there will be sunshineAnd all the dust will goThe skies will clear my darlingNow it's time for you to let goOur girl will wake you up in the mornin'With some tea and toastLyrics: Lucy Spraggan.Good ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • NLTP 2024 released – destroying pipeline of shovel ready local projects

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Waka Kotahi yesterday released the latest National Land Transport Plan (NLTP) for 2024-27. The NLTP sets out what transport projects will be funded for the next three years, including both central and local government projects. As expected given the government’s extremely ideological transport policy, it’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago
  • Can Brown deliver his roads

    The Government’s unveiling of its road-building programme yesterday was ambitious and, many would say, long overdue. But the question will be whether it is too ambitious, whether it is affordable, and, if not, what might be dropped. The big ticket items will be the 17 so-called Roads of National Significance. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • New paper about detecting climate misinformation on Twitter/X

    Together with Cristian Rojas, Frank Algra-Maschio, Mark Andrejevic, Travis Coan, and Yuan-Fang Li, I just published a paper in Nature Communications Earth & Environment where we use the Computer Assisted Recognition of Denial and Skepticism (CARDS) machine learning model to detect climate misinformation in 5 million climate tweets. We find over half ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago
  • Excerpting “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies.”

    In the late 2000s-early 2010s I was researching and writing a book titled “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Chile, New Zealand and Portugal.” The book was a cross-regional Small-N qualitative comparison of the security strategies and postures of three small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Hating for the Wrong Reasons: Of Rings of Power, Orcs and Evil

    A few months ago, my fellow countryman, HelloFutureMe, put out a giant YouTube video, dissecting what went wrong with the first season of Rings of Power (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ6FRUO0ui0&t=8376s). It’s an exceptionally good video, and though it spans some two and a half hours, it is well worth your time. But ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: “Least cost” to who?

    On Friday the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment released their submission on National's second Emissions Reduction Plan, ripping the shit out of it as a massive gamble based on wishful thinking. One of the specific issues he focused on was National's idea of "least cost" emissions reduction, pointing out that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Israeli Lives Matter

    There is no monopoly on common senseOn either side of the political fenceWe share the same biology, regardless of ideologyBelieve me when I say to youI hope the Russians love their children tooLyrics: Sting. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Luxon Cries

    Over the weekend, I found myself rather irritably reading up about the Treaty of Waitangi. “Do I need to do this?” It’s not my jurisdiction. In any other world, would this be something I choose to do?My answer - no.The Waitangi Tribunal, headed by some of our best legal minds, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Just one Wellington home being consented for every 10 in Auckland

    A decade of under-building is coming home to roost in Wellington. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday September 2:Wellington’s leaders are wringing their hands over an exodus of skilled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Container trucks on local streets: why take the risk?

    This is a guest post by Charmaine Vaughan, who came to transport advocacy via her local Residents Association and a comms role at Bike Auckland. Her enthusiasm to make local streets safer for all is shared by her son Dylan Vaughan, a budding “urban nerd” who provided much of the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    6 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #35

    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, August 25, 2024 thru Sat, August 31, 2024. Story of the week After another crammed week of climate news including updates on climate tipping points, increasing threats from rising ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • An Uncanny Valley of Improvement: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power, Episodes 1-3 (Season ...

    And thus we come to the second instalment of Amazon’s Rings of Power. The first season, in 2022, was underwhelming, even for someone like myself, who is by nature inclined to approach Tolkien adaptations with charity. The writing was poor, the plot made no sense on its own terms, and ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    7 days ago
  • Alcohol debris and Crocodile Tears

    I write to you this morning from scenes of carnage. Around the floor lie young men who only hours earlier were full of life, and cocktails, and now lie silent. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • When Do We Look Away?

    Hi,The first time I saw something that made me recoil on the internet was a visit to Rotten.com. The clue was in the name — but the internet was a new thing to me in the 90s, and no-one really knew what the hell was going on. But somehow I ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago
  • The decades just fly by

    You turn your back for a moment and a city can completely transform itself. It was, oh, just the other day I was tripping up to Kuala Lumpur every few months to teach workshops and luxuriate in the tropical warmth and fill my face with Char Kway Teow.It has to ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Reading Summary: August

    Completed reads for August: Aesop’s Fables (collection), by Aesop Berserk: Volume XXV (manga), by Kentaro Miura Benighted, by J.B. Priestly Berserk: Volume XXVI (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVIII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXIX (manga), by Kentaro Miura ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Is recent global warming part of a natural cycle?

    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with John Mason. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is recent global warming part ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • White Noise

    Now here we standWith our hearts in our handsSqueezing out the liesAll that I hearIs a message, unclearWhat else is there to decide?All that I'm hearing from youIs White NoiseLyrics: Christopher John CheneyIs the tide turning?Have we reached the high point of the racist hate and lies from Hobson’s Pledge, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The Death Of “Big Norm” – Exactly 50 Years Ago Today.

    Norman KirkPrime Minister of New Zealand 1972-1974Born: 6 January 1923 - Died: 31 August 1974Of the working-class, by the working-class, for the working-class.Video courtesy of YouTubeThese elements were posted on Bowalley Road on Saturday, 31 August 2024. ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Claims and Counter-Claims.

    Whose Foreshore? Whose Seabed? When the Marine and Coastal Area Act was originally passed back in 2011, fears about the coastline becoming off-limits to Pakeha were routinely allayed by National Party politicians pointing out that the tests imposed were so stringent  that only a modest percentage of claims (the then treaty ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand Honours Maori King ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • The Principles of the Treaty

    Hardly anyone says what are ‘the principles of the treaty’. The courts’ interpretation restrain the New Zealand Government. While they about protecting a particular community, those restraints apply equally to all community in a liberal democracy – including a single person.Treaty principles were introduced into the governance of New Zealand ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • The Only Other Reliable Vehicle.

    An Elite Leader Awaiting Rotation? Hipkins’ give-National-nothing-to-aim-at strategy will only succeed if the Coalition becomes as unpopular in three years as the British Tories became in fourteen.THE SHAPE OF CHRIS HIPKINS’ THINKING on Labour’s optimum pathway to re-election is emerging steadily. At the core of his strategy is Hipkins’ view ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • A Big F U to this Right Wing Government

    Open to all - deep thanks to those who support and subscribe.One of the things that has got me interested recently is updates about Māori wards.In April, Stuff’s Karanama Ruru reported that ~ 2/3 of our 78 councils had adopted Māori wards in NZ.That meant that under the Coalition repeal ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: James Shaw’s legacy keeps paying off

    One of the central planks of the previous Labour-Green government's emissions reduction policy was GIDI (Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry). This was basically using ETS revenue to pay polluters to clean up production, reducing emissions while protecting jobs. Corporate welfare, but it got the job done, and was often a ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Gravity

    Oh twice as much ain't twice as goodAnd can't sustain like one half couldIt's wanting moreThat's gonna send me to my kneesSong: John MayerSome ups and downs from the last week of August ‘24. The good and bad, happy and sad, funny and mad, heroes and cads. The week that ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Ditch the climate double speak and get real

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The Government announced changes to the Fast-Track Approvals Bill on Sunday, backing off from the contentious proposal to give ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to August 30

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest science of changing sea temperatures and which emissions policies actually work; on the latest from Ukraine, Gaza and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • This Govt’s infrastructure strategy depends on capital gains taxes & new road taxes

    Billions of dollars in value uplift was identified around the Transmission Gully project, but that was captured 100% by landowners and not shared to pay for the project. Now National is saying value capture should be used for similar projects. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/ Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 30-August-2024

    Kia ora and welcome to the end of another week. Here’s our regular Friday roundup of things that caught our eye, in the realm of cities and transport. If you enjoy these roundups, feel free to join our growing ranks of supporters by making a recurring donation to keep the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Table Talk: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.

    “That’s the sort of constitutional reform he favours: conceived in secret; revolutionary in intent; implemented incrementally without fanfare; and under no circumstances to be placed before the electorate for democratic ratification.”TO SAY IT WAS RAINING would have understated seriously the meteorological conditions. Simply put, it was pissing down. One of ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Big Norm and Chris Hipkins

    It’s 50 years ago today that “Big Norm” Kirk died of a heart attack in Wellington’s Home of Compassion. Home of Compassion. Although he was Prime Minister for only 623 days, he has an iconic place in New Zealand history, particularly Labour history. When Labour leaders like Jacinda Ardern recite ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #35 2024

    Open access notables Arctic glacier snowline altitudes rise 150 m over the last 4 decades, Larocca et al., The Cryosphere: We mapped the snowline (SL) on a subset of 269 land-terminating glaciers above 60° N latitude in the latest available summer, clear-sky Landsat satellite image between 1984 and 2022. The mean SLA was extracted ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Unravelling the String of State: New Zealand Sovereignty and the Treaty of Waitangi

    Oh dear. Sometimes people just need to prod the sleeping dog. We currently have a parliamentary dispute over the nature of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, as signed between the British Crown and New Zealand Maori: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/526451/sovereignty-debate-split-on-party-lines Specifically, the National Government takes the traditional view that Maori ceded sovereignty ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Rigour, PLEASE

    You may have noticed I have been taking my time getting home. You may have wondered if that might have anything to do with our brave little nation being constitutionally and morally abused by this woeful excuse for a government. It does. I have enjoyed being able to turn the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Making A Difference.

    The Jacinda and Ashley Show: Before the neoliberals could come up with a plausible reason for letting thousands of their fellow citizens perish, the Ardern-led government, backed by the almost forgotten power of an unapologetically interventionist state, was producing changes in the real world – changes that were, very obviously, saving ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

    A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report.  “It will have the mandate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Passport wait times back on-track

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New appointments to the FMA board

    Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • District Court judges appointed

    Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand

    Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender

    New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease

    Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Improving access to finance for Kiwis

    5 September 2024  The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.  “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia

    As Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is laid to rest today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to a leader whose commitment to Kotahitanga will have a lasting impact on our country. “Kiingi Tuheitia was a humble leader who served his people with wisdom, mana and an unwavering ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer

    Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations.   “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • More choice and competition in building products

    A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul

    On the occasion of the official visit by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand to the Republic of Korea from 4 to 5 September 2024, a summit meeting was held between His Excellency President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Comprehensive Strategic Partnership the goal for New Zealand and Korea

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol. “Korea and New Zealand are likeminded democracies and natural partners in the Indo Pacific. As such, we have decided to advance discussions on elevating the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • International tourism continuing to bounce back

    Results released today from the International Visitor Survey (IVS) confirm international tourism is continuing to bounce back, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey says. The IVS results show that in the June quarter, international tourism contributed $2.6 billion to New Zealand’s economy, an increase of 17 per cent on last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government confirms RMA reforms to drive primary sector efficiency

    The Government is moving to review and update national level policy directives that impact the primary sector, as part of its work to get Wellington out of farming. “The primary sector has been weighed down by unworkable and costly regulation for too long,” Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.  “That is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Weak grocery competition underscores importance of cutting red tape

    The first annual grocery report underscores the need for reforms to cut red tape and promote competition, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “The report paints a concerning picture of the $25 billion grocery sector and reinforces the need for stronger regulatory action, coupled with an ambitious, economy-wide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government moves to lessen burden of reliever costs on ECE services

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says the Government has listened to the early childhood education sector’s calls to simplify paying ECE relief teachers. Today two simple changes that will reduce red tape for ECEs are being announced, in the run-up to larger changes that will come in time from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Over 2,320 people engage with first sector regulatory review

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