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The Free Speech Coalition goes to court

Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, September 5th, 2019 - 70 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, human rights, phil goff, Social issues, supercity, uncategorized - Tags: , , ,

This week in the Auckland High Court the Free Speech Coalition has been seeking a review of Auckland Council’s decision to not allow a couple of click for profit shock jock fascists use of a Council facility.

Matthew Thunissen at Radio New Zealand has the details:

For the past two days room eight in Auckland’s High Court has been home to some of the country’s notable right-wing figures, who are bent on affirming the speaking rights of two controversial Canadians.

It seems all the best people were there.

The man behind the Orewa speech, Don Brash, made an appearance yesterday, and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers’ Union has been listening intently in the public gallery, a few seats down from a man in a MAGA (Make Ardern Go Away) hat.

Old Conservative Party leader Colin Craig also poked his head around the door at one point, although he was in the building for another reason – to face defamation action brought by a former party colleague.

On the court documents, University of Auckland anaesthesiology lecturer David Cumin is listed as one applicant, would-be Dunedin Mayor, climate change denier, Donald Trump supporter and rare books dealer Malcolm Moncrief-Spittle the other.

What a collection of human right warriors. Don Brash who once sought a super injunction trying to prevent the publication of a book about him and who has a major problem with free speech if it is in Te Reo, and Jordan Williams who sued Colin Craig for saying not nice things about him.

The Free Speech coalition is being represened by Queen’s Counsel Jack Hodder who is very good and not cheap.  Jordan Williams says that the exercise has cost about $200,000 so far.

One part of the article that made my jaw drop was Williams claiming that he did not know what the views of Southern and Molyneux were.

Speaking outside of court, Mr Williams told RNZ he knew nothing of the views of Ms Southern and Mr Molyneux, and was only taking this action to overturn what was a dangerous precedent.

So he has no idea what they are going to say yet is happy to spend large amounts of money to allow them to say it? You would think that it would be important to find out what they are actually going to say just to make sure that their speech deserves to be protected.

Let’s take this to the logical extreme.  Bear with me, lets say that a white supremacist writes a manifesto setting out why Muslims are evil and he then goes out and kills 51 of them.  Do you think in a civilised society we should allow his views to be publicly available, especially because there is a risk he may inspire others to do something similar?

Should all speech be protected? Somehow I don’t think so.

I have in the past analysed Southern’s thoughts and views.

Last year I said this:

She appears to have a certain way of conducting her business as a self confessed journalist and vlogger.  She goes places, says really controversial stuff, hopes to pick a fight, claims to be a victim and then leaves.

Her views are pretty extreme.  She once said that Adolf Hitler “was just an SJW [social justice warrior] who happened to get freaky amounts of power”.

For instance here she is picking a fight at an anti facist protest in London.  It was all filmed in detail.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEyBaBEQLM4?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent width=480]

The overwhelming impression that I received after watching it was that she was only after clicks.

And here she is insulting a group of women protesting against rape culture. Her lack of understanding and sensitivity is mind boggling.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qv-swaYWL0?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent width=480]

Such was her commitment to personal freedoms she took part in a seaborne campaign designed to stop refugees who were stranded at sea from being rescued.  She was happy for them to drown.

Molyneux’s views are very similar.  He is that stupid he believes that white people are innately more intelligent than other people.

He appears to have a major problem with women:

And his climate change views are Alex Jones quality.

The best description of this ongoing saga belongs to Dovil on twitter:

It seems almost inevitable that the case will head to the Court of Appeal. 

70 comments on “The Free Speech Coalition goes to court ”

  1. Bill 1

    "Do you think in a civilised society we should allow his views to be publicly available…"

    Yes. Because the alternative is that 'grey' publicity works wonders for shite like that. Case in point. The Guardian (between then and now) ran a piece on the supposed rise of the far right and made a big deal out of how popular 'The Great Replacement" theory was.

    To be clear – they didn't make a big deal out of <i>the discredited</i> Great Replacement Theory, and they didn't analyse or criticise any aspects of the theory. I guess they were being "neutral"?

    So, nothing even about the Iberian Peninsula having been Islamic for some 700 years or so – that being the most obvious line to debunk the christian Europe guff with. Nothing about how the Southerns of the world conflate total immigration numbers with number of Muslim immigrants to inflate their so-called 'threat'. Nothing about how their projection of future population mix is laughable.

    In other words, a liberal outlet (the Guardian) gave a free pass and rather wonderful promotion of the very thing it apparently and hand wringingly deplores. Moral indignation on its own is merely an invitation to many people to 'check it out' in these times. That wouldn't be the case, and mere moralising would suffice if people were on board with the great liberal project. But we're not.

    So by 'burying' various theories and tracts and making conversation or debate on their merits well nigh impossible (silencing the easy take down), those theories and tracts find ever greater numbers of adherents.

  2. michelle 2

    I wonder if the don (brash) told the two racist Canadians we are one people here, bet he didn't and if not why didn't he

    • New view 2.1

      I’m picking the Don would have said we are one people because he wanted one law and one parliament to cover everybody. You know, we don’t need Māori seats etc. not quite sure where you’re coming from. You call it racism he called it we’re all the same.

  3. marty mars 3

    they are pathetic and funny – good to see them all pack together – I find this crew to be very dull and dim – parroting their lines with glazed eyes, thin lips moving quickly and minimally and earnestly – hypocrites and pretty well 'a preacher awaiting a raid' sincerity imo

  4. You would think that it would be important to find out what they are actually going to say just to make sure that their speech deserves to be protected.

    "Use every man after his desert, and who should 'scape whipping?"

    Freedom of expression that's based on whether someone thinks you deserve it or not is no better than basing your eligibility for social welfare benefits or the right to vote on whether someone thinks you deserve it or not. Please stop making me side with Jordan Williams, it feels very unpleasant.

    • McFlock 4.1

      I dunno.

      On a personal note, I'd like to know how close to Nazi or white supremacist rhetoric the folks are before I defend them. Damned if I'll defend someone who wants to make it safe for others to kill me.

      On the wider philosophical point, rights conflict. Where someone's right to free speech endangers someone else's right to life, the line needs to be drawn. So one definitely needs to know what one is defending.

      • Chris T 4.1.1

        "Where someone's right to free speech endangers someone else's right to life, the line needs to be drawn."

        This is already a crime

      • Psycho Milt 4.1.2

        Good luck trying to make the case that Regional Facilities Auckland was right to refuse a venue to these two because them giving a speech would endanger someone's right to life. This was entirely down to them holding obnoxious opinions – in fact, Micky Savage's post effectively makes the same argument.

        • McFlock 4.1.2.1

          I think RFA are going on the safety line of how their message would be received, which is an interesting approach and will lead to some interesting case law, either way.

          But an interesting exercise in a hypothetical retrospective panopticon would be to see whether the number of mass shooters who have liked the two speakers videos or attended their talks was disproportionately high.

      • Formerly Ross 4.1.3

        Where someone's right to free speech endangers someone else's right to life, the line needs to be drawn

        Yeah it must be difficult trying to sleep at night when Don Brash might break in and assault you…with information about GDP, inflation and the balance of payments deficit. He is one scary mother!

        • McFlock 4.1.3.1

          I thought the court case was about people who spread the idea that a "white race" was in danger of "replacement". You know, like that flaming torch march event where a nazi-adjacent in a car murdered a woman.

  5. Paul Campbell 5

    Dunedin readers should note that Malcolm Moncrief-Spittle is running in the upcoming local body election please rank him at the end or not at all

  6. JohnP 6

    Gotta admit, this cracked me up, in response to people calling the FSC right-wing;

    Mr Williams pointed out that some members of the Free Speech Coalition were in fact left-leaning, for example, the political commentator Chris Trotter.

    I've not seen a clearer example of either;

    • An exception proving the rule
    • Trotter not being that left-wing any more
    • Chris T 6.1

      "

      • Trotter not being that left-wing any more"

      lol

      Yeah ok

      I disagree with something he said

      He must have turned right

  7. Matthew 7

    Just the misuse of language should be enough to have these inhumans banned from any method of spreading their disease. A racist is a racist, and free speech should not be used to defend that. And there is no such this as anti white racism. We have enough stupid people in this country already (Nazional Party voters), we don't need visiting anti intellectuals to bring down the tone further.

    • tc 7.1

      Totally, as the media's doing such a great job dumbing it down now for NZ and the world in general currently.

    • SHG 7.2

      Just the misuse of language should be enough to have these inhumans banned

      A racist is a racist, and free speech should not be used to defend that

      And there is no such this as anti white racism

      We have enough stupid people in this country already (Nazional Party voters)

      Just the misuse of language should be enough to have these inhumans banned

  8. We don't need RWNJ's like these here in NZ they are purely White Fascist Trash IMHO ?

  9. SHG 9

    Do you think in a civilised society we should allow his views to be publicly available

    Yes

  10. A 10

    Like my Nan always said, "Some people have too much money".

  11. Adam Ash 11

    "Do you think in a civilised society we should allow [all] views to be publicly available..?" A resounding "Yes!" to that. Consider the alternative… well, you don't have to consider for long or look very far because New Zealand is already there.

    The right to speak one's mind is a key freedom of any healthy society.

    Laws given by a faulty society to protect the sensitive ears of some by giving them a 'right' to be 'not offended' by others for any reason, always result in the taking away from others (indeed, from everybody) of the most basic fundamental rights to freedom of expression.

    At the risk of tarring many with my brush, I generally find that when someone seeks legal protection from what I have to say, it is because they have run out of good fact-based arguments to counter my point of view. At that moment they are faced with either changing their way of thinking to align with mine, or simply throwing their toys out of the cot, and screaming 'I am offended – make a law to protect me!!!".

    And of course, there are plenty of gutless politicians who see an advantage in taking rights away from all of us, if in doing so they gain the votes of the foolish minority.

    Perhaps it is our education system that is at fault – have we lost the ability to think clearly and to argue a point to its conclusion without wetting our beds? Are we so fixated on adopting and holding a 'position' that we are incapable of changing our minds when confronted with a better idea or a new perspective? A very sad state to be in.

    But again, yes, we should allow all views to be available. In every other direction lies oppression, cronyism and disaster.

    • dcnbwz 11.1

      Funnily enough oppression, cronyism and disaster seem to be key characteristics of the right all around the world.

      We're not talking about "right not to be offended" here. We're talking about hatred, misogyny, racism and bigotry not being given a city council platform to be heard. There was nothing stopping them from speaking elsewhere. Except no one would have them, or they just wanted the publicity anyway.

      The right and the speakers that are so vociferously defended have a strategy of vile outbursts, then claiming victimhood when they are called out on it.

      • Formerly Ross 11.1.1

        dcnbwz,

        You've clearly never heard of Pol Pot who was situated firmly on the Left. Like Mickey, he wasn't a big fan of free speech. 🙂

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pol_Pot

        • McFlock 11.1.1.1

          Bit of a stretch to interpret "key characteristics of the right all around the world" as meaning "none on the left have ever done it".

          I think a major difference is that many other governments on the left thought Pol Pot, Stalin, Mao, or whomever were dicks, even at the time. Yet many right wing governments around the world would actively support, finance, or train murderous right regimes around the world.

  12. woodart 12

    most of these clowns in this "coalition" only have one thing in common and thats the need for a purpose, so they can jump up and down, and say " look at me!"I notice they were strangely quiet during the israel folau drama. perhaps religion is the third rail . white supremacy still acceptable bedfellows for these fine upright public Kiwis. I sincerly hope no tv network is suckered into giving any of these people any airtime next election night, but unfortunatley think it likely. a pox on there houses

    • SHG 12.1

      they were strangely quiet during the israel folau drama

      Why wouldn’t they be? It was an employment dispute in another country.

    • Formerly Ross 12.2

      I notice they were strangely quiet during the israel folau drama.

      You support Israel Folau? Good for you!! Free speech has proven to be vitally important over many, many years, especially for minorities. Without free speech, we possibly wouldn't have gay marriage, or women in Parliament.

      • Dukeofurl 12.2.1

        That might be so. But Hone Harawira found out he was no longer welcome to speak at Auckland University Law School back around 2011 when the Young Nats didnt like someone "having opinions while brown"

        Farrar said at the time , its all about the 'Right To protest'

  13. mpledger 13

    Free speech isn't really the issue here. It's whether the council has the right to refuse people access to their facilities if they don't like what they would say.

    I believe that they have an obligation to treat all their ratepayers fairly and that would mean not allowing facilities to be used by people who would denigrate any particular group.

    I also believe that the council should have no obligation to give any access to non-NZ residents no matter what their their viewpoint and have no obligation to give a reason why.

  14. McFlock 14

    I'd also argue that no organisation is obliged to host an event that will incur additional costs to mitigate safety issues which are easily avoidable by not holding the event.

    • Adam Ash 14.1

      "… issues which are easily avoidable by not holding the event."

      So, provided someone can come up with the threat of a big enough mob then you will refrain from speaking truth to power, even if current laws allow you to speak so?

      That is just Mob Rule – plain and simple.

      I assume y'all have listened to the banned speech that he was prevented from giving here. It contains some food for thought, fed to us from a different perspective. Worth a listen, tho not earth-shattering. Certainly not worth a riot.

      Molyneux NZ Speech

      • McFlock 14.1.1

        My sacrifices are my sacrifices. If I want to provoke a riot, I shouldn't be able to force you to provide the venue for me to do so. Even in a public building.

        As for his material – whatever. If he found a venue to give a speech to his sad band of followers, he wasn't harmed by being dropped by the publicly owned venue. If your linked video is some "I totes was only going to say this, honest", then we don't know if the copy was edited or if he saves the best bits for audience interaction on these little money-spinners.

        The info I needed was what he'd said before he came here – I read up enough at the time to see what "perspective" he was shilling.

        • Adam Ash 14.1.1.1

          McFlock. Thanks for your response.
          1. '…provoke a riot..' The riot would be generated by those who do not want to hear, not by those who speak. In essence, such a riot would consist of people who have decided that they are incapable of considering an alternative perspective on their present way of thinking. Like a rabble of King Canutes, all in denial. A very sad mob indeed. God forbid that their delicate souls should be troubled, that perhaps what they imagine is so, is not so.

          2. I note that you have not dared to expose yourself to what Molyneux actually said – is that a risk you are afraid to take? Sad, again. You may find his perspectives refreshing, and worth considering. Go for it man! Take the risk!! Click the link! Listen!! Then – Think!

          Molyneux NZ Speech

          • McFlock 14.1.1.1.1

            1: people don't need to expose themselves to racism each and every time to know it's wrong. The dude has form, before and after. If people riot about it, then they're very naughty. But their hazardous behaviour is predictable, and needs to be minimised or eliminated. Safest way to do that is not hold the event at a facility where one has OSH responsibilities.

            2: That's the speech he said he would have given. If it portrays him as having some sort of road-to-damascus reversal about promoting white supremacist theories (before going back to his roots and spreading bullshit about the Notre Dame fire), I don't believe him. If not, see point 1 again.

      • Shadrach 14.1.2

        Hi Adam

        I am currently holidaying in Eastern Europe, this week in Prague. In the past century there have been many times when the people of the Czech nation have risen up in a way that, according to McFlock, could have 'provoked a riot'. Time after time their freedoms were ruthlessly denied, by both Nazi's from the West, and the Communists from the East. McFlock struggles with the notion that ideas he finds uncomfortable should be able to be articulated. That's why he wouldn't answer the key point in your post above about 'mob rule' at https://thestandard.org.nz/the-free-speech-coalition-goes-to-court/#comment-1652512. And it's why he is perfectly willing for weak minded SJW's to determine what ideas the rest of us should hear.

        • Formerly Ross 14.1.2.1

          Yep McFlock is confusing free speech with speech that he agrees with. And nowhere does he discuss resilience. Those who fought the Nazis were resilient. Nowadays the thought of Don Brash speaking publicly can bring out a cold sweat in some. Oh how times have changed. 🙂

          Free speech is a minority's best friend.

          • dcnbwz 14.1.2.1.1

            I've listened a number of times to Don Brash. He comes from a privileged position, is a racist and a bigot, and is actually quite boring.

            • Formerly Ross 14.1.2.1.1.1

              If you don't like him, don't listen to him. But others may wish to listen to him.

          • McFlock 14.1.2.1.2

            Free speech is a minority's best friend.

            Not if it's the fascist-adjacent doing the talking.

            And your characterisation of my position is delusional. That fact you're agreeing with shadders should be enough to tell you that.

            • Pat 14.1.2.1.2.1

              free speech has no adjacents…consider society today if free speech had been 'selected' on the basis of 'acceptability'

              • McFlock

                Who's saying "acceptability"?

                My position is simply that the current restrictions against speech that inspires, incites, or otherwise causes physical harm to innocent people are too narrowly focused on the incitement being completely explicit. Which is like restricting MSSAs but not the easily-attached bits that turn a modern semi-automatic into an MSSA.

                • Pat

                  And im simply saying that is a weak argument for closing down dissent as ultimately the "establishment' will determine what is defined as dissent

                  • McFlock

                    Bugger "dissent". I want to shut down the fucks who make a buck off helping sad little men blame everyone else for their inadequacies, knowing some of those sad little men will end up going berserk with assault rifles against innocent defenceless people if they keep going down that sad little path.

                    Reframe it as "acceptable" or "dissent" or "perspectives" all you want. I'm talking about the body count.

                    • Pat

                      i recall a'body count' in the abortion dispute in the US, the seventies or eighties I think…and am pretty sure there was a body count in the homosexual law reform dispute as well….if it were easy it wouldnt be a dispute….and then theres civil rights

                    • McFlock

                      Hmmm.

                      Was the body count mostly caused by those people looking for freedom, or was it inflicted upon them?

                      Like, did Harvey Milk shoot up a church, or what?

                    • Pat

                      does it matter which side was responsible?

                    • McFlock

                      It does if your concern for the rights of non-genocidal minorities is genuine.

                      If I understand your train of thought, banning implicit justifications for violence (not just "dissent") might endanger minorities because the established powers would call requests for rights for those minorities "dissent" (or implicit justification for violence, if you want to get closer to what I'm actually talking about).

                      However, if non-genocidal minorities are actually victims of that language rather than perpetrators, if its the gay people or the doctors who are murdered rather than straight people or the conservative antiabortionists being murdered, then there is no implicit justification for violence by those activist groups.

                      The implicit justifications of violence, the regurgitation of lies to marginalise, belittle and make suspect groups of people, is the domain of the powerful. They are the ones who feel only a fraction of the force of the law.

                    • Pat

                      what a verbose load of bollocks….death from dispute occurs on all sides (and it matters to those directly impacted which I suggest I can safely assume is not yourself) but for the purpose of the importance of dissent matters not

                      https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/abortviolence/stories/gunn.htm?noredirect=on

                      https://time.com/5638438/global-witness-environmental-activists-murdered/

                      you may continue to cast around to miss the point but it wont change reality

                    • McFlock

                      Oh, I'm sure there are good people on both sides, too /sarc

                    • Pat

                      Im sure there are…but obviously not in your black and white world. Theres a wide spectrum of opinions in between your extremes…its called the real world.

                    • McFlock

                      In the real world there are fuckwits who know how to put the thought of violence into other people's heads without explicitly saying "kill those people".

                      In the real world, extremism has been monetised and capitalism doesn't care if a few sad little men go on killing sprees, as long as the provokers (sounds better in french, eh – more classy, less shitty) get clicks snd patrons and move their merch.

                      Tut tut all you want, but current laws against incitement don't cut it any more.

                    • Pat

                      "In the real world there are fuckwits who know how to put the thought of violence into other people's heads without explicitly saying "kill those people".

                      Yes there are…and always has been, and guess what, the overwhelming majority of people see them for what they are…. but if we dont, and neither you nor me or anyone else can pick who they will be or what their platform will be, but one things for sure if you shut down dissent then you can be sure theyll head to where the power to control that dissent is….and that is far more dangerous.

                    • McFlock

                      You keep confusing "incitement" with "dissent".

                      In case you haven't noticed, the internet has increased the effectiveness of long-tail marketing. That's the problem today: a fascist-adjacent making tangential comments about "replacement" on Speakers' Corner only had access to a few dozen people. A fascist-adjacent today is pretty much ignored by 99.99% of folks while still having access to thousands of receptive sad little men.

                      We can adapt to that new reality and deal with it, or offer thoughts and prayers to the victims.

                    • Formerly Ross

                      knowing some of those sad little men will end up going berserk with assault rifles against innocent defenceless people if they keep going down that sad little path.

                      In NZ, how many sad little men have killed with assault rifles versus suicide or car accidents?

                      In the year to June 2018, 668 people died from suicide. In the year ended 2018, 380 people died in car accidents. How many died from assault rifles during that period? None that I'm aware of. You may wish to look at the facts rather than scare-monger. And you may consider becoming more resilient if Don Brash scares you.

                      https://resiliencei.com/our-teams/new-zealand/

                    • Formerly Ross

                      Newshub ran a story earlier this year about gun related deaths in NZ. In 2016, there were nine such deaths. In the same year, 15 people died after being stabbed.

                      Between 2007-2016, 73 people died after being shot. That's just over seven each year. Last year, 47 people won $1 million or more playing Lotto. If you're concerned by sad little men with assault rifles, maybe you should buy a Lotto ticket. 🙂

                      https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/03/gun-related-homicides-how-new-zealand-compares-to-us-states.html

                    • McFlock

                      Ah, the "acceptable losses" theory of why other people should die because you really want to defend racists and fascists.

                      Not just the alt-right, either – the truck drivers and shooters and bomb-makers of all creeds who decide to do something because they found a sympathetic ear and encouragement for their rage online.

                      But it's only a few deaths each year, so we might as well tolerate it and not try to prevent it, eh…

                    • Pat

                      the point is your proposition wont not only will not prevent it it will increase the number,,,,something you appear unable to comprehend

                    • McFlock

                      "Increase the number"? How do you work out that math?

                      The point I fail to grasp is why you think there is any difference between one person inciting a dozen stranger explicitly to do something murderous, and the same person being implicit but to a million people. Because the second guy hase a better chance of actually getting someone to murder someone else. But the first guy is the only one doing something illegal under current law.

                  • Pat

                    there is no confusion between dissent and incitement…we have laws to deal with incitement….you however appear to be confusing tolerance with approval

                    If you desire a society of homogenous opinion you best create a world of clones because even the worlds worst totalitarians with the most severe of penalties couldnt manage it for long….but the body counts and misery certainly surpassed the alternative.

                    • McFlock

                      We have laws dealing with explicit incitement. But implicit incitement is killing people today.

                      See, at the moment we have a difference in opinion. This is fine. No worries. There is no implicit or explicit incitement for violence from either of us against the other party, that I can see.

                      So no, my suggestion isn't just about dissenting opinion.

                    • "Implicit" incitement is in the ear of the listener. Any attempt at a legal definition would include most radical politics and a lot of religious preaching, especially the Muslim kind. Much as we may dislike some people's views, we should have very strong and clearly defined reasons for banning their expression.

                    • McFlock

                      Any attempt at a legal definition would include most radical politics and a lot of religious preaching, especially the Muslim kind. Much as we may dislike some people's views, we should have very strong and clearly defined reasons for banning their expression.

                      It's a very fuzzy line, yes, but not insurmountable. Consider some approaches to "fighting words", for example.

                • Pat

                  How do I work that out?…..take a look at the regimes that have clamped down on dissent through history and add up the body count

                  • McFlock

                    Ah, sorry, I thought you actually had something other than handwavy bullshit.

                    You are obviously unaware that those regimes generally have specific laws against dissent, rather than shrouding it as a law against inciting others to do violence.

            • Formerly Ross 14.1.2.1.2.2

              Not if it's the fascist-adjacent doing the talking.

              Try listening to Jonathan Rauch. It might open your mind.

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    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 day ago
  • High Performance Instability in the Financial Sector
    Evaluating the recent crashes of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and Credit Suisse in Switzerland plus two other banks (perhaps more by the time you read this) needs to begin with a review of the inevitable instability in the financial sector. The financial sector is inherently unstable, like military ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 day ago
  • The week in review
    1. We see here new police minister Ginny Andersen. Which larger than life NZ political figure was her great-uncle?a. Rob Muldoonb. Bill Andersenc. Richard John Seddond. Norman Kirk2. We see here archival footage of Ginny Andersen coming out of her electorate office to ask ex-tobacco lobbyist Chris Bishop if he ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Nash splashes out with a $900,000 investment in the blue economy (or is it more corporate welfare?)
    Buzz from the Beehive Stuart Nash, speaking as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, one of his remaining portfolios after he was dropped down the Hipkins Government batting order, has drawn attention to the blue economy and its potential. Nash says the government is investing in the blue economy, or – ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 24
    Photo by Josh Mills on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:The runs on Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank on the west coast of the United States that forced the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 24-March-2023
    Roundup is back! We skipped last week’s Friday post due to a shortage of person-power – did you notice? Lots going on out there… Our header image this week shows a green street that just happens to be Queen St, by @chamfy from Twitter. This week (and last) in ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Keen-Minshull visit
    After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will enable her to hold rallies in Auckland and Wellington this weekend, and spread her messages of hostility against an already marginalised trans community. Neo-Nazis may, ...
    2 days ago
  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nucl...
    * Bryce Edwards writes – The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Wayne Brown's #Auxit moment
    Boomers voted him in, but Brown’s Trumpish moments might spook Aucklanders worried about what a change to National nationally might mean. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has become our version of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, except without any of the insatiable appetite for media appearances. He ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nuclear submarines
    The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as part of its Aukus pact with the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago
  • Posie Parker vs Transgender Rights.
    Recently you might have heard of a person called Posie Parker and her visit to Aotearoa. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. So let’s start with who this person is, why their visit is controversial, and what on earth a TERF is.Posie Parker is the super villain ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Select Committee told slow down; you’re moving too fast
    The chair of Parliament’s Select Committee looking at the Government’s resource management legislation wants the bills sent back for more public consultation. The proposal would effectively kill any chance of the bills making it into law before the election. Green MP, Eugenie Sage, stressing that she was speaking as ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2023
    Open access notables  The United States experienced some historical low temperature records during the just-concluded winter. It's a reminder that climate and weather are quite noisy; with regard to our warming climate,, as with a road ascending a mountain range we may steadily change our conditions but with lots of ...
    2 days ago
  • What becomes of the broken hearted? Nanny State will step in to comfort them
    Buzz from the Beehive The Nanny State has scored some wins (or claimed them) in the past day or two but it faltered when it came to protecting Kiwi citizens from being savaged by one woman armed with a sharp tongue. The wins are recorded by triumphant ministers on the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Acceptance, decency, road food.
    Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change: More Labour sabotage
    Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Is bundling restricting electricity competition?
    Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Westland Milk puts heat on competitors as global dairy demand  remains softer for longer
    Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products  has  put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with  a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago
  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    * Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • A miracle pill for our transport ills
    This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here.   A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago
  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    3 days ago
  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    3 days ago
  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    3 days ago
  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    4 days ago
  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
    The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
    4 days ago
  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
    Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    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 ...
    4 days ago
  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    5 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    5 days ago
  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    5 days ago
  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    6 days ago
  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago
  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    6 days ago
  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    7 days ago
  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 week ago
  • Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
    When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago
  • Radical Uncertainty
    Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • Jump onto the weekly hoon on Riverside at 5pm
    Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
    In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
    1 week ago

  • Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua
    Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little has delivered the Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua for its historic breaches of Te Tiriti of Waitangi today. The ceremony was held at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton, hosted by Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, with several hundred ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs meets with Chinese counterpart
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta has concluded her visit to China, the first by a New Zealand Foreign Minister since 2018. The Minister met her counterpart, newly appointed State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, who also hosted a working dinner. This was the first engagement between the two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Government delivering world-class satellite positioning services
    World-class satellite positioning services that will support much safer search and rescue, boost precision farming, and help safety on construction sites through greater accuracy are a significant step closer today, says Land Information Minister Damien O’Connor. Damien O’Connor marked the start of construction on New Zealand’s first uplink centre for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
    A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
    77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
    Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island
    $2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government future-proofs EV charging
    Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • World-leading family harm prevention campaign supports young NZers
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