The Gun Club 2

Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, March 2nd, 2019 - 84 comments
Categories: class war, crime, discrimination, police - Tags: , ,

Three years ago, I wrote that it was time we had an enquiry into gun culture in NZ. This followed a raid on a cannabis plantation that went badly wrong, with four cops being shot.

The Labour party Police spokesperson back then was Stuart Nash. He said that such an enquiry needs to go beyond a “purely law and order perspective”.

Nash, now the Minister of Police,  was referring back then to whether it was really a good use of Police resources trying to suppress marijuana use.

With the coming referendum on cannabis, this aspect is going to be addressed, at least in part.

This still leaves us with the question of NZ’s gun culture.

Generally, we are a gun safe country. Owners have to be registered and most gun deaths, as I understand it, are suicides.

However, our cops love having the power of life and death over citizens. There’s nothing more thrilling to an adrenaline fuelled plod than a car chase that is likely to end in a fatal crash.

In Christchurch this weekend, the local police have declared a modified form of martial law.

All Christchurch police are going to be carrying guns until some sad sack gang banger on the run gives himself up.

Their excuse for tooling up is that an associate of the wanted man fired at Police in the working class suburb of Richmond.

In returning fire, Police nearly shot some local residents who were at a meeting in a nearby community house.

Arming police in Christchurch is a step too far. It’s clearly a test to see what the community will put up with; a trial run for the permanent arming of all Police.

There are only six countries where police are not routinely armed. It’s no coincidence that those countries have a remarkably low incidence of shooting deaths.

If we allow Police to routinely carry guns, the crims will respond proportionally.

The escalation will lead to more deaths. And the majority of those who die will be poor and brown.

But, hey,  it’ll make for better work stories, I suppose.

 

(Apologies for the dodgy vid quality, but this is the only recording of the Gun Club doing Texas Serenade live. The song is about the killing of one of Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s neighbours, presumably in a police shoot out.)

 

84 comments on “The Gun Club 2 ”

  1. Cinny 1

    Was looking at police gun stat’s last night, it may have been on the wiki and it appears record keeping is rather lean on said topic, but something really stood out….

    “A 2013 review by the Australian Institute of Criminology found that 42% of victims of fatal police shootings had a mental illness”

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

    Maybe we should be pouring efforts into mental health instead of the latest arming police narrative?

    • Anne 1.1

      alwyn posted a comment yesterday about an incident he witnessed in Melbourne 25 years ago. Here it is:

      https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01-03-2019/#comments

      I wondered about the trigger happy attitude of the cop but when I reflected… these situations do put the police between a rock and a hard place. On the face of it the young man was only destroying a wooden seat, but what if a member of the public happened to pass close by and the man turned his attention to that person. With a machete in his hand, I imagine cops are told not to take any chances and they must render the perpetrator harmless at whatever cost.

    • gsays 1.2

      I agree re resources going into mental health.
      Problem is, hard to get re-elected citing a decrease in mental ill-health.

      Far easier to arm cops, crush cars, deny prisoner’s their nicotine….

    • patricia bremner 1.3

      Yes indeed Cinny, Mental Health and Drugs. Guns don’t fix that.

  2. Booker 2

    I was curious what these six countries were that didn’t arm police, so followed the link, but the article is completely unrelated?

    • Thanks, Booker, fixed now. The six countries are England, Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland, Norway, Iceland, and New Zealand.

    • alwyn 2.2

      Yes, it did seem an odd story to link to.
      Cinny’s link at comment 1 seems much more relevant, although it does include New Zealand where it is becoming increasingly less true.

      Edit. I see that trp got in while I was (slowly) typing.

  3. RedLogix 3

    The NZ Police are aware of the strong public preference for them not to be routinely armed. In that light I’d suggest that this temporary measure is because they know something about this ‘gangbanger’ the rest of us don’t.

    • Bruce 3.1

      yes we can trust the police , they have the facts and know whats good. Its for the best.

      https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/03/01/top-cop-forgets-to-follow-up-on-state-sanctioned-corporate-spies-of-course-he-forgot/

      • RedLogix 3.1.1

        I once met someone named Bruce who was a lying arse ….

        [C’mon, RL, you can do better than that. If you have an opinion on the subject of the post, let’s hear it. TRP]

        • Incognito 3.1.1.1

          I see what you did there, RedLogix. Maybe a wee bit too clever though …

          Does one rotten apple spoil the whole bunch?

        • RedLogix 3.1.1.2

          Fair enough TRP … I’m not usually that acerbic.

          Only a fool would imagine that state power is always benign; there are many, many examples where it has been abused badly. We are right to stand somewhat on our guard wrt to how it is used.

          But tipping over into reflexive cynicism about our Police just irks me. By comparison to almost all similar forces throughout the world NZ is remarkably well served by the vast majority of the people who serve on our Police. It’s often a shitty, thankless and sometimes dangerous job most of us here would not, could not, do.

          On that basis I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one, and hope to see their arming policy return to normal settings after this allegedly dangerous suspect is detained.

        • Bruce 3.1.1.3

          my farts are pure. I agree with the aspersion thou I am degenerate enough to have watched the creation of these gangbangers and know that its not all about him.
          I see nothing to refute my claim and example so my point stands.

          Perhaps a comment from an ex policeman may help with your understanding of why i have these ideas.
          From comments on the same post:

          ROSS says:
          MARCH 1, 2019 AT 2:39 PM

          Forgot?
          It seems to me that Dough Graham and Bill Jefferies faced penalties when they forgot their duties and were done for criminal negligence.
          It seems to me that Jenny Shipley and others faced penalties when they were remiss in their obligations and were done for negligence.
          When an deputy commissioner forgets a duty to the people of NZ to get to the bottom of dirty tricks by police and GCSB, I reckon a penalty is also appropriate.

          As an after thought I only made the comment as i recognised it from 1984 the book. Maybe not?

  4. Sam 4

    No way on earth do NZ police have the necessary skills to take a suspect to the ground while keeping there side arm secured at all times. Hell not even U.S cops have the skills. There just no good reason for it. If they want to holster there weapons then they better be kicking in doors looking for the guns they’re shit scared of.

  5. cleangreen 5

    TRP.

    Put the “radar Gun” cops back on our roads saving lives there, policing our dangerous roads from truck crashes please.

    We lost four passengers in other vehicles after fatal crashes with trucks last week,

    Here are the facts.

    NZ truck crashes claiming four deaths – victims week end of February.2019.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/02/watch-horrifying-footage-of-reckless-near-miss-involving-three-large-trucks.html
    28 February 2019
    Watch: Horrifying footage of three large trucks in reckless near-miss
    55 minutes ago
    “Woah, look at this! Holy, look at that.”

    https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/three-dead-in-crash-on-state-highway-2-near-whakatane/ar-BBU5byW?li=BBSVtLJ

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=12207481

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=12207602

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/110948399/fatal-crash-closes-sh1-desert-road-in-tongariro-national-park

    Desert Road reopens after fatal crash near Tongariro National Park
    10:10, Mar 01 2019
    A driver is dead after a truck and car collision on Desert Road in the early hours of Friday.
    St John attended, but the car driver died at the scene.

    • Kevin 5.1

      I noticed in the truck driving video that the driver filming it who saw the approaching danger made sure he stuck to 90km/h. All well and good him cracking off about the other truck but what was stopping him from slowing down to a avoid a potential catastrophe that could have ended his life as well?

      • Andre 5.1.1

        I’ve just been through the process of teaching my eldest to drive. As part of that, we watched a bunch of youtube crash video compilations to see what situations are dangerous, what went wrong, how the crash could have been averted. It’s really striking how many times it’s clearly visible shit is about to happen, the driver is aware shit is about to happen, yet does precisely nothing to try to avert the crash.

        So I spent a lot of time talking about a driver’s duty of care. That the one rule that over-rides all the give way rules and any ideas about who has “right of way” is that you do everything you reasonably and safely can do to prevent a crash. And that the idea that someone has “right-of-way” in a particular situation is a dangerous way of thinking, it’s much better to think in terms of who should give way (but might screw up and fail to give way).

        I’ve also got a major rant bottled up about the whole driving training and testing industry. But that’s best for another time and place.

  6. Stunned mullet 6

    “However, our cops love having the power of life and death over citizens. There’s nothing more thrilling to an adrenaline fuelled plod than a car chase that is likely to end in a fatal crash.”

    Really ? I doubt that very much.

    That you would choose to insert such an unsupported comment in your post says far more about your own biases than those of the police.

    … and as for the comment about a “a modified form of martial law.’ …errant nonsense.

  7. Stuart Munro 7

    I hope it’s not a dry run for universal arming.

    I hope it’s an operational decision that will be reviewed on its merits.

    As it stands the commander said he’d be reviewing it every shift – that’s not the end of the world if he gets it right. So long as he understands he’ll be quite properly hung out to dry if it results in injury or death to bystanders, or even inappropriate force against the fellow whose apprehension motivated it.

  8. Ad 8

    WTF Nash.

    Plenty of dumb Police shootings leading to innocent injury as it is.

    There’s more firearm injury to farmers and hunters than cops, but you won’t see them swaggering open-carry down mainstreet Rangiora.

    • RedLogix 8.1

      Maybe living six years in Australia has coloured my view somewhat. I’m not a fan of routine arming at all, like most people here I grew up in a nation just a little proud of the fact that our police didn’t need guns on their hips in order to do their jobs.

      Yet the Australian police are routinely armed and there isn’t a huge gulf between the two countries in terms of how police work and their relationship with the community. There are of course police shootings, and some inevitably are judged mistakes in hindsight:

      https://theconversation.com/shoot-to-kill-the-use-of-lethal-force-by-police-in-australia-34578

      Still just 14 shootings over a 4 year period, while each one is regrettable, doesn’t strike me as a tsunami of ‘out of control Judge Dredd’s, mowing down faces they don’t like the look of’ either.

      The truth is the average cop does not go to work in order to kill someone. Nor on the other hand do their families want to attend funerals because some fucker pulled a weapon on them. When faced with high stress threats there are no guaranteed benign solutions; there will always be an irreducible level of risk it will end badly. Training is the only reliable way to reduce that hazard, but it will never eliminate it.

      When I was young NZ was essentially an over-grown village and maybe village-like policing was appropriate; but as our population grows and becomes more diverse the ground is shifting under our feet. For many decades now, most police patrol cars already have weapons on-board, available at very short notice. The transition from car boot to the officer’s hip is a significant one, but as the Australian experience suggests, neither does it necessarily signify the arrival of the police state.

      I cannot escape the famous Orwell quote here ” We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. “. We delegate ultimate force to the state in order that we do not have to resort to it personally. It’s utterly hypocritical to decry police force, while at the same time implicitly enjoying the benefits of it.

      • Ad 8.1.1

        Even though Australian Police regularly top the list of most-trusted institutions in Australia, the historical culture between Australian and New Zealand Police is pretty different.

        https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/opinion-the-power-of-good-pr-how-the-police-maintain-top-spot-on-trust-survey

        There’s plenty of good histories and tv long-form reports that can attest to this.

        Yes, Australian Police are a lot better at Public Relations than ours are.

        But since the formation of Sydney and since the accelerated corruption of dockyard unions and ethnic gangs in Melbourne after WW1, Australian Police have whole generations of deep multi-level corruption that have needed cleaning out every decade or two.

        We do not have that culture in our police, and we never will have.

        We are a small enough society to keep downward pressure on the gangs that are the only source of our gun violence.

        My message to the Minister and Commissioner of Police in Canterbury is: your answer is not good enough. Work harder.

        • RedLogix 8.1.1.1

          Yes the criminal context between the two countries is somewhat different, Australia does have a history of organised crime that’s more deeply entrenched within the system than NZ. The nearest equivalent we have would be the outlaw bike gangs, but they never really infiltrated or compromised the justice system to the extent seen in Australia.

          (Incidentally a quick search on the name ‘Nicola Gobbo’ will turn up a truly lurid story that could only have happened in Australia. A criminal lawyer who played both sides of the street and the resulting bush fire is yet to be extinguished.)

          But from the perspective of the everyday person, the average person who avoids entanglements with crime, Australia is a very safe place indeed. I’ll go one step further than this, my partner and I both feel safer and less anxious in public places than in New Zealand. The difference is not huge, but it is palpable. We’re not naive, there remains always a risk of malevolence wherever you are on earth, but in general we’ve been impressed at how benign the day to day experience is in this country.

          This is not consistent with the idea that an armed police force necessarily results in a cowed and frightened population.

          • Ad 8.1.1.1.1

            I don;t think there’s any evidence about whether the average person in the street feels “more cowed” or whatever.

            But there is no evidence that we should trust the New Zealand Police with even more life-and-death power over our lives by giving them holstered guns.

            Exactly the opposite.

            Check out the Police shooting stats:

            Officers in England and Wales discharged firearms 50 times between 2009 and 2017, including terrorism incidents. New Zealand police discharged firearms against people 39 times in the same period.

            Australian police fatally shot 20 people between 2006 and 2011 compared to six here. We sure don’t have twice as many gun-toting criminals per capita than Australia.

            Remember the Taser debate anyone?
            Remember how Tasers issues to ever Cop’s hip was supposed to be sufficient lethal force?

            Actually what the Cops did was simply inure us to a nasty slippery-slope argument.

            It must not stand.

            • RedLogix 8.1.1.1.1.1

              Yes I’m more than a little surprised by these comparative stats; the NZ Police do seem to have a significantly higher rate of shootings than comparable forces elsewhere.

              Maybe someone has done some work on why this difference exists; but I could speculate that being routinely armed, and well-trained, reduces the likelihood that the weapon will be used either capriciously or in panic.

              • Ad

                Just imagine if the same amount of effort was being put by the state into the argument to permanently arm guns as it is into a Capital Gains Tax.

                With the CGT, the state is simply proposing to use force to take our money. So there is an appropriate public debate.

                With arming Police permanently (as is currently in Canterbury where there is simply no stated end to the practise) , the state is proposing to use force to take our actual lives. So far, not a whisper from either the Minister or the Commissioner.

                The state must be held to answer to every right it takes for itself, but particularly the right of life and death.

                This is what happens, and will happen more; the awww-shucks-we’re-sorry scenario:

                Totally innocent courier driver happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time while Police were shooting at someone else. 2009.

                Dead.

                https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10553399

                • Ad

                  Another Pacifika citizen.

                  • RedLogix

                    That’s grossly unfair; that incident really was an awful accident. There can be absolutely no charge that this young man was either deliberately targeted, nor profiled in any sense because he was Pacifica.

                    Unless you want to make the case that the officer who pulled the trigger did see the innocent driver in the firing zone and likely thought “brown and expendable”?

                    • Ad

                      Fairness is a pretty weird concept with a gun in your hand.

                      This is how the logic goes.

                      “In New Zealand, Tasers were deployed 4196 times in the five-year period from 2010 to 2015, but fired only 623 times – roughly the same numbers as in New South Wales, which has almost twice the population. However, it is not just the number of discharges that is important. Close study of deployment shows that in almost half the cases, Tasers are being unholstered to enforce compliance. A similar mission-creep has been experienced in Australia where, according to the Queensland police authority, the threat of Taser use against those simply resisting arrest without assaultive behaviour doubled from 22 per cent of cases in 2007 to 43 per cent in 2009.”

                      https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/social-issues/how-new-zealand-police-compare-firearms-tasers-pursuits-and-dogs/

                      Do the redux on how guns will be deployed.

                    • RedLogix

                      Good numbers and you make a fair case that I’m not unsympathetic with. Yet they only present one side of the story; the context in which the police work is changing also.

                      For a start there is clearly less respect for the authority of the uniform; which innately ramps up the stakes in any confrontation. Offenders are often armed with knives and are willing to gang up on isolated officers to score revenge.

                      At the same time the Police operate with different internal drivers; ensuring the safety of their staff is a higher priority than in past generations. In our grandparents time cops were invariably big burly men who could handle themselves, less so nowadays.

                      In principle the idea of the police engaging in a creeping arms race with the population they’re meant to be serving is a very bad one. We only have to look at the USA to see where that ends up. But exactly where is the right point to break the cycle?

                    • Andre

                      But exactly where is the right point to break the cycle?

                      There is an extremely clear dividing line between cops routinely carrying guns, and not. That’s very suggestive of being a good point to break the cycle.

                      To me the big question is are there alternative ways to handle situations where a cop might find immediate access to a gun to be helpful. So far in the New Zealand context, it looks to me like the general strategy of back off, contain, try to de-escalate and get backup works a whole lot better than the US models I’ve seen in action.

                      The only NZ case that immediately comes to mind that might have had a better outcome if the officer had been armed is the murder of Officer Murray Stretch in Mangakino. Bashed to death by an offender he was trying to arrest. But arming sole charge officers in remote communities is a very different question to routinely arming urban police.

                    • RedLogix

                      @ Andre

                      There is an extremely clear dividing line between cops routinely carrying guns, and not.

                      Yet if we compare policing between Australia and NZ, this line you speak of is not so obvious as you imply. Indeed on a per capita basis the Australian police have a lower shooting rate.

                      But arming sole charge officers in remote communities is a very different question to routinely arming urban police.

                      Yet officers can easily find themselves outnumbered by a dangerous, weaponised crowd in an urban setting as well; again the difference isn’t so obvious to me.

                      So far in the New Zealand context, it looks to me like the general strategy of back off, try to de-escalate and get backup works a whole lot better than the US models I’ve seen in action.

                      And yes in principle this is a good option if it is available; but circumstances can change very fast and timely backup may only be available if resources allow. And in cases where other innocent members of the public are at risk, it may not be an good idea at all.

        • McFlock 8.1.1.2

          What really fucks me off about the PR of cops in general is that they have better spin than crosby textor. Someone gets shot by a cop in Aus or Britain, there are immediate lies that the person was doing something to make the officers scared. The Brazilian electrician shot on the underground by the brits, they claimed he’d jumped turnstiles and photoshopped pictures to make him look more like the guy they were actually looking for. The “joker” cosplayer they shot at a fetish ball, the aussie cops immediately said he’d waved a faked gun at him before they shot him in the back (and also hit the woman he was on top of at the time – Fet ball, after all). And then there are the “good cop saves kitten” stories that are usually released just after one of our finets shoots someone or fucks up.

          Yes, some people do need to be shot. Sometimes in unclear situations. My concern is that PR immediately muddies the waters as a matter of routine.

      • Grant 8.1.2

        I had a feeling your quote may not have originated from Orwell so used our old friend Google which led me to wikipedia and hence to this:
        “In an essay on Rudyard Kipling, Orwell cited Kipling’s phrase “making mock of uniforms that guard you while you sleep” (Kipling, Tommy), and further noted that Kipling’s “grasp of function, of who protects whom, is very sound. He sees clearly that men can be highly civilized only while other men, inevitably less civilized, are there to guard and feed them.” (1942)”

        • RedLogix 8.1.2.1

          Fair point, like a lot of well known quotes the exact attribution can be quite complex when you dig into it.

          Still it’s an exceedingly well-known line, and indelibly linked to Orwell.

          • Grant 8.1.2.1.1

            Wasn’t point scoring. Just thought you might be interested. I agree with the sentiment however it’s expressed.

            As someone who has stood opposite police at demos and seen them misbehave, I still appreciate the fact that life without a police force is hard to imagine. I also understand it’s a job i could never do. It takes a combination of restraint and the ability to both absorb and dish out sudden violence that I never had any desire to cultivate.

            • RedLogix 8.1.2.1.1.1

              Yes, I recall watching three cops take down a nasty, aggro drunk in downtown Wellington years back. The speed and skill with which they did it was testament to their training and competence. Sure it looked rough, but in reality it was quick, efficient and done with the minimum force necessary.

              At the same time I accept they’ll get it wrong; sometimes bad luck, or bad temper, maybe even bad intent … but those are the instances we get to hear about. Most of the routine work they do well rarely makes headlines.

              • Grant

                Of course, the flip side of the sentiment expressed by Kipling / Orwell / Churchill, is that rough men may be the ones who man the front lines against the barbarian hordes, but it’s civil society / the Nation State which prevents the entire world being ruled by rough men..

  9. Stunned mullet 9

    “Plenty of dumb Police shootings leading to innocent injury as it is.”

    Really ? Would you like to list them ?

    • Ad 9.1

      The Independent Police Complaints Authority has a list of them.

      Go for your life.

      • Stunned mullet 9.1.1

        No the onus is on you to back up your statement that

        “Plenty of dumb Police shootings leading to innocent injury as it is.”

        • Ad 9.1.1.1

          New Zealand Police have shot more people in the past 10 years than they have in the past 40 years.

          By number they shoot about the same as the United Kingdom, which has about 13 times the population.

          Example. 2015.

          David Cerven called 111 and asked police to come to Myers Park in central Auckland. He said he had a weapon.

          Within two minutes of armed officers arriving, bullets were raining down on him. He didn’t have a gun – in fact, he had no weapon.

          He pretended to have one though, pulling his empty hands out of his pockets and pointing them in a firing stance like an outlaw in a bad movie.

          One officer opened up with his M4 rifle, firing five times. Another took aim with his Glock pistol, letting off three rounds. It was dark and their shooting was inaccurate – only two bullets from the rifle found their target and the Glock’s missed altogether.

          Cerven was struck in his jaw and stomach and the 21-year-old from Slovakia was pronounced dead seven minutes after an ambulance arrived.

          Barrister Nicholas Taylor, who is a firearms case expert, said that the police should have been prosecuted.

          Nothing.

          Police have never charged an officer involved in a fatal shooting in modern times.

          More to come with this change.

        • Ad 9.1.1.2

          Of the 16 people shot dead by Police in the past 16 years, 12 were Pacifika or Maori.

  10. Ad 10

    Check the use of the word “or” in the following:

    http://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/3376

    “(2) Police members shall not use a firearm except in the following circumstances:

    (a) to DEFEND THEMSELVES OR OTHERS (Section 48 Crimes Act 1961) if they fear death or grievous bodily harm to themselves or others, and they cannot reasonably protect themselves, or others, in a less violent manner;

    (b) to ARREST an offender (Section 39 Crimes Act 1961) if they believe on reasonable grounds that the offender poses a threat or death or grievous bodily harm in resisting his or her arrest;

    AND

    the arrest cannot be reasonably effected in a less violent manner

    AND

    the arrest cannot be delayed without danger to other persons;

    (c) to PREVENT THE ESCAPE of an offender (Section 40 of the Crimes Act 1961) if it is believed on reasonable grounds that the offender poses a threat of death or grievous bodily harm to any person (whether an identifiable individual or members of the public at large)

    AND

    he or she takes to flight to avoid arrest, OR he or she escapes after his or her arrest

    AND

    such flight or escape cannot reasonably be prevented in a less violent manner.

    (3 In any case an offender is not to be shot:

    (a) until he or she has first been called upon to surrender, unless in the circumstances it is impracticable and unsafe to do so

    AND

    (b) it is clear that he or she cannot be disarmed or arrested without first being shot

    AND

    (c) in the circumstances further delay in apprehending him or her would be dangerous or impracticable”

    Appears nowhere.

    • RedLogix 10.1

      All well and reasonable, and you would expect officers to be well trained in understanding this and how it might play out in real-life situations. Yet when faced with a high stress confrontation, with many unknowns, officers are going to react according to split second judgments. Not one of them will sit down with the above document, thoughtfully ponder each clause, and tick all the boxes.

      We have to accept that in these high risk scenario’s, the root cause of the danger is almost always the actions of the offender, and that sometimes despite everyone’s best intentions, events will slide sideways.

    • RedLogix 10.2

      How about looking at it like this:

      Imagine the police are confronted with an armed and dangerous offender, clearly intent on escape or confrontation. There is an immediate threat that cannot be readily contained or mitigated. All the boxes above have been AND’ed.

      Let’s propose we have a totally unarmed police, and their only choice here is to physically engage with the offender. Let’s assume that by force of numbers and training they succeed 90% of the time without harm to anyone, but 10% of the time an officer is seriously harmed or killed.

      Now propose and armed police, and now their primary choice is to present overwhelming threat with guns and 90% of the time the offender surrenders with no harm to anyone. But in this scenario the hazard has been transfered to the offender, and 10% of these instances result in serious harm or death to them.

      At this point we can reasonably ask, where would society prefer this hazard to lie, on members of the police force, or with offenders?

      But it goes somewhat deeper than this. In simple terms, unarmed force = high risk to police, armed force = high risk to offenders. Now consider their likelihood or exposure to this risk. Offenders will face a lifetime probability of exposure to this risk at close to zero; they will only be arrested in such circumstances a very few times ever.

      By contrast police undertake this work professionally; their personal likelihood of exposure to this risk is much higher, making their total hazard orders of magnitude greater. Again what is the reasonable choice here?

      • Sam 10.2.1

        That’s an oddly specific answer. Are you more comfortable trusting that everyone in society will hold the same principles and responsibility that you do than “controlling the population with fear of force?”

        You proposed unarmed police because it would endanger others for something not likely to be life-threatening;

        Hypothetical: while visiting a foreign nation on vacation- one which practices Death by cop- you are contrinted by an ill trained officer. You are presumably innocent, but the circumstances are such that you appear guilty and are likely to be found so and quite possibly shot on the spot. Would you attempt to fight then, perhaps endangering innocent third parties?

        • RedLogix 10.2.1.1

          Not odd at all if you’re familiar with risk analysis. This approach necessarily simplifies often complex scenarios, and often make apriori assumptions around risk and likelihood. But they remain a very useful engineering tools.

          I’m assuming it’s an approach Ad would be familiar with.

          • Sam 10.2.1.1.1

            Thing is the handful of police shootings that have caused death over the years indicate that you are wrong. Cops don’t follow procedure in police shootings and there’s no oversight.

            • Stuart Munro 10.2.1.1.1.1

              The AOS tend to perform better than first responders – less tied up in the moment, more experienced and trained.

              Ultimately these things are controlled by culture. I had a yarn with a Korean cop about it back in the day – country of 50 million people, cops are armed, less than ten people shot per year on average. I asked him why they killed so many less than the US. He said there’s two things – even pulling your gun leaves you with a big pile of paperwork that no-one wants. And, Korean families will chase the shooter through the justice system to the bitter end, neither ordinary cops nor their bosses want to court that much trouble. I suspect that the cops generally also being above average at Taekwando or Hapkido means that the gun is rarely their goto option in any case.

              NZ, unfortunately, seems to be borrowing from US police culture – increasingly militarized, neglecting people skills, cowboy ethics. We really ought to choose more professional role models.

              • Sam

                The AOS bread and butter is dynamic entry, kicking in doors and they have to share training facilities with the SAS so the cops are the little bro in all this. There’s not even any funding for bullets on a range. Shooting is a perishable skill. Five rounds a week is the same standard as an average hunter and we don’t even fund AOS to that standard. It’s no wonder people are ending up dead. Nah, I’m deadset against police carry with out training, funding & proper oversight.

      • McFlock 10.2.2

        Why is their only choice to “physically engage” with the offender? Why not withdraw, or negotiate?

        Also, 14 shootings in four years, including one civilian killed by police. So what is the relative threat to the public of just letting a bad guy run until he goes to ground and the AOS can control the area?

        The biggest problem is that when you have a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. People tick the boxes, rather than thinking outside the form and actually using their words.

        • RedLogix 10.2.2.1

          Why not withdraw, or negotiate?

          I explicitly excluded that from the analysis for the purpose of simplification. I agree in reality it’s an option, but not always. Even the Police regs that Ad quotes clearly anticipate this.

          • McFlock 10.2.2.1.1

            The trouble with those regs is that “delayed without danger” is a nonsense condition. Any violent person is a danger, therefore any delay in their arrest includes danger.

            But in the real world, the police office abiding by those regs has been legitemised in using force with a high probability of lethality (including to everyone in the area) to “arrest” someone who presents a much smaller probability of harming anyone else.

            There are very few people in the world who need to be shot right now. That nonsensical phrase “delayed without danger” conflates the Aramoana guy with Steven Wallace, who wouldn’t have been shot if the police had kept their distance and let him smash a few more windows until enough people were on scene.

            • RedLogix 10.2.2.1.1.1

              The problem for the police is that they have often no idea whether they’re dealing with a David Gray or a Steven Wallace, nor any idea of how events will play out if they do ‘back off and wait’. How many people have already been killed and do more innocent people die? Or is it just windows being broken? It’s not always clear.

              I openly accept that given the stress and unknowable’s of this type of incident, the police will make mistakes. Because if you know of a fool-proof way to prevent them from being made, now would be a very good time to tell us all.

              • McFlock

                Does the person have a rifle or a baseball bat? big clue right there.

                And the impossibility of perfection does not preclude criticism of imperfection, or the pursuit of improvement. You want to decrease the risks to officers? Increase penalties for illegal firearms possession (especially in commission of a crime) or unsafe storage, make firearms registers track ownership transfers, and figure out a way to put trace identification in all ammunition sold in NZ (and register that) including projectile, case, and powder.

                And double the number of patrol officers and investigators.

                Option B: increase the number of civilians and minor offenders shot by police.

                • RedLogix

                  Ever been smacked on the head with a softball bat? At close range it’s an exceedingly lethal weapon.

                  The problem with Steven Wallace was his erratic and threatening behaviour and while we have the comfortable benefit of hindsight, the poor bloody plods on the spot did not. Self-evidently they got it wrong, and took considerable criticism for that.

                  Otherwise yes much better arms control is a highly desirable step, the number of uncontrolled weapons in the community is a real concern. Doubling police numbers is another interesting option, although to be frank I’d personally like to see DoC’s budget and staff numbers doubled as a priority.

                  But as the Australian experience clearly demonstrates, your Option B does not necessarily follow from full carry arming of the police. Their shooting rates are lower than New Zealand’s. That alone should give some pause to think that there is more in play here than simplistic causes and effects.

                  • McFlock

                    I know about people trying to do me harm close up.

                    But don’t take my word for it. This is how it should be done. But then those are the cops who’ll wrap violent offenders in cotton wool.

                    That’s the point about “close range”. If you maintain distance, it’s not a problem. That’s what I meant by everything beginning to look like a nail. The most serious option is foremost in the mind for good reason – but that can be a problem when adrenaline hits and the old fixation takes over.

                    What I like about the local AOS is that they’ll wait, and talk. They’ll sit outside all night without the guy knowing, just to let him calm down and and move out of his little fort where he was lying in wait for them. They don’t turn up third on the scene, jump out of the car, draw, shout (or at least claim they did) and fire without taking a moment to assess the situation and talk with the others on scene.

                    • RedLogix

                      Good examples that clearly worked well in those situations. Yet what you don’t mention is that the same Japanese police do carry sidearms. ( Standard issue for ordinary police officers is the New Nanbu M60, a .38 caliber revolver.)

                      No question we both deplore the godawful US model, and I’m right with you on condemning that. A healthy police culture and good training seems to have more bearing on outcomes than whether or not they carry.

                    • McFlock

                      True about the Japanese police carrying. But I suggest we fix the police culture and resourcing first, rather than give more people in the current culture guns and hope for change.

                    • RedLogix

                      Yes I can agree on that; clearly the excess police shooting deaths in NZ is already symptomatic of some underlying problem with their training or attitudes that should arguably be a priority.

                      Good to see how we started from opposite premises, yet managed to converge the conversation without compromise.

                  • KJT

                    Well. I’ve had to deal with angry drunks, armed with bar stools and other weapons, with the nearest cop 100’s of kilometers away.

                    The worst thing you can do, is escalate the situation with an arms race.

                    The less threatened the guy feels, the more likely you can calm him down.

                    The fact that I didn’t have any weapons available meant patience and dialogue was the only way. Police used to do that well. I’ve seen them. Now it seems tasering, is the preferred solution.

                    AOS, with some exceptions, seem to prefer to stand back and negotiate.

                    However as Mcflock says. When you have a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail.

                    Do we want the ‘preferred solution’ to be, death.

                    Ask. How many cops around the world have been shot with their own gun?

                    • RedLogix

                      In that scenario yes, talking them down works.

                      Now try this one, Nymagee 2013, tiny isolated outback pub a few km from the site I was at. One of the rock monkeys got miffed at being told to leave and comes charging back in 20 min later with a chainsaw running full tit.

                      A dozen of us were trapped with no way out. The publican pulls out a shotgun from under the bar and lets a barrel off through the roof. Literally deafening silence … and the guy with the chainsaw quits immediately when the next barrel is pointed at him. Not everywhere in Aussie has been totally tamed by PC culture 🙂

                      By itself this story proves nothing, but it does show that context is everything.

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

                    • KJT

                      Another one.

                      A bloke who was a bit socially naif, probably borderline autistic, who I was doing some building work for, had the police called when he answered the door, to a bunch of door knocking religo’s, with a running chainsaw.

                      He still couldn’t understand why they called the police, days later.
                      After all, he was just pruning some trees when they knocked on his door.t

                      The, unarmed, cops were rather good, but I can imagine, chainsaw dangerous, shoot!

                      We can trade anecdotes all day, but as statistics show. An arms race on the streets is not a good idea.

                      The Aussies found that stricter gun controls, after Port Arthur, work better.

            • Sam 10.2.2.1.1.2

              I mean we can have all the regs in the world, but with out proper oversight and enforcement they are totally meaningless. Currently self regulated by police appointed investigators to investigate themselves. Problems y’know.

              • McFlock

                Creating and enforcing reasonable regulation is part of “oversight”.

                • Sam

                  The police association is a pseudo court that tries police misconduct as if it is a court just with out a court appointed judge instead using ex cops or just inexperienced lawyers. It’s totally farcical to say that any regulation is apart of police oversight when they have exonerated guilty cops.

                  • RedLogix

                    Fair enough Sam, we’ll put you in charge. That’ll sort the buggers out …

                  • McFlock

                    The police association is a police union.

                    I think you’re thinking of the independent police conduct authority (I think that’s its name now).

                    Yes, there are issues with the IPCA, but it’s merely the engineer who points out the rot. The bigger problem is police leadership that has evolved to defend their careers to politicians who constrain their funding but demand improved statistics.

                    You can have someone who does the job right, or someone who will bodge numbers and ask for more powers to make their job quicker.

                  • Sam

                    I must respectfully decline any nomination for higher office. My philosophy is internal promotion. That said McFlock is correct. The
                    Police association I referred to is a police union. The IPCA is a pseudo court okaying substandard police conduct. A bit of rape, some wrongful deaths. Y’know, routine shit.

      • KJT 10.2.3

        Looking at the statistics.

        Armed force, high risk to bystanders, and people that are not responsible, for various reasons.

        Also increased risk to police.

  11. bwaghorn 11

    There’s something deeply fucked in your head if you think the police set out to kill people . Get a grip

    • vto 11.1

      many people set out to kill, many …

      and another way to describe: many people have in mind that they wouldn’t hesitate to kill, and when the circumstance arises the threshold to trigger is hence too low …

  12. Violent offences with a firearm where the offender had never held a firearms licence have also dropped, from 710 in 2008/09 to 494 in 2017/18

    https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/more-officers-support-arming-police/ar-BBUgq4v?li=BBSVtLJ&fbclid=IwAR0AbEf80yiykYDWhZZsEYOEggdBDUG87i5LzGfV-WEsZVZQMMDiGLc7FlQ

    So…

    Gun crime is DOWN but we need to worry MORE?

  13. https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/criminals-use-guns-relative-impunity

    How do the media do it?

    Entire reports on gun crime without mentioning gun criminals or their punishment.

  14. vto 14

    I walked past this a few days ago… couldn’t take my eyes off the gun… the copper wouldn’t take his eyes off me checking his gun…

    It’s a game-changer and not a good one for our entire society..

    the game has now changed

    • RedLogix 14.1

      lol … in Israel I got used to stepping over loaded weapons lying in the aisles on the buses. I’ve had guns pointed at me entering banks in Russia, shown the bullet dents on the barge I was working on, paid off the Militzia, interviewed by an armed KGB officer, walked to breakfast surrounded by dozens of armed, bored looking police, had large rocks thrown at my vehicle, been in a hotel where a terrorist attack took out the hotel over the road and killed 18.

      Here in Australia cops stroll around shopping centres with pistols on their hips.

      Oh and in little old NZ I was driving between Napier and Wgtn in 1996 using the SH50
      route via Ongaonga. After some time I realised there was no other traffic; and when we finally reached the junction with SH2 there was a lone cop standing in the middle of the road stopping us. Immediately we were pulled out of the car, and surrounded. Then I noticed four full metal jacket AOS guys in the ditch with their weapons totally trained on us.

      More than a tad disconcerting; but quickly once they confirmed we were clear they apologised and explained that a Police Officer had been shot dead (Const. Glen McKibben) in Flaxmere and the offender was known to have fled on the same road. We were the last vehicle that had passed through before they closed the road at the other end.

      In hindsight it was rather brave of that young officer to stand unarmed flagging us down; he had no idea who was in our car.

      Like you I grew up in a NZ that was an overgrown village; we were a little proud our police didn’t need to carry. But the world has changed on us both; sadly some things do change and not always for the better. I’d love to live in a world where the police didn’t need to be armed; but it’s a long way off. If ever.

    • RedLogix 14.2

      Oh and my best work story comes from a close colleague working in Kazakhstan; he had to cut the back fence on the mine site to lead his staff to safety, while rebel tanks rumbled in through the front gate.

      Unfortunately three of his staff were captured and he spent the next two weeks in tense negotiations getting them returned unharmed. Engineers can sometimes finish up in all sorts of odd situations …

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

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

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

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T11:50:48+00:00