The house always wins

Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, February 16th, 2015 - 23 comments
Categories: Andrew Little, john key, national, same old national, Steven Joyce - Tags:

Sacha is right.  The initial framing of Joyce’s announcement that Sky City will not seek further financial contribution by the Government to the Sky City convention centre is all wrong.  What is happening is that SkyCity is now allowed to build something cheaper in consideration of which it will receive the same significantly valuable legislative changes.  And John Key’s concern that we will not get a world-class, iconic convention centre has succumbed to the weight of the political reality that further public money being paid to Sky City was not going to happen.  It may be that the project is now a dog but Key can only blame the clearly flawed process for this.

SkyCity has still won. The negotiations that were completed two years ago have obviously been based on underestimated costs. And the concessions to SkyCity are unchanged. These include:

  • Extending SkyCity’s Auckland casino licence, due for renewal in 2021, to 30 June 2048, and amending it to cover all of SkyCity’s properties in Federal Street
  • Allowing an additional 230 “pokie” machines
  • Allowing 40 extra gaming tables
  • Allowing a further 12 gaming tables, with SkyCity able to swap each table for an automatic table game that seats up to 20 players
  • Allowing up to 17 per cent of electronic gaming machines to accept banknotes greater than $20, but only in restricted areas
  • Allowing ticket-based and card-based cashless gambling across the Auckland casino (Ticket in- ticket out), with differential limits applied to the amounts that could be deposited and withdrawn.

The reduction in size must affect the financial sustainability of the centre.  The original feasibility study said that “[i]n order for the convention centre to maximise its economic impact it must be capable of hosting conferences averaging 3500 delegates, including associated activities such as exhibitions”.  The revised plan will mean that the main hall will be unlikely to fit 3,500 delegates making the goal of conferences averaging 3,500 impossible.  The report also said that 35 conferences a year would be required, 25 of them international conferences.  On this basis the centre would operate on a break even cash flow basis.  Any reduction in delegate numbers would obviously mean the centre will be losing money.  The centre being at a break even position appears unlikely and you can bet your bottom dollar that SkyCity would expect a public subsidy to be paid.

The politics are interesting.  National  essentially had three options:

  1. Pay the further money and face the wrath of the public.
  2. Allow the cost and the size of the centre to be reduced.
  3. Toughen up and say no.

None of the options were good ones.  The possibility of option one was causing huge public ructions even from those usually supportive of National.  Option three risked the prospect of the project being cancelled with huge amounts of political egg on face.  Option two was realistically the only choice Key and Joyce had but the dawning realisation amongst the public that SkyCity has again won will cause increasing political damage to National.

Andrew Little has gone on the offensive and has targetted not only Joyce but also SkyCity chief Nigel Morrison.  According to Stuff:

Labour leader Andrew Little welcomed the announcement [of no further money being paid], but said if the Government had pushed ahead with a cash injection, the furore would probably have forced Joyce’s resignation.

Little also launched an attack on Morrison, SkyCity’s chief executive since 2008, saying he had played a political game along with Key and Joyce, knowing that any added costs would fall on the taxpayer.

“They all made a promise they couldn’t keep. They all led taxpayers to believe that there would be a free convention centre that would be iconic and world-class.

And he has also come up with a phrase that will no doubt start to rival “cut the crap”.  He was reported as saying that he hopes “this Government has the cojones to hold SkyCity to its promise”.

Hamish Rutherford has summarised the situation well:

[I]t appears Morrison went for more, publishing details of a significantly more expensive centre at the end of last year, knowing full well that the added costs would fall on the Crown.

In short, he breathed new life into a controversial issue for the Government, undermining the central defence that somehow National was delivering something for nothing.

SkyCity must now go back to the original deal on the original terms, offsetting higher costs by building a slightly smaller convention centre.

But its act of brinkmanship has humiliated the Government, which is already sensitive to claims that it engages in corporate welfare.

Worse still, it has made it seem as if Key and Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce were outsmarted in commercial negotiations.

One of Key’s biggest selling points to date is his claimed corporate expertise.  SkyCity has shown through an act of brinkmanship that a short term money trader approach to significant public contracts will lose out every time.

23 comments on “The house always wins ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Ad 1
    16 February 2015 at 11:09 am

    You all know the words, so sing along now with Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj4nJ1YEAp4

    You gotta
    Know when to hold em’
    Know when to fold em’
    Know when to walk away
    Know when to run

    You never count your money
    When you’re sittin’ at the table
    There’ll be time enough for countin’
    When the dealing’s done.

    Brought to you by Merril Lynch’s dealmaker extraordinaire.

  2. Sabine 2
    16 February 2015 at 11:12 am

    y”If you’re gonna play the game, boy
    You gotta learn to play it right

    You’ve got to know when to hold ’em
    Know when to fold ’em
    Know when to walk away
    And know when to run
    You never count your money
    When you’re sittin’ at the table
    There’ll be time enough for countin’
    When the dealin’s done

    Every gambler knows
    That the secret to survivin’
    Is knowin’ what to throw away
    And knowin’ what to keep
    ‘Cause every hand’s a winner
    And every hand’s a loser
    And the best that you can hope for is to die
    in your sleep

    Dear Leader, our esteemed gambler in chief just lost his cojones if ever he had them.

    edited.

  3. Sacha 3
    16 February 2015 at 11:19 am

    Glad to see Little emphasising this govt’s lack of commercial competence.

    “The report also said that 35 conferences a year would be required, 25 of them international conferences. ”

    25 seems extremely optimistic. But no doubt Sky City will have quietly secured an agreement from our masters of the universe for ongoing subvention subsidies to offset any risk.

    • stever 3.1
      16 February 2015 at 11:25 am

      Yes…so would someone in the MSM ask the SkyCity chair: “what have you planned if you don’t get to the break-even numbers of conventions? Because there must be a plan.”

  4. dv 4
    16 February 2015 at 11:22 am

    On simple math 3000 cf to 3500 means 41 conference a year – 80% occupancy to break even.

    Seems a bit high to me.

  5. Iron Sky 5
    16 February 2015 at 11:29 am

    Our country is being run by a 2 year old who uses the Tu Quoque Fallacy

    Nationals-National Radio morning report (TM) giving there friend little Johnny his usual formulaic sound bite responses to accusations of incompetency (aka skysore or whatever)….

    I wonder how many times Johnny and his merry band of gerbils have said this on RNZ (with RNZ letting them get away with it)

    National Party Member Formulaic Response:
    1. They did X to (X = whatever you want)
    2. Therefore we can do X to

    http://www.logicalfallacies.info/presumption/tu-quoque/
    Tu Quoque Fallacy

    Explanation

    The tu quoque fallacy is committed when it is assumed that because someone else has done a thing there is nothing wrong with doing it. This fallacy is classically committed by children who, when told off, respond with “So and so did it too”, with the implied conclusion that there is nothing wrong with doing whatever it is that they have done. This is a fallacy because it could be that both children are in the wrong, and because, as we were all taught, two wrongs don’t make a right.

    Example
    (1) The Romans kept slaves.
    Therefore:
    (2) We can keep slaves too

  6. Iron Sky 6
    16 February 2015 at 11:48 am

    17 Major Conferences in NZ from now till the end of the year?

    Is that really limited by the size of our convention centers or is it our geographical location?

    You decide:

    Conferences in New Zealand http://www.conferencealerts.com/country-listing?country=New+Zealand

    Major conference cities: Wellington, Auckland, Alexandra

    Listing 17 events (go back)

    1 All

    February 2015
    17th The 2nd Annual Women in Leadership Summit 2015 Auckland, New Zealand
    24th 2015 Business Resilience Forum Wellington, New Zealand
    24th 2015 New Zealand Emergency Management Summit Wellington, New Zealand
    24th The 2nd Public Sector Women in Leadership Summit 2015 Wellington, New Zealand
    March 2015
    17th Women in Engineering Leadership Summit 2015 Auckland, New Zealand
    26th
    Medicine for Psychiatrists 2015 Auckland, New Zealand
    April 2015
    8th Transforming Together Coaching and Mentoring Conference Hamilton, New Zealand
    15th The 18th Annual New Zealand Association for Cooperative Education Conference Wellington, New Zealand
    16th Te Kura Roa: Minority Language & Dialect Conference Dunedin, New Zealand
    21st Women in Professional Services Leadership Summit 2015 Auckland, New Zealand
    May 2015
    20th Public Sector Executive Assistant Summit 2015 Wellington, New Zealand
    June 2015
    9th Women in Not for Profit Leadership Summit 2015 Auckland, New Zealand
    10th APacCHRIE 2015 Auckland, New Zealand
    July 2015
    13th ISATT 2015 – 17th Biennial Conference of Teachers and Teaching Auckland, New Zealand
    September 2015
    9th 2015 Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators Conference Auckland, New Zealand
    15th Coasts and Ports 2015 Conference Auckland, New Zealand
    December 2015
    7th The 5th New Zealand Discourse Conference Auckland, New Zealand

    • Lanthanide 6.1
      16 February 2015 at 1:13 pm

      There was someone from Tourism NZ (or something) on Morning Report, saying that NZ is not even in the top 50 countries for conferences, while Australia sits at 13.

      Australia has 250 conferences in the next year: http://www.conferencealerts.com/country-listing?country=Australia

      The interviewee said that the biggest conference centre we have in NZ can manage 1000 people, which cuts us out of the big market for conferences in the 1000-3000 people range.

      Certainly it looks like there is genuine demand for bigger conference centres. But whether this demand is anything like SkyCity et al are saying it is, is another matter.

      • Draco T Bastard 6.1.1
        16 February 2015 at 10:09 pm

        Steven Pearlstein: Debunking the conventional wisdom about conventions

        Washington’s experience was hardly unique, as Heywood Sanders, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio lays out in a new book, “Convention Center Follies.” U.S. cities invested tens of billions of dollars, expanding convention center capacity by 30 percent since 2000, while the demand for the space has barely budged.

        All those consultants’ reports, it turns out, were based on optimistic assumptions and failed to anticipate the impact of industry consolidation and slower economic growth on the demand for meeting space. Even more curious was the consultants’ failure to take into account all the other cities contemplating subsidized expansions — something they surely knew because the same group of firms had prepared virtually all of the reports.

        So, the only growth in the Convention Industrial Complex across the world is in the amount of competition there is and the amount of taxpayer dollars being fed into it on the back of pure codswallop.

        Cui Bono?

  7. English Breakfast 7
    16 February 2015 at 12:36 pm

    This is a shambles, no question about it. And Sky’s CEO making comments that appear to contradict what Key and Joyce have said is more oil on the fire. I’m guessing Curia’s polling changed the Govt’s mind on this, and not much else.

    • Lanthanide 7.1
      16 February 2015 at 1:16 pm

      Guyon asked Key “how much polling have you done on this” and Key hesitated and said none.

      I wonder if he was just being incredibly literal, in that Key himself hadn’t done the polling, nor would the National Party have done the polling – but Curia would have done it *for* them.

      Key in effect would have told a lie, but knows the media will never have the proof of this. The only chance would be if an employee from Curia wanted to discredit him, but it seems like a pretty minor thing to effectively throw away your job for.

  8. Treetop 8
    16 February 2015 at 1:05 pm

    The cost to build has ballooned by 30% to $532,000,000 ($402,000,000 + $130,000,000). The government have stated that they would not accept anything smaller (reduction in size) than by about 10% which takes $53,000,000 off the bill. The cost of the build would be $479,000,000.

    Would there not be more land for the 5 star hotel which would increase profits?

    Has anyone heard how much the hotel is going to cost?

    • Lanthanide 8.1
      16 February 2015 at 1:18 pm

      Building costs are not linear, you can’t say that by decreasing the size of something by 10%, you automatically decrease the cost of it by 10%.

      Likely a good chunk of the cost reductions will be from a lower-spec interior (and possibly exterior) fitout.

      • Treetop 8.1.1
        16 February 2015 at 1:46 pm

        I agree about the 10%.

        No matter what, SkyCity went courting the government for $130,000,000. It will be interesting to see what the final cost and size of the build will be.

      • Tracey 8.1.2
        16 February 2015 at 7:02 pm

        Was at a Mediation last Friday at which a Quantity Surveyor was present. in the interval we discussed rises in construction costs. He said from 2014 to 2015 not much rise but 2013 to 2014 was 8 to 12%.

        • Treetop 8.1.2.1
          17 February 2015 at 2:47 pm

          There was an American architect who works in London who was on RNZ, think before 7am and he thought $402,000,000 was sufficent to build a world class covention centre and that a rise of 30% seemed to be too steep.

  9. wyndham 9
    16 February 2015 at 1:58 pm

    Excellent summation from the inimitable Gordon Campbell.

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1502/S00093.htm?source=email

  10. travellerev 10
    16 February 2015 at 2:46 pm

    What most people don’t seem to get is that just like McDonalds, the core business of Sky city is not so much hospitality, conferences and gambling, it is real estate. To them trying to weasel the money out of us, the Kiwi taxpayers was just a gamble and a bit of fun. Their real business is Real Estate and on that they will win big time!

  11. ianmac 11
    16 February 2015 at 4:49 pm

    “Prime Minister John Key says the SkyCity convention centre plan grew in both size and “flashness” until a public backlash persuaded the Government not to spend any more money on it.”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11402525
    And there we have the predictable spin. Thank you so much Mr Key for listening to the people. You are such a good leader to be able to get a good deal. Thank goodness we have you and Mr Joyce working tirelessly for we peasant folk.

    Oy! What happened to the Eyesore?

  12. Murray Rawshark 12
    16 February 2015 at 7:58 pm

    A decent government would have a 4th option. Cancel the contract, charge the CEO of Sly City with attempted blackmail, and nationalise the casino. There is also a possible matter of manipulation of share prices. I hope to live to see a decent government.

  13. felix 13
    16 February 2015 at 11:49 pm

    Matthew Hooton spelled it all out very well this morning:

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/20167381/political-commentators-matthew-hooton-and-mike-williams

    (Mike Williams agreed with Matt).

  14. Iron Sky 14
    17 February 2015 at 12:57 pm

    Lanthanide & Draco T Bastard I Like your posts both of you (i.e. different perspectives)

    I’m trying my best to remain objective (i.e I am not a fan of spending public money on this or their arrogant cost overruns but in the desire to stay fact driven here is an interesting report figures ):

    Note the actual market for conferences in the world has almost grown exponentially.

    From:
    1963-67 2,069,060
    to
    2008-12 21,962,221
    http://www.iccaworld.com/cdps/cditem.cfm?nid=5180

    Yet the % attendance per conference is dropping (i.e. you don’t need big convention centers – well you can still cater for the smaller ones at the same time using the bigger convention center)

    Questions
    1. Is it the fact that we don’t have enough conference facilities in NZ to access the market (if we do, then what is stopping us as the market seems to be growing for smaller sized conventions below the 500 participant number)?

    2. If the potential market in NZ is so lucrative why are we actually giving away money to the private sector to make more money for themselves (a Casino), what do we the public actually get apart from dribble down?

    3. Why the hell is AKl getting it all?
    Questions if the average number of participants per conference

    4. If it is so lucrative why the hell does not Skysore just build it themselves unless they are after a CHEAP lone.

    http://www.iccaworld.com/cdps/cditem.cfm?nid=5180
    Year # Participants Numbers
    63-67 2,069,060
    68-72 2,707,543
    73-77 3,141,762
    78-82 4,048,112
    83-87 4,997,936
    88-92 6,816,187
    93-97 9,018,874
    98-02 12,596,377
    03-07 17,325,864
    08-12 21,962,221

    http://www.iccaworld.com/cdps/cditem.cfm?nid=5180
    Year Average participant numbers
    63-67 1,253
    68-72 1,104
    73-77 840
    78-82 725
    83-87 621
    88-92 591
    93-97 572
    98-02 528
    03-07 454
    08-12 424

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    1 day ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 day ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    1 day ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
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