The Ray White – China deal

Written By: - Date published: 7:32 am, July 30th, 2016 - 87 comments
Categories: business, capitalism, Ethics, housing, International - Tags: , , , , , ,

Speaking of the housing crisis:

Ray White signs deal with Lianjia as it launches into China

Ray White has expanded its agency services to China, signing an agreement to list new and old properties for sale with China’s largest real estate agency, Lianjia, also known as Homelink.

Lianjia, which has more than 6000 branches in over 25 cities in China, will co-list Ray White’s New Zealand and Australian and properties in Mandarin on its websites.

The exposure to Lianjia’s audience – about 260 million Chinese buyers – will provide Ray White with the leverage into China and, more importantly, fulfil the organisation’s strategy of becoming more diverse and a brand that is more attractive to the Chinese community. …

The move has, unsurprisingly, attracted some criticism, see Politicians slam deal for more NZ house ads in China, and ‘You suck Ray White’: Kiwis threaten boycott after agency signs deal with Chinese company, and Labour’s response reported here. The company responds:

It’s not up to us to make a moral decision on foreign ownership

Ray White says marketing New Zealand and Australian properties to Chinese buyers is “nothing new” and it is up to the government to put a stop to it, not the real estate industry. …

Spoken like a good capitalist, and exemplifying all that is wrong with unregulated capitalism. So OK then, ball’s in your court National. Now what?

Bonus explaining from RW:

We understand your concern and we would like to reassure you that our Australian-led partnership with Homelink, also known as Lianjia, is not designed to sell off more New Zealand homes to foreign buyers.

The partnership is a move made in response to the increasing globalisation of the real estate industry. Many of our customers, particularly in Australia, have been requesting this type of marketing opportunity for some time.

Well past time to stop digging.

87 comments on “The Ray White – China deal ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Wensleydale 1
    30 July 2016 at 8:07 am

    “…is not designed to sell off more New Zealand homes to foreign buyers.”

    Of course it fucking is. What other possible reason would they have for doing this? Charity? Whimsy? They lost a game of paper, scissors, rock?

    It’s the lying that’s so hurtful, Ray White. The lying.

    • Leftie 1.1
      30 July 2016 at 11:25 am

      Ray White are being contemptuous, and are insulting New Zealanders with that obvious lie. It’s bad enough that we get treated like that every day by the compulsive liar John key, and his won’t do anything National government.

    • mosa 1.2
      30 July 2016 at 3:37 pm

      Ray White have been taking lessons on how to deny the bleeding obvious from our esteemed PM.

  2. Tony Veitch (not the partner-bashing 3rd rate broadcaster) 2
    30 July 2016 at 8:12 am

    We bought our present (and only) house from Ray White, and have been regularly emailed with property updates.

    I have unsubscribed from the emails, and sent a terse message to the company explaining why I did so.

    If we are ever in the position of having to buy another house, we certainly will not be using this company to sell or buy while they market NZ property in China (or anywhere overseas).

    I lived in China for over three years and there was never any possibility of buying an apartment in the city where I was resident.

    Why are we so damned intent on becoming tenants in our own land?

  3. Stuart Munro 3
    30 July 2016 at 8:15 am

    Although it is the government’s problem, there is nothing wrong with boycotting Ray White until the government takes action.

    • weka 3.1
      30 July 2016 at 9:31 am

      +1

      I sense an Action Station or similar coming on too. Boycotting alone is tricky if RW are the sole lister for the house you want to buy in a housing shortage market. But certainly people selling a house can choose a different agent and that should be circulated widely.

      (cue accusations from the right of suppression of free speech and free trade 😉 )

    • mosa 3.2
      1 August 2016 at 7:51 pm

      Stuart this government WONT take action because Key would have shares in Ray White through his blind trust you can bet on it and will be more than supportive of the move into China.

  4. ianmac 4
    30 July 2016 at 9:28 am

    National cannot act to change the rules about oversea purchase because this was what Labour were suggesting months ago. Ray White is home free and with National blessing.
    Unless they changed the rules to make it new homes only.

    • Rae 4.1
      1 August 2016 at 8:02 am

      On the new homes only thing for foreigners, I would like that rule defined as well, to state one new home only, for themselves, no renting, we need zero foreign landlords, especially when so much money to pay rents is coming out of the public purse. I wonder what other country hands out welfare to foreigners?

  5. weka 5
    30 July 2016 at 9:36 am

    “It’s not up to us to make a moral decision on foreign ownership”

    Ok, so Ray White has just declared itself to have no ethical responsibilities. Good to know.

    Of course I’d argue that it is up to them to make a moral decision (and I think they have taken a moral position otherwise they wouldn’t even have made that statement). if one thinks the government is a parental figure and the teenager’s job is to get away with as much as possible until the hard word comes down, then I can see why they would see themselves as being free to act amorally. But if government are the servants of the people and the best/easiest system we have currently for managing our collective resources and society, then why would we all not have a duty to make moral decisions. It’s not like the government is perfect or always gets things right or always has our best interests at heart.

    tl;dr RW, disingenuous as fuck.

    • AB 5.1
      30 July 2016 at 10:04 am

      Yep they have taken what amounts to a moral decision in deciding that the company is not required to make moral decisions.
      It’s a common and weird belief that somehow businesses don’t have the moral obligations of individuals.

      • AmaKiwi 5.1.1
        30 July 2016 at 10:56 am

        Corporate managers MUST by law work to increase profits by whatever legal means they can.

        This is the central problem with capitalism. Shareholders will sue management for any actions which are not specifically aimed at maximizing the shareholders’ return on their investment.

        How do we change it?

        • Brigid 5.1.1.1
          30 July 2016 at 6:27 pm

          No, that’s not entirely correct

          “Section 131 Companies Act 1993
          A director must act in good faith and in what they believe to be the best interests of the company.”

          https://www.business.govt.nz/companies/learn-about/compliance-requirements/directors-key-responsibilities

          Unless it is written specifically in the constitution the Director is not obliged to ” increase profits by whatever legal means they can.”, just keep the company in good health and not act illegally.
          And actually the director has is no greater obligation to shareholders than it has to employees.

          • AmaKiwi 5.1.1.1.1
            31 July 2016 at 4:15 pm

            Thanks, Brigid. I agree.

            Company directors work exclusively for their shareholders. They have NO obligations for humanity and the planet.

  6. Keith 6
    30 July 2016 at 9:48 am

    Capitalism, pure and simple, based on profit, greed and maximising returns to investors. And who in this government or those who vote for it argue? I mean it’s not as if Real Estate companies are bastions of decency, ethics or morals!

    It’s only when this parasitic disease starts killing it’s hosts as it surely does, do it’s subcribers start wailing for collective state welfare intervention that they hither to hated and looked down upon!

    • miravox 6.1
      30 July 2016 at 10:20 am

      “Capitalism, pure and simple, based on profit, greed and maximising returns to investors.”

      It’s not as if that many of the big players in the industry are still fully NZ-owned either. Off-shore services repatriating profits to the home countries. In a sense I have a bit of ambivalence about the Ray White deal (if it’s still fully NZ-owned). The company is only doing similar to international companies have done in NZ, but in reverse, i.e. making global profits. As you say, “it’s not as if Real Estate companies are bastions of decency, ethics or morals!”

    • mary_a 6.2
      30 July 2016 at 3:35 pm

      Cheers Keith (6). Agree 100% with your sentiments re this contemptuous issue.

  7. RedBaronCV 7
    30 July 2016 at 10:44 am

    All any government in waiting can do is to make it very very clear, that this type of sale is going to come back to bite the buyer and remove them when they become the government. And I don’t even favour a new home build – it’s still costing us taxpayers and ratepayers megadollars in infrastructure costs – and who needs swathes of empty housing disrupting our communities.

  8. Kelly-Ned 8
    30 July 2016 at 11:00 am

    Is deciding not to sell NZ to foreigners a moral decision at all?
    Isn’t it purely common sense not to sell of your country’s most irreplaceable asset?

    • Stuart Munro 8.1
      30 July 2016 at 11:15 am

      Yes.

      Another nail in the coffin of the “Gnats as competent economic managers” trope. They don’t know, or care, about the consequences of their actions.

      • The Pink Postman 8.1.1
        30 July 2016 at 3:12 pm

        I really hope so Stuart but I’m afraid the great unwashed still think” Key is the man'” I just cannot understand it. However the next gallop poll may be interesting ,but I’m not expecting a change. I had an old socialist friend,way back, who told me the public only throw the Tories out when the general public has really suffered .

    • AmaKiwi 8.2
      30 July 2016 at 12:04 pm

      It depends whose interests come first: mine as an individual or society’s.

      What is best for the individual is not necessarily what’s best for society, and vice versa.

      Another capitalism “big lie” – – – what’s best for the one is best for the other. It isn’t necessarily true.

  9. Graeme 9
    30 July 2016 at 11:19 am

    Not sure that Ray White are leading the market here, rather catching up. I had to find an agency to sell a property in Auckland a few years ago, most had their “extensive overseas connections, and marketing footprint” as a major part of their pitch. I most cases this turned out to be a marketing “extra” that cost heaps. We actually ended up with Ray White because they had the most realistic local marketing plan.

    On a more cynical note. An attempt to bring less informed buyers into the market so local investors can exit with the cash? There are some upsides to foreign investment…..

    • weka 9.1
      30 July 2016 at 12:09 pm

      “An attempt to bring less informed buyers into the market so local investors can exit with the cash? There are some upsides to foreign investment…..”

      What do you mean Graeme?

      • Graeme 9.1.1
        30 July 2016 at 2:04 pm

        Find some sucker to buy the property just before the market crashes.

        Eventual result, cash is in New Zealand, property is in New Zealand and worth considerably less, debt / loss is somewhere else. There’s other permutations of this depending on who’s being smart or greedy.

        Not pretty, but it’s where it’s going, and probably quite soon.

        • Pat 9.1.1.1
          30 July 2016 at 2:26 pm

          the world is full of paupers who thought they could pick the the timing of a crash

          • Graeme 9.1.1.1.1
            30 July 2016 at 3:20 pm

            And I know more than a few who got it pretty much spot on. Those that come a gutsa are usually the ones who are saying it’s never going to end, or think they can do one more big deal, or they are naive folk with little knowledge or experience of the market they are playing in.

            But it’s reliance on this sort of speculation / gambling that has got our country into the shit that it’s in. We’ve gone from a country that used to pay it’s way by growing or making things that we sold to the world, to one where we make our living by selling the same house for more and more. We have a speculative economy, not a productive economy. And we are speculating on the houses we need to live in.

            • Pat 9.1.1.1.1.1
              30 July 2016 at 4:13 pm

              “Those that come a gutsa are usually the ones who are saying it’s never going to end, or think they can do one more big deal, or they are naive folk with little knowledge or experience of the market they are playing in.”

              …in other words , most of them…..particularly in light of the fact the conditions driving this bubble are unprecedented.

        • weka 9.1.1.2
          30 July 2016 at 2:50 pm

          Ok, makes sense, not sure it’s an upside though :-/

          • Graeme 9.1.1.2.1
            30 July 2016 at 3:25 pm

            Like I said, not pretty.

          • Tony Veitch (not the partner-bashing 3rd rate broadcaster) 9.1.1.2.2
            30 July 2016 at 3:38 pm

            No, it doesn’t make sense at all. Most of the Chinese buyers will be looking for a safe place to park their money, ahead of the perceived inevitable collapse of the Chinese economy.

            A drop in value, even up to 40 or 50% is largely irrelevant – whatever happens, the property remains!

            • Rae 9.1.1.2.2.1
              1 August 2016 at 8:06 am

              Trouble is, you point out the different motivation of Chinese buyers, which is due, in no small way, to their political system, you get labeled a xenophobe.

  10. RedLogix 10
    30 July 2016 at 11:38 am

    One thing for certain, Ray White know perfectly well the Govt isn’t going to do anything about it either. Chinese bidders with suitcases full of cash probably don’t vote Labour (or Green).

  11. Leftie 11
    30 July 2016 at 11:55 am

    New Zealanders can’t buy property, land and houses in China. No foreigner can.
    China knows to protect it’s own assets from foreign speculators.

    • AmaKiwi 11.1
      30 July 2016 at 12:05 pm

      So do most countries.

    • ropata 11.2
      30 July 2016 at 12:53 pm

      New Zealanders can’t buy property in Auckland either. First we were priced out by dirty money, now we are being shut out completely by foreigners taking over the real estate agencies.

      • Brian Smith 11.2.1
        30 July 2016 at 2:24 pm

        Most of that money is still dirty money if you understand the concept of ‘Guanxi’ in China, and the role that their public servants (including Police/army) play in businesses being successful!! Auckland, the great laundromat of the south pacific!

    • ropata 11.3
      30 July 2016 at 12:58 pm

      I suspect this open slather policy for foreign buyers is all that’s keeping our economy afloat. Without this bubble pumping up the numbers, we would have been in a recession. Large segments of NZ (teachers, cops, nurses) are already feeling it, thanks to chronic inequality.

      • Leftie 11.3.1
        30 July 2016 at 1:28 pm

        “open slather policy for foreign buyers is all that’s keeping our economy afloat” that and uncontrolled migration into the country.

        That’s what key is counting on going into next year’s election before it all implodes.

    • ropata 11.4
      30 July 2016 at 1:00 pm

      China has the National Party over a barrel. “Keep selling off bits of your country or we will stop buying your milk” is probably the veiled threat

      • Leftie 11.4.1
        30 July 2016 at 1:31 pm

        That too.

      • Draco T Bastard 11.4.2
        30 July 2016 at 6:57 pm

        Thing is, no country should be able to make that threat. Not selling to them should make no difference to us at all.

        • ropata 11.4.2.1
          30 July 2016 at 7:22 pm

          Agreed. FTA’s are a giant ripoff benefiting only the 1%, spreading inequality and exploitation around the globe. The elites love it, considering themselves enlightened global citizens.

          Our economy is smoke and mirrors, our brief dream as an independent nation is over. We are a bauble for global superpowers and a tasty plum to be taken over by the super rich.

          Not that we had much choice, both main parties have been successful in their ongoing campaign to sell NZ to the world.

          • Leftie 11.4.2.1.1
            30 July 2016 at 9:49 pm

            John key has been doing back door deals around the FTA that has given China more favour and power over New Zealand.

            Only just recently he did some tinkering to appease China in response to his pro stance on the US TPPA. Now China is pushing for their own version of the TPPA. New Zealand is being sandwiched as John key plays both sides. It’s an unsustainable and untenable position for New Zealand to remain in. Something is going to give.

  12. Venezia 12
    30 July 2016 at 11:57 am

    Over the last year, I have noticed Real Estate companies (other than Ray White) marketing in China. Harcourts for one, but others are international companies operating here to domestic market. It is open slather. John Key’s statements about NZers becoming “tenants in their own land ” indeed!

    • ropata 12.1
      30 July 2016 at 11:38 pm

      I guess that was the plan all along. FJK is a member of the 0.01% and his allegiance is to his peers in the global bankster club, not to the confused hobbits of NZ

  13. adam 13
    30 July 2016 at 2:03 pm

    Ray White, heros of corporate solipsism

    Don’t begrudge the returns for us

    PLA money everywhere

    South China Seas – Shush, shush, shush

    Commissars on all the farms

    End the stately balancing act

    Now we can just throw the dice, and be like mice in a crashing car

    Ray White, standing up for cupidities call.

  14. Paul 14
    30 July 2016 at 2:06 pm

    Go to a Barfoots auction.

  15. Chooky 15
    30 July 2016 at 2:27 pm

    Well all of this is no surprise… the warnings have been there for sometime…the Government must LEGISLATE against and Opposition parties jump up and down or we will become a province of China…this is THE election issue!

    ( despite denials from the politically correct Greens and accusations of “crude racial profiling” over the Auckland housing crisis depiction by Labour …and certain others here who cry out loudly “racism!” …it is very clear now that little New Zealand is in danger of being swamped and we are selling our childrens’ birthrights)

    http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/wall-of-chinese-capital-buying-up-australian-properties-20150628-ghztdf.html

    http://www.smh.com.au/business/property/chinas-little-emperors-prop-up-aussie-housing-with-parents-aid-20160330-gnun67.html

    http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/chinese-property-investors-getting-wary-of-buying-in-australia-20160519-gozd5s.html

    • RedLogix 15.1
      30 July 2016 at 2:52 pm

      …the Government must LEGISLATE against and Opposition parties jump up and down or we will become a province of China…this is THE election issue!

      I’ve just spent two weeks working in a SE Asian country where exactly this is even more advanced. Their govt is now totally beholden to China and is giving away vast leases to Chinese businesses to essentially strip mine. Sand mining, huge monocultural plantations and the like. They completely shut out the local villagers from their traditional forest access. Poverty and malnutrition are appearing where there was none before.

      Same basic mechanism is happening here. Many years back I predicted this; that China wouldn’t necessarily expand it’s empire militarily, it would use capitalism against us, sell us drugs and then buy us out.

      • Leftie 15.1.1
        30 July 2016 at 3:45 pm

        Was told recently that there are now 5 Chinese banks operating in New Zealand, and they don’t lend out in thousands, they lend out in millions. Kiwis don’t have a chance.

        • Colonial Viper 15.1.1.1
          30 July 2016 at 4:20 pm

          It’s time for us to curtail/eliminate the activities of foreign banks in NZ.

          • Chooky 15.1.1.1.1
            30 July 2016 at 11:28 pm

            yup that is one thing that should be done…we have got to take back control of our own economy

      • Jack Ramaka 15.1.2
        30 July 2016 at 7:31 pm

        Drug shipments have definitely increased since the mass Asian immigration to NZ, they are using the existing NZ gangs to distribute the drugs and I would guess the proceeds are invested in the Auckland housing market.

  16. fisiani 16
    30 July 2016 at 5:24 pm

    How dare Ray White advertise to people with Chinese sounding names.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 16.1
      30 July 2016 at 5:44 pm

      When the bubble bursts, who will carry the losses? Not people who can’t afford their first home, that’s for sure. Not the banks: they always get paid.

      Nah. Whoever ends up holding the hot potato. Pass it on.

      • ropata 16.1.1
        30 July 2016 at 7:25 pm

        Watch for FJK to make some ridiculous bailout deal for his banking buddies, the Kiwi taxpayer will be stuck paying off someone else’s debt for 50 years

    • ropata 16.2
      30 July 2016 at 7:29 pm

      Most countries with any dignity or self respect defend their LAND to the death.

      Not NZ though, we have snakes like fisiani for whom money is the measure of all things.

      Food, clothing, shelter, children, it’s all for sale!!

      You sir, are a pillock

    • Leftie 16.3
      30 July 2016 at 10:09 pm

      Of course they have Chinese sounding names Fisiani, Ray White is marketing to Chinese buyers living in China.

  17. Jack Ramaka 17
    30 July 2016 at 7:28 pm

    Chinese Nationals want to get their funds to a safe haven which is what New Zealand is, houses are tangible assets hence this is why they are investing in New Zealand.

    Also with the weight of numbers and volume of cash coming into the New Zealand market houses can only go north, gone are the days of houses for people to actually live in, the Auckland Housing Ponzi Scheme is rocking onwards.

  18. fisiani 18
    30 July 2016 at 8:26 pm

    Chinese people are human beings. The law does not discriminate against them. Sad to see so much barely disguised racism masquerading as nationalistic concern.

    • Draco T Bastard 18.1
      30 July 2016 at 8:34 pm

      There’s no racism as you well know. This comment of yours is no more than you’re usual Concern Trolling.

      Yes, Chinese are human as are the rest of us. That doesn’t give them the right to buy out our land and resources leaving nothing for us. They have their own.

      • fisiani 18.1.1
        30 July 2016 at 8:39 pm

        “leaving nothing for us” And you really don’t realise how racist that comment is.

        • Sabine 18.1.1.1
          30 July 2016 at 9:39 pm

          bwhahahahahahahaha

          you so funny mate

          how dare new zealanders want to buy a home in their home country, don’t they now these silly new zealanders that with voting for the John Key National Party led government they voted for a brighter future for non resident and non citizens to buy up their land one quarter acre at a time.
          silly new zealanders not wanting to sell their home country. silly silly new zealanders.

      • ropata 18.1.2
        30 July 2016 at 8:41 pm

        fisi conveniently forgets the basic rights his fellow human beings in hus greed for foreign cash. People (usually poor,brown) are sleeping in cars and garages because of pricjs like him.

        but fisi bravely sticks up for the rights of rich foreigners

        • fisiani 18.1.2.1
          30 July 2016 at 9:41 pm

          If you prick a rich foreigner do they not bleed? Change some of the comments above from Chinese to Jewish and the blatant racism is all too clear. Is it any wonder that the fastest growing political group in New Zealand is the Blue Dragons.

          • Leftie 18.1.2.1.1
            30 July 2016 at 10:02 pm

            Prick an ordinary New Zealander, do they not bleed too? But what about New Zealanders Fisiani? they’re human too.

            Is Ray White and China’s largest real estate agent Jewish? Why do we have to change the facts to suit you Fisiani?

            Blue Dragon Children’s Trust is a political group?

          • Sabine 18.1.2.1.2
            30 July 2016 at 10:21 pm

            i think you are way out of line here and should re-think your comparison of people not wanting their land sold to the highest bidder vs a people that get slaughtered by the millions, had their belongings stolen from then down to the gold teeth in their mouth, had their clothes taken from them, their hair shoven, their shoes taken away, their suitcases filled with what ever they could pack in the middle of the night taken away from them, to then being locked up, starved, beaten, raped, used as humans guinea pigs, worked to death, and marched to death.

            I think it is time that you bid us good night and go to sleep. I don’t think you really have anything to add of value.

            Or to say in good german, you dear Fisian are a Scheisskerl and a Schweinehund.

            • Sabine 18.1.2.1.2.1
              30 July 2016 at 10:25 pm

              come to think of it.
              i take back the Scheinehund as comparing you to a Pig Dog would be an insult to Pig Dogs. They are usually well training, well behaved and serve a puropose.
              You sir, however serve no other purpose then to stir shit. So Scheisskerl it is.

          • Stuart Munro 18.1.2.1.3
            31 July 2016 at 1:05 pm

            “If you prick a rich foreigner”

            Let’s find out. Homeless kiwis are bleeding already.

          • Brian Smith 18.1.2.1.4
            31 July 2016 at 4:44 pm

            Why are foreigners forbidden to buy property in China by the Chinese government? That’s racist, xenophobic, call it what you will. The terms of the FTA with China should cover mutuality in this regard, surely.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 18.1.2.1.4.1
              31 July 2016 at 4:50 pm

              So long as whatever defences a pro-New Zealand government puts in place apply to all other countries (CERA might mediate this wrt Aussies) there’s no problem.

              Whether the PLA (for example) might apply other kinds of pressure is another thing entirely.

        • Neil 18.1.2.2
          31 July 2016 at 12:36 am

          Fisiani is secretly of Chinese descent, that’s why he’s protesting so much

          • Draco T Bastard 18.1.2.2.1
            31 July 2016 at 1:11 am

            No, I suspect that fisiani is just trying to protect his ‘investment’. He knows damn well that if the government did the rational thing and banned offshore ownership then his ‘worth’ would drop down by 80%.

      • Chooky 18.1.3
        30 July 2016 at 11:32 pm

        +100 DTB..”They have their own”… and they don’t allow foreigners to take what is theirs in their own country….why should we allow it here?

        We are being taken for fools by jonkey nact to allow this to happen

    • adam 18.2
      31 July 2016 at 3:40 pm

      Love the irony bro – you defending the communists.

      Thanks fisiani, needed a good laugh.

  19. D'Esterre 19
    30 July 2016 at 9:31 pm

    “It’s not up to us to make a moral decision on foreign ownership”

    I was just following orders.

    Am I my brother’s keeper?

    Other people’s misery isn’t anything to do with me.

    Not just a broken moral compass: these people haven’t got one.

  20. whispering kate 20
    31 July 2016 at 1:25 pm

    Have just noticed a full page coloured advertisement in an Auckland Property Guide that Steve Hansen the AB coach aligns with Ray White New Zealand as a Global Brand Ambassador. He is shown smiling with a Ray White big wig signing some document. He doesn’t seem to object to floods of immigrants coming here to live for a few months each year. Wonder how much he is being paid and wonder how much Ray White give to the AB’s war chest.

    Rugby has become a corporate juggernaut and what with the Olympics allowing professionals to compete, the joy has gone out of watching sports events. I thought Steven Hansen looked a reasonable sort of guy, I now can see he isn’t.

    • Leftie 20.1
      1 August 2016 at 12:53 am

      Remember John key pretending to be an All Black on the cover of a magazine that was on the shelves and near the checkouts in every supermarket, stores and book sellers through out the country during the 2014 election campaign?

    • Chris 20.2
      1 August 2016 at 11:42 pm

      Like how Ritchie McCaw, Dan Carter, Kieran Read and others have shares companies that own rest homes – waiting to cash in as demand goes through the roof on the backs of minimum wage workers. If they had a moral bone in their million dollar bodies they’d be advocates for lifting the standard of care older people and the disabled get by raising wages and properly valuing the lives of the most vulnerable.

  21. Mrs Brillo 21
    31 July 2016 at 8:10 pm

    I’m curious. What does a global brand ambassador actually do?
    Any idea?

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    15 hours ago

  • Beware political propaganda: statistics are pointing to Grant Robertson never protecting “Lives an...
    Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”. As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    16 hours ago

  • Winding back the hands of history’s clock
    Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    16 hours ago

  • Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
     Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    16 hours ago

  • Business confidence sliding into winter of discontent
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    18 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
    Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    19 hours ago

  • New HOP readers for future payment options
    Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    20 hours ago

  • 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 day ago

  • At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
    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
    1 day ago

  • Road photos
    Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 day ago

  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • At a time of media turmoil, Melissa had nothing to proclaim as Minister – and now she has been dem...
    Buzz from the Beehive   Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
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