The right become socialists as Covid-19 bites

Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, March 17th, 2020 - 38 comments
Categories: Economy, health, national, Simon Bridges, tax, taxpayers union, uncategorized - Tags:

Clearly it is a time to put ideology aside.  The right, elements of which have thought the best thing to do to the state is weaken it that badly that they could then drown it in a bathtub, are rethinking and now realise that a well resourced, active and engaged State is actually a life saver.

Like our comrades at the Taxpayer’s Union.  Maybe they are a real union after all.  They have released this policy document which containse suggestions of what the Government should be doing.  Their paper contains this statement:

A market-led approach in these times would be an extraordinary mistake. The extremely tight timeframe, matched with significant information deficiencies on the part of consumers and firms, plus massive externalities of individual behaviour all characterise market failure.

As fiscal conservatives it does not come naturally to call for a dramatic expansion of the size of state spending. But a core of role of Government, and why we pay taxes, is to protect the citizenry at times of national systematic shock such as war or pandemic.

And this is one of their proposals, something which Karl Marx would be proud of:

A variety of firms will go bust in the coming 12 months. The Government will inevitably seek to support some firms and sectors that for which continued operation is of strategic importance, Air New Zealand and major airports being obvious examples. Support should be limited to a handful of strategically important firms, rather than an excuse to nationalise large swathes of the economy.

While there is justification to ensure some major companies continue, shareholders should not be insulated. The Government should only propose terms for bailouts which give the Crown a significant (majority or total) shareholding in these firms. The funds are for the continued operation (i.e. jobs and services) of these companies, not to protect the existing shareholders.

They then propose a sell down when things return to normal.

National has gone very quiet.  Apart from their cheerleaders suggesting that the Government has been doing too much AND too little and have acted too quickly AND too slowly they realise that now is not a time for partisan political games.

There is also this strange contribution from a techhead published in the Herald.  They insist that the country should be run in the same way as well resourced highly profitable tech companies.  If only.

The primary subject of the interview, Zuru founder and Entrepreneur of the Year Nick Mowbray, urged the Government to do a lot of things most of which it was doing.

Ah the right. They spend most of their time weakening the state as much as possible, then when we strike a crisis they have all the answers.  Marx would be perplexed.

38 comments on “The right become socialists as Covid-19 bites ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Peter Barry 1
    17 March 2020 at 8:09 am

    It appears your right is using common sense and being pragmatic rather than burying it's head in ideolgy like some others.

    It makes a pleasant, even if unexpected, change.

  2. Siobhan 2
    17 March 2020 at 8:37 am

    You appear confused..the headline is..'The Right become Socialists'..(correct)…then, "its time to put ideology aside"..um, no, lets go socialist, like you say…"a well resourced, active and engaged State is actually a life saver"..lordy how i hate to be reduced to memes..but you really are this guy..

    Image result for meme but thats socialism

  3. Tiger Mountain 3
    17 March 2020 at 8:40 am

    Good perspective as per usual from Micky.

    It has been frustrating alright to observe the Nats behaviour during this virus contagion…“their cheerleaders suggesting that the Government has been doing too much AND too little and have acted too quickly AND too slowly”.
    Cynical bastards pushing for political advantage rather than dealing with the substantive matters in a cooperative way.

    Now, will the Labour Caucus also embrace this “socialist spirit” and assist the working class directly, or skew aid funds mainly to business bailouts?

    WINZ/MSD should be repurposed urgently into a citizens aid machine, with the draconian/moralistic/sadistic side of their operations retired. It would be the perfect time to do that. No standowns, no abatements for part time work, direct credits to all citizens with a demonstrated need without stigma. And the Stasi style Benefit Investigation Units to start ‘investigating’ disabled, long term ill, and other vulnerable peoples needs–and fulfilling them instead of punishing and establishing debt!

    Hey, dreams are free…but disaster capitalism always waits to swoop in these tight spots.

    • Molly 3.1
      17 March 2020 at 1:16 pm

      "WINZ/MSD should be repurposed urgently into a citizens aid machine, with the draconian/moralistic/sadistic side of their operations retired."

      Politically, this is a great opportunity to do just that. The impact of Covid-19 may have just opened that Overton window much wider as a larger number of voters find themselves in the precarious position of needing support.

  4. Nic the NZer 4
    17 March 2020 at 9:01 am

    The political right has always been cogniscent of the states ability to fund the economy through its spending. The govt deficit concern is only raised from that side when they don't like the programs being funded, but its repeatedly been clear that the US president can fund tax cuts, the military and blow the deficit out completely and nobody gives a toss.

    Unfortunately on the left we seem to have a bunch of true believers amoung us. This buys into the rights rhetorical dismissal of state funded public goods as being unaffordable. The next time that the NZ govt is being cheer lead towards running a surplus for ideological reasons we should remember how it works when an actual emergency arises and the true nature of the economy becomes plain fact.

  5. I Feel Love 5
    17 March 2020 at 9:12 am

    Are all the right wing guys banned? They've certainly been quiet? I was thinking the other day about some Venezuelan rw guy trolling a lw site about the toilet paper shortages in the US & Aus. Also, giving the supermarket and Uber money for delivering food etc, we still own NZ Post right?

  6. bill 6
    17 March 2020 at 9:26 am

    All this damned drop in economic activity indicates we've taken our eye off the ball on the heating the world up front We need to kick everything back into gear and get that peddle to the metal pronto!

    If that means nationalising, then nationalise!

    If that means bailing out behemoths, then bail!

    We can do this.

  7. AB 7
    17 March 2020 at 9:41 am

    Tech heads are sometimes the stupidest people in the room.

  8. observer 8
    17 March 2020 at 9:55 am

    "Taxation is theft". The thought-free slogan trotted out on various forums (Stuff comments is a favourite), because when you're hit with a virus you can demand to be cured by the pizza you bought with your tax cut, rather than a public health system.

    Or, tax is property confiscation. According to David Seymour, who has been very quiet these past few days.

    Is it unfair to dig up old quotes and mock him and his party now? Maybe. Coronavirus has changed everything. People learn. But then again …

    He was saying it in March 2020

  9. RedBaronCV 9
    17 March 2020 at 10:34 am

    I'd believe they were socialists if they suggested the upper echelon payroll in business was cut to the bone and the amounts used to to support extended sick leave.

    I'd also like to see work hours trimmed for all to lessen redundancies and keep people in work and the skills up.

    In fact I'd make this a precondition of any state help – if the pie is smaller then it needs to be shared much more fairly. Th peeps at the top aren't going to lose their jobs anytime soon but they could loose the salary.

    I'd also institute a rent freeze of sorts ( not more than annual from today) – to prevent landlords soaking up state aid and I'd be into the power companies & telco's so that the price of basics dropped.

    And the provincial aid and infrastructure spend – I'd hook some of it away from roads and partner with local government to update other sorts of infrastructure – water sewage etc. LG has a lot of the aging less than adequate infrastructure( getting beyond the capacity of the ratepayers to fund) so why not update that as well and it has the double whammy of keeping down rates and rents looking ahead. It spreads the management and speeds up the spend as there will be projects ready to go.

    It would spread it over the country better, update a wider range of infrastructure, keep a wider range of skills and business in various localities in work ( and couldn't be flogged off by the next right wing government)

  10. Enough is Enough 10
    17 March 2020 at 10:38 am

    What has been possibly the only positive thing over the past 5 days is politics has largely disappeared. The right and left across the world are almost all singing from the same song sheet.

    Snide tribal bullshit has no real place at the current time.

  11. Janet 11
    17 March 2020 at 11:10 am

    "I'd also like to see work hours trimmed for all to lessen redundancies and keep people in work and the skills up."

    My thoughts too… Everyone should share the load . Take air NZ for example , looking at dropping 3000 staff into shit. Why not all staff take a big cut leaving take home pay being just enough to get by on – and corresponding reduced hours of work instead. Then you hold the human resource in hand until things normalise again.

    Freeze mortgage repayments, freeze rents . freeze money and wait it out together.

    • RedBaronCV 11.1
      17 March 2020 at 11:21 am

      Airnz was at the top of my frame as well. It's probably going to need govt help to survive and we need it as a nation to do so – but I'd take a hatchet to the top level payroll ( no more than 5 times minimum weekly wage ?) spread that around – get voluntary hours cuts rather then redundancies then spread the rest of the load as equitably as possible. I'd involve the staff/ unions in the discussions – no more of this top down bull of making decisions around redundancy.

      Stock options shares for senior levels – gone – transfer to the govt shareholding in return for the assistance.

      We can’t afford to keep supporting the lifestyles of the rich….

      • Gosman 11.1.1
        17 March 2020 at 11:44 am

        Why do we need Air NZ as a nation? Sure we need to be serviced by airlines but it doesn't need to be Air NZ.

        • RedBaronCV 11.1.1.1
          17 March 2020 at 11:48 am

          from discussions in past years when Airnz was in trouble -Reliable communications links -export of produce- heavily supported by the RW as well IIRC.
          Otherwise likely to be ripped off by an oligolipstic market owned overseas

        • Poission 11.1.1.2
          17 March 2020 at 11:53 am

          Because the earnings stay in NZ,as does the tax on profits.

          Following the GFC the NZ current account deficit decreased due to lowered profits being repatriated overseas.We will see similar trends in the short term.

          https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/key-graphs/key-graph-current-account

          • Gosman 11.1.1.2.1
            17 March 2020 at 1:46 pm

            Ummm… that applies to ALL international transport. Do we have a State owner shipping company?

            • KJT 11.1.1.2.1.1
              17 March 2020 at 1:59 pm

              Apart from the rail ferries, No, We don't even have an NZ owned and flagged one anymore.

              Which is why Mearsk, and MSC, charge whatever they feel like, with services that can be intermittent and overpriced.

              And our balance of trade is hugely more in the red, paying shipping companies, that don’t buy in New Zealand, don’t pay taxes in New Zealand and don’t pay wages in New Zealand.

              Not to mention spending hundreds of millions on Navy logistics ships, because there are no local cargo ships, we can requisition if needed.

            • Incognito 11.1.1.2.1.2
              17 March 2020 at 2:01 pm

              Please no whataboutisms, thanks. If you cannot argue your point without it, you’ll be self-isolated soon again.

        • RedLogix 11.1.1.3
          17 March 2020 at 11:54 am

          We've been here before when AirNZ almost collapsed in the aftermath of the Ansett debacle. One obvious reason is that letting AirNZ fold would more or less leave Qantas in control of our tourism market. They'd have every incentive to route all international traffic via Australian destinations, then run short hops to NZ, giving Aus tourism a big advantage over NZ tourism.

          There are other reasons, but NZ is the most remote substantial nation on earth and air travel has been enormously important to us. Far more so than most other places.

          • Gosman 11.1.1.3.1
            17 March 2020 at 1:47 pm

            Will other international airlines not want to get a slice of the NZ international air travel market? It seems to have been very lucrative for Air NZ.

        • lprent 11.1.1.4
          17 March 2020 at 2:56 pm

          Why do we need Air NZ as a nation?

          Seems pretty obvious to me, even if it isn't to an unobservant economic moron like yourself.

          Air NZ has been the only reliable air-freight in the country when you look over the last couple of decades. If you want to figure out how important air-freight is to us, then have a look at the cargo facilities clustered around Mangere airport and those of Christchurch. The very high value exports and imports go mostly through Air NZ.

          While some of the other airlines moderate amounts of air-freight, they drop in and out of the market at an alarming regular rate. Roughly coincident with changes in fuel prices and the volumes of passengers arriving.

          As far as I am aware there are no regular international air-freight aircraft landing in NZ – otherwise it’d be way easier to get the unprotected lithium batteries for R&D that I need. Instead they get shipped via sea, have low stocks, enormous markups, and the wrong models.

          Since we are a export orientated economy who ships out quite a lot of time critical and high margin produce and goods, it flies. If it is low-margin low-employment commodities like most farm produce, timber, and minerals – then it goes by sea.

          Since we are a small economy who doesn’t stock large quantities of specialised equipment that gets used in domestic productivity as well as the value-added exports I deal in – then we have a large incoming trade as well.

          But you can read this again – this was why Air NZ got bailed out nearly 20 years ago. It wasn’t particularly for the tourism industry. It was because having a local international airline is a lifeline when everything screws up. Just watch as a pile of airlines start to bail away from NZ now. They’ll be back for the tourists. But they still won’t be carrying much air-freight.

  12. RedBaronCV 12
    17 March 2020 at 11:23 am

    Actually we could get any shares perhaps transferd to the Cullen fund or whatever it calls itself now. Maybe in lieu of the the annual cash contribution from government.

  13. mary_a 13
    17 March 2020 at 11:50 am

    Not only is Simon not saying much these days, but also his offsider, Paula Bennett isn't being as gobby as she usually is. Interesting times.

    We're in this together now, so let's pull together for the benefit of the nation.

  14. roblogic 14
    17 March 2020 at 1:24 pm

    Nick Mowbray a "techhead"? He flogs plastic toys to the world. He's a salesman, entrepreneur and a vendor of crap. Pretty much the opposite of the tech nerd stereotype.

    • lprent 14.1
      17 March 2020 at 2:56 pm

      What he said… More of a marketing dickhead than a tech head.

      • Lettuce 14.1.1
        17 March 2020 at 11:40 pm

        Mowbray looks like just the sort of opportunistic grifter that National will be looking for to replace Donkey now that Luxon's been outed as a religious nutter.
        How well does he know Michelle Boag?

  15. Wensleydale 15
    17 March 2020 at 2:00 pm

    This is hilariously (and depressingly) predictable. When it's the poor, beneficiaries, the disabled, the mentally ill, etc. copping all the damage, it's fine. We can't possibly throw money around because it just enables them and "won't someone please think of business". As soon as they realise 'everyone' is going to get a broadside, including business, property investors and the conspicuously affluent, it's "please Nanny State, won't you help us out".

    Principles – those annoying things you desperately need to toss overboard when you realise you are not the centre of the universe and Mother Nature is going to bollock you just as hard as the poor family down the road.

    I'm trying really hard not to smirk, but at this point it's completely beyond my control.

  16. Peter 16
    17 March 2020 at 4:23 pm

    The Taxpayer’s Union? When it suits them and is of use to them socialism is good. It's just a tap to turn on and off at a self-serving whim.

  17. Cinny 17
    17 March 2020 at 4:31 pm

    The nats have bragged many times in parliament about how they increased benefits, questioning the government on why they haven't done the same.

    Now that the government has increased benefits, the right wingers are complaining at them for doing so.

    WTF? Listening to the misinformed on talkback, ryan bridge.

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    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    4 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #48 2023
    Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago

  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    7 days ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    7 days ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    7 days ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    1 week ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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