The Standard’s political awards for 2022

Written By: - Date published: 12:01 pm, December 30th, 2022 - 39 comments
Categories: act, Carmel Sepuloni, Christopher Luxon, climate change, david seymour, Deep stuff, jacinda ardern, michael wood, national, science, uk politics - Tags:

It is that time of year again where the events of the year are reviewed and what was notable, noteworthy and notorious.

And what a year it has been.  January 2022 seems like a decade ago.

Who can forget when earlier in the year a group of protestors borrowing the language of various progressive rights movements to claim that what they were campaigning for was right and virtuous while at the same time publicly calling for the execution of various politicians and public servants?

They are the recipient of the inaugural tinfoil hat award given in recognition of their bizarre take on reality and in particular because some of them were actually wearing tinfoil hats.

They also win the cry baby award for thinking they could turn up and occupy Parliament’s grounds, make actual threats of violence against the PM, MPs, Journalists, shop workers and anyone walking past and then complain about the slightest activity by the police in trying to keep order.  I am all for a good protest but really?

The award for the biggest misuse of allegations of conflict of interest goes to Simeon Brown whose continuous attacks on Nanaia Mahuta ended up with a report exonerating her stating that it found there was “no evidence of favouritism, bias, or undue influence”.

But the award for the biggest actual example of conflict of interest goes to National MP Barbara Kuriger who used her position to continuously attack MPI officials for successfully prosecuting her son on animal cruelty charges.  How she still remains in National’s caucus says much about its hypocrisy.

Brown features heavily in this year’s awards.  The award for the spokesperson who understands his or her portfolio the least again goes to him for his potholes campaign.  The problem clearly is a consequence of cutting budgets back during National’s last reign and climate change, neither of which should be blamed on this Government.

The Bermuda Triangle award goes to the National Party.  What happened to the Sam Uffindell report and what happened to National’s promises of openness and transparency?

Obsequious media article of the year was a hotly contested area but this piece from Fran O’Sullivan could not be beaten.  I challenge anyone else to watch the actual video and form the same positive conclusion that O’Sullivan reached.

The misspeak award can only go to one person, National leader Christopher Luxon.  Who else in one year could come up with such clangers as calling poor people bottom feeders and claiming that South Auckland Garages were breeding grounds for gang membership?  He also wins an award for worst apology of the year for saying he was sorry “if anyone was offended”.  All this coming from someone who confused Hawaii with Te Kuiti suggests that accuracy and sensitivity are not Luxon’s strong points.

Luxon also wins the complete lack of self awareness award for his performance in this interview with Jack Tame about climate change where he railed against the Government for working in “bumper stickers and headlines” while National has absolutely no policies or targets of its own to talk about.

The Marvin the Paranoid Android award for being utterly depressing goes to the National Party Caucus.

All year they have been on a real downer.  No matter what the Government has done National has been utterly, utterly negative about it.  Labour could have discovered a universal cure for Cancer and National would have complained about the cost.

Check this out if you need proof.

I get that this is what an opposition does but are they happy about anything?

The Taxpayer Union you really need to check this out award also goes to the National Party for using Parliamentary Services resources to fly to Australia to campaign. Maybe they were hoping we would not notice?  In any event the Auditor General should be checking this out.

The Out of Touch award goes to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who as part of a publicity stunt worked in a soup kitchen giving out food to the poor.

He was caught on film asking Ben if he worked in business.

Ben replied that he did not work and that he was homeless.

There are so many questions arising from this.  Like are there people who work in finance who frequent soup kitchens?  And why did Rishi ask Ben, who clearly looked like he was homeless, if he worked in finance?  Are there people who work in finance who look like they are homeless?

And the most precipitous descent into chaos award, last awarded to National in 2020 goes to the UK Conservative Party.

Who can ever forget the chaos of the Boris years, how he broke every rule in the political book as well as at least one law, or his final week where Ministers were racing each other in who was going to resign first.  He was then replaced by Liz Truss.  She campaigned on a right wing wet dream policy of tax cuts.  Having been elected she then found out that the market has a brain and even it did not think that unfunded tax cuts would achieve everything.

The most use of the word Woke in a political blog award has a clear winner, Martyn Bradbury!  He also won this award last year.  This is a rare feat.

I don’t get how someone nominally of the left buys so readily into a right wing attack phrase.  These debates ought to be happening on our terms, not theirs.

The nu fone who dis award goes to Gaurav Sharma.  Remember him?

Putting aside what happened earlier the level of shitfuckery involved in doing a confidential text dump on social media at the very time your leader is giving a post cabinet press conference is exceedingly high.

Despite what he had done the Caucus decided to give him one last chance.  There are some very gentle souls there.

And the genesis of his original complaint was his trenchant disbelief that the Whips stepped in to stop him from bullying his staff.  He then claimed them stopping him from bullying his staff was of itself a form of bullying.

He decided to let the good people of Hamilton West decide on his ability as an MP.  And they did this giving him less than 10% of the vote.

The runner up for this award is Sharma’s new party named Momentum which unfortunately for him lacked that particular characteristic its name suggested it might have.  It has since disappeared without trace.

The Arrogant Prick award goes hands down to David Seymour.  But he also gets the Right Winger who actually resembles a human being award for his signing with Jacinda Ardern of the Hansard record of the exchange which was then auctioned for charity for Prostate Cancer.  That an Arrogant Prick chose to do something for Prostate Cancer says something about New Zealand politics.

https://twitter.com/dimsie/status/1603266767018930176

Quiet achiever of the year award goes to Carmel Sepuloni who has been methodically implementing the recommendations of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group.  One statistic that may amaze you given the vitriol sent her way is that up to March 2022 and since 2018 benefits had increased by 40% above the rate of inflation.  Sure recent high inflation rates may have affected this but I cannot think of such a sustained increase ever happening before.

Another statistic that should give you hope is that in 2021 66,500 children were lifted out of poverty.

Of course some still complain these steps are not enough and we still have too much poverty in Aotearoa but can I invite you to think about the alternative.  If there was a change of Government on day one it would be announced that there was a budgetary crisis.  And then after that either through actual cuts or letting increases slip behind the rate of inflation the real level of benefits would decline and poverty would increase.  This is the inevitable order of New Zealand politics.

The award for the politician who burned up the most political capital to achieve something good goes to Jacinda Ardern.  John Key burned up political capital on a grandiose flag referendum.  Jacinda burned up political capital keeping us alive.

And the opposition has been utterly disgraceful on the issue.  Leading the country through a once in a century global pandemic takes a lot of skill and when you look at the body count New Zealand did remarkably well.

Even Japan’s death rate is now higher than us.  Singapore is the only western country whose statistics can be trusted who is doing better than us.

The continuous attacks on New Zealand’s response by opposition MPs trying to score political points is getting really tiring.  This latest article by Act deputy leader Brooke Van Velden is typical.  She talks about the benefit of hindsight but still says that the Government should have loosened things up last Christmas.  At the time when Omicron was surging overseas.

The one thing you can say about these wannabe leaders is thankfully they were not in control during a time when cool heads and real leadership were required.

And the award for the best performance by a politician this year goes to …

drum roll …

Michael Wood for his achievements in getting the Fair Pay legislation passed, for guiding transport through a rough period and for making fundamental changes to the way that Waka Kotahi operates so that sustainable transport is more of a focus, for handling Immigration with care and for generally walking the talk on living by Labour Principles.

39 comments on “The Standard’s political awards for 2022 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. MickeyBoyle 1
    30 December 2022 at 1:28 pm

    So in summary, National bad, Labour good.

    Enlightening.

    • mickysavage 1.1
      30 December 2022 at 2:12 pm

      Pretty much.

      • Herodotus 1.1.1
        30 December 2022 at 2:40 pm

        As some in the family said over Christmas commented "how can a Labour govt enact policy that results in over stimulating asset bubble then as the only solution we have the Reserve bank now implementing policy for a Recession as a solution to the over stimulated economy ?? "

        Supporters and those who see Labour as the solution – You should be totally ashamed of what you have supported – What regime will have caused more damage and a greater widening of the rich/poor divide – Lange or Adern governments ??? And we have not an iota of ownership of what damage has been caused over the last 2-3 years and to throw ONLY accolades towards Labour

        • DB Brown 1.1.1.1
          30 December 2022 at 3:57 pm

          Deleted more snarky reply it wont help.

          This government did no such thing ("more damage and a greater widening of the rich/poor divide"). The pandemic, the bloody weather, the uncertain future we're now far more certain of, the inflation, the war, the Trump presidency. The pandemic that is STILL going. We're frayed because we're paying attention mate. Blaming the government is myopic and petty. Sure they aint perfect, but they're actually trying to help.

          The government did not turn up on a fine spring afternoon for a bit of a chat about things, they walked into crisis after crisis, as well as the mess made of health, housing, wages, etc.

        • Nic181 1.1.1.2
          30 December 2022 at 8:18 pm

          Our government did its very best for New Zealanders in extraordinary circumstances. Those choosing to review that, with the benefit of hindsight and no empathy, are out of touch with reality. If Nat/ACT is the answer, you are asking the wrong question.

        • Craig H 1.1.1.3
          30 December 2022 at 8:39 pm

          It was the advice of the Treasury – keep the country afloat with fiscal policy and deal with the inflation consequences later. As for why inflation is targeted via OCR increases to reduce spending which in turn reduces employment, that's the macroeconomic model we use – monetarism, as introduced as part of Rogernomics. I think Labour would do well to replace monetarism with something else, but that's a tough job to explain that in an election campaign.

        • Patricia Bremner 1.1.1.4
          31 December 2022 at 4:00 pm

          We hear this said in right wing circles "widening the rich and poor divide", but growth in benefits wages and a revaluation of the housing ponzi, plus people's taxes and spending make a lie of that.

          Rises in basic benefits and earning allowances, Social housing, increased building, the improvements in rentals, the systems in place to support tenants, all have begun to improve things.

          Those who want thousands of migrants to work for them need to supply sound accommodation and transport, instead of expecting the public purse to provide.

          The recovery from the Pandemic is patchy world wide, but NZ has the 2nd lowest deaths per million, and has kept most people in work and underpinned business so that could happen.

          Ashamed!! Get a life. Personally I think this Government has shown resilience courage and care.

          I am proud of them. I am also proud of New Zealanders. Those who wish to believe with "hindsight" they could have done better are fooling themselves, by rationalising after the event(s).

          So far National do not even have any Policy for our future, though they expect us to believe they could do "better." ( I think they mean better for the top 5%)

          To quote our great PM. “there is even more mahi to do”.

      • Michael Blaxall 1.1.2
        30 December 2022 at 4:08 pm

        So are you promoting Michael Wood as the next Labour leader ?

      • Anker 1.1.3
        1 January 2023 at 11:03 pm
        • Not so sure the voters agree with you Mickey if you look at the polls
    • Powerman 1.2
      31 December 2022 at 8:34 am

      MickeyBoyle, you got that right just as Labour have.

      [I fixed tiny error in e-mail address and removed URL from your comment. This is the third and last time – Incognito]

  2. Incognito 2
    30 December 2022 at 2:00 pm

    Fair Play legislation, I love it laugh

    [Haha oops will correct – MS]

  3. roblogic 3
    30 December 2022 at 3:20 pm

    Great summary of a weird year. Further the the UK Conservative Party's "Descent into Chaos" award, here's a funny and well written evisceration of the British media

    'I Will Make You Hurt': 2022 & the Media (bylinesupplement.com)

  4. Tiger Mountain 4
    30 December 2022 at 4:51 pm

    To paraphrase an old saying on humanity…“50% of New Zealanders are awful, and the other 50% are not that much better”…

    In the third decade of the 21st Century, only 5 million in a beautiful, productive, long narrow country, there remains a steaming pile of immediate issues. “We never flung any poop”–well good for you–minus the odd brick or two.

    But “poop” in the form of working class organisation does need to be flung if we are ever to rid NZ of Rogernomics, break the Aussie bank stranglehold and re-nationalise public infrastructure and services.

  5. roblogic 5
    30 December 2022 at 4:56 pm

    Another retrospective on 2022 from Australia. A similar review of NZ's biggest companies would be instructive.

    https://youtu.be/JXMKwzfZSIQ

  6. Mike the Lefty 6
    31 December 2022 at 8:00 am

    On the subject of Martin Bradbury's blog's use of the term "woke".

    After being a regular contributor on that blog for several years I gradually got sick and tired of his obsession with the term. It became a reason for anything that he didn't like. Woke this – woke that – everyone was woke, the whole political left was woke, etc….

    But he never could define what woke was, or what it really meant. I don't know either, it seems to be purely a collective subjective term for any quasi-political views that someone else doesn't like and doesn't understand but it actually can mean anything or nothing at all.

    I'm glad that it only rarely appears on this blog, instead of being in practically every sentence on The Daily Blog.

    Happy new year everyone.

    • DB Brown 6.1
      31 December 2022 at 9:10 am

      Woke used to have meaning, basically non-homophobic/non-sexist/non-racist. Those awake to the problems manifest from colonisation, institutionalisation, religion…

      Now it's a lazy pejorative of the right, alongside commie, antifa, tree hugger and various other sad wankery. A rally cry for delusional 'real men'.

      • Mike the Lefty 6.1.1
        31 December 2022 at 9:55 am

        That's a pretty good definition, thanks.

      • Shanreagh 6.1.2
        31 December 2022 at 10:21 am

        Yes thanks. After being told on here that I am both woke and non -woke by my least favourite poster and being thoroughly confused and hurt, your explanation about how it is now used as a rightist pejorative makes sense to me. It also makes it easier to comprehend the posts as being written by a rightist, they always pulled me up short as I thought the insults were from a leftie to me a leftie.

        • Anne 6.1.2.1
          31 December 2022 at 10:37 am

          Yes Shanreagh, I went through the same process. The fact we are both women is also relevant. Misogyny runs deep among the right-wing bloggerati (my word). However, once the unsuspecting target realises who they are… it becomes water off a duck's back.

          • Shanreagh 6.1.2.1.1
            31 December 2022 at 11:42 am

            Yes cheers Anne.

            And finding unannounced right-wingers on this blog can pull me up short as well. I respect the ones who have come on here, announced themselves and are issues based. The snipers from both/all sides from the back row not so much.

            The movement of woke from Ok to pejorative, and right wingery explains much.

            All the best for the New Year Anne. smiley

            • Anne 6.1.2.1.1.1
              31 December 2022 at 4:09 pm

              Same to you Shanreagh.

              Yes, there are some good commenters here who openly admit they are Centre Right. They are intelligent and they're comments usually well thought through. They come at a topic from a different standpoint which is often valid and useful.

              tsmithfield is a good example.

      • Marcus Morris 6.1.3
        31 December 2022 at 4:46 pm

        Couldn't have put it better.

        From an article in The Independent: The word "woke" originated in African American Vernacular English to refer to being "woken up" to" or alert to issues around racial injustice. ……Boris Johnson, with reference to a newly elected Joe Biden, said " nothing wrong with being woke" and that it was "important to stick up for your history, your traditions and your values, the things you believe in. From an article by Kate Ng – Friday 22 January 2021

        In support of DB Browns earlier post.

      • Paul Campbell 6.1.5
        2 January 2023 at 2:19 pm

        My take on "woke" is the same as "politically correct" it's a term that people on the left originally used to gently make fun of their compatriots who went a little too far, that was adopted and redefined by the right to mean something that they thought was far worse …..

    • Anne 6.2
      31 December 2022 at 7:01 pm

      Yes I remember you on TDB Mike the Lefty. You were one of the better quality commenters. I used to comment there up until a few years ago but the constant slagging of the government drove me away.

      I remember the occasion when Bradbury was thrown off the RNZ 'Panel' all those years ago. He was strident, rude and generally obnoxious in the way he presented his pov. He's never been invited back as far as I know and it was his own fault.

  7. Rosemary McDonald 7
    31 December 2022 at 12:09 pm

    They also win the cry baby award for thinking they could turn up and occupy Parliament’s grounds, make actual threats of violence against the PM, MPs, Journalists, shop workers and anyone walking past and then complain about the slightest activity by the police in trying to keep order. I am all for a good protest but really?

    You're how old MickySavage? Surely you remember this standout protest from Labour and the Lefties from back in 2012?

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/02/20/guest-blog-suzie-dawson-remembering-the-left/

    The one when the stalwarts dragged the guillotine through the streets of Auckland then with great merriment decapitated Key, English, Collins and Bennett. Resplendent with fake blood. A very well supported event with most of us hating the thought of flogging the family silver for short term gain. But guillotines and life sized photo cut-outs of the enemy being dispatched? Really?

    Oh, and the 'slightest activity' of the police? You might want to watch footage from the protest that wasn't shot by the Government's stenographers. Or not.

    Your Party might not acknowledge this fact Greg, but something broke that day.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vvcXEoeHTk

    • weka 7.1
      31 December 2022 at 1:01 pm

      there is a difference between political theatre (guillotines on protests etc), and making threats on MPs. This isn't 2012, it's post-Trump and the storming of the Capitol building where people were intent on killing and insurrection. I have no trouble believing that some on parliament grounds were at least extremely negligent in their rhetoric about executions and likely would have carried that out if they had the power.

      If you have evidence that the protestors in 2012 wanted and intended to execute MPs, then show it. Otherwise the comparison is spurious and lacking in any real political analysis.

      Oh, and the 'slightest activity' of the police? You might want to watch footage from the protest that wasn't shot by the Government's stenographers. Or not.

      You misunderstand. He's not referring to the police eventually taking strong action against the protestors. He's referring to the complaints about any action however mild.

      Your Party might not acknowledge this fact Greg, but something broke that day.

      I agree. The government handled it badly, and the protestors handled it badly. All round bad.

      Got anything to say about Counterspin's involvement? Until the VFF and associated movements are willing to front up and be honest about the issues being raised about the protest, then it's hard to respect them. It's also hard to understand why they don't. Is it denial, or do they not think those issues are a problem?

      • Rosemary McDonald 7.1.1
        31 December 2022 at 4:49 pm

        If you have evidence that the protestors in 2022 wanted and intended to execute MPs, then show it.

        And let us not forget…many of the people in Wellington had very real concerns about the safety of the Pfizer product that was(and still is is some sectors) being forced upon people who had already had adverse reactions to the shots. Some had family and friends who had died very close to having a shot. These people were protesting for their livelihoods and their lives. Asset sales…all a bit meh in comparison.

        And before you get all hand-wavey moderator about injuries from the Pfizer shot being talked about as perhaps a real thing… https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/not-anti-vaxxers-dr-kerryn-phelps-says-she-suffered-covid-vaccine-injury-calls-for-more-research-20221220-p5c7ry.html ….its just about mainstream now.

        (What do you think the odds are of a couple BOTH having severe adverse reactions to the Pfizer shot if such reactions are as rare as we have been told???)

        He's not referring to the police eventually taking strong action against the protestors.

        Perhaps 'spray and walk away' Greg could pop back in and let me know if he watched the non MSM footage I provided which clearly shows the police action on the 10th February 2022 was anything but 'slight'. Unfortunately he'd have to watch the entire footage to get the full context.

        And he won't do that.

        [The rest of this sub-thread has been moved to OM (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01-01-2023/#comment-1928796), as it was off-topic and derailing the Post – Incognito]

        • Incognito 7.1.1.1
          31 December 2022 at 9:18 pm

          You haven’t changed a bit and are still flinging poop here.

          Yes, more research is always good.

          Up to and including 30 November 2022, a total of 184 deaths were reported to CARM after the administration of the Comirnaty vaccine.

          https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/safety-report-46.asp#death

          So far, only 2 deaths have been “determined by the Coroner to be due to myocarditis following first dose Covid-19 (Pfizer) vaccination”.

          By chance, some people will experience new illnesses or die from a pre-existing condition shortly after vaccination, especially if they are elderly. Therefore, part of our review process includes comparing natural death rates to observed death rates following vaccination, to determine if there are any specific trends or patterns that might indicate a vaccine safety concern. See below for more information about these observed-versus-expected analyses.

          To date, the observed number of deaths reported after vaccination is actually less than the expected number of natural deaths. [my emphasis]

          The couple that you are referring to from your link had indeed adverse reactions. However, there’s nothing in the article about severity or rarity of those events. In other words, you made it up, again.

          As far as MickySavage is concerned, by my count he posted 192 Posts under his name this year and a few more under notices and features. Your twisted narrative is grossly inaccurate, as usual.

  8. Gary 8
    31 December 2022 at 12:16 pm

    Thank goodness for a post which acknowledges some good from this government. If you read The Herald or listen to Newstalk ZB, you'd think we were Armageddon.

  9. Marcus Morris 9
    31 December 2022 at 4:53 pm

    I think that the reserve bank made a mis-judgement when it made cheap money available to all. It should have been targeted towards struggling businesses and first home buyers. Instead avaricious property speculators took huge advantage of this windfall in their favour and hence the obscene rise in domestic property values.

    • Patricia Bremner 9.1
      31 December 2022 at 10:55 pm

      Property was used as an investment vehicle instead of shelter by a portion of the Public, and AirB&B has a great deal to answer for!! imo. A shortage always increases the price of a commodity.

  10. Peter 10
    1 January 2023 at 11:05 am

    I remember Gaurav Sharma. He was the guy who went on a little rave about the misuse of taxpayers money by MPs, an allegation checked and proven to be wrong.

    To celebrate, he resigned causing a by-election which apparently cost taxpayers up to a million dollars.

  11. Hunter Thompson II 11
    1 January 2023 at 3:43 pm

    MS, you forgot the "Bury a major constitutional change in a Bill and if we're caught out we'll say it was all a mistake" award.

    Or call it "The Climbdown of the Year" award for short.

    Several contenders for that one.

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    Descending Into The Dark: The ideological cadres currently controlling both Labour and the Greens are forcing “justice”, “participation” and “democracy” to make way for what is “appropriate” and “responsible”. But, where does that leave the people who, for most of their adult lives, have voted for left-wing parties, precisely to ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • The New “Emperor’s New Clothes”.
    “‘BUT HE HASN’T GOT ANYTHING ON,’ a little boy said ….. ‘But he hasn’t got anything on!’ the whole town cried out at last.”On this optimistic note, Hans Christian Andersen brings his cautionary tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” to an end.Andersen’s children’s story was written nearly two centuries ago, ...
    Bowalley Road
    2 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS: The vested interests shaping National Party policies
      Bryce Edwards writes – As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: A conundrum for those pushing racist dogma
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – The heavily promoted narrative, which has ramped up over the last six years, is that Maori somehow have special vulnerabilities which arise from outside forces they cannot control; that contemporary society fails to meet their needs. They are not receptive to messages and ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  The greater of two evils
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.   Chris Trotter writes – THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 30
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Labour presented a climate manifesto that aimed to claim the high ground on climate action vs National, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Litanies, articles of faith, and being a beneficiary
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past two weeks.Friday 29Play it, ElvisElection Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • The ‘Recession’ Has Been Called Off, But Some Households Are Still Struggling
    While the economy is not doing too badly in output terms, external circumstances are not favourable, and there is probably a sizeable group of households struggling because of rising interest rates.Last week’s announcement of a 0.9 percent increase in volume GDP for the June quarter had the commentariat backing down ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: The wrong direction
    This week the International Energy Association released its Net Zero Roadmap, intended to guide us towards a liveable climate. The report demanded huge increases in renewable generation, no new gas or oil, and massive cuts to methane emissions. It was positive about our current path, but recommended that countries with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • “Racism” becomes a buzz word on the campaign trail – but our media watchdogs stay muzzled when...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Oh, dear.  We have nothing to report from the Beehive. At least, we have nothing to report from the government’s official website. But the drones have not gone silent.  They are out on the election campaign trail, busy buzzing about this and that in the hope ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Play it, Elvis
    Election Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t have time for. You’re welcome, etc. Let us press on, etc. 1.  What did Christopher Luxon use to his advantage in ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Pure class warfare
    National unveiled its fiscal policy today, announcing all the usual things which business cares about and I don't. But it did finally tell us how National plans to pay for its handouts to landlords: by effectively cutting benefits: The biggest saving announced on Friday was $2b cut from the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to Sept 29
    Photo by Anna Ogiienko on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour, including:duelling fiscal plans from National and Labour;Labour cutting cycling spending while accusing National of being weak on climate;Research showing the need for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 29-September-2023
    Welcome to Friday and the last one for September. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted at the latest with the City Rail Link. On Tuesday, Matt covered the interesting items from Auckland Transport’s latest board meeting agendas. On Thursday, a guest post from Darren Davis ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago

  • Protest at Parliament: The Reunion.
    Brian’s god spoke to him. He, for of course the Lord in Tamaki’s mind was a male god, with a mighty rod, and probably some black leathers. He, told Brian - “you must put a stop to all this love, hope, and kindness”. And it did please the Brian.He said ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Labour cuts $50m from cycleway spending
    Labour is cutting spending on cycling infrastructure while still trying to claim the higher ground on climate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government released a climate manifesto this week to try to claim the high ground against National, despite having ignored the Climate Commission’s advice to toughen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • The Greater Of Two Evils.
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very rarely is an opposition party elected ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
    Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or  not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
    IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago

  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago

  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago

  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    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
    6 days ago

  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    6 days ago

  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 days ago

  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    Skeptical Science
    7 days ago

  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    7 days ago

  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand resumes peacekeeping force leadership
    New Zealand will again contribute to the leadership of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, with a senior New Zealand Defence Force officer returning as Interim Force Commander. Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have announced the deployment of New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago

  • New national direction provides clarity for development and the environment
    The Government has taken an important step in implementing the new resource management system, by issuing a draft National Planning Framework (NPF) document under the new legislation, Environment Minister David Parker said today. “The NPF consolidates existing national direction, bringing together around 20 existing instruments including policy statements, standards, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago

  • Government shows further commitment to pay equity for healthcare workers
    The Government welcomes the proposed pay equity settlement that will see significant pay increases for around 18,000 Te Whatu Ora Allied, Scientific, and Technical employees, if accepted said Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. The proposal reached between Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • 100 new public EV chargers to be added to national network
    The public EV charging network has received a significant boost with government co-funding announced today for over 100 EV chargers – with over 200 charging ports altogether – across New Zealand, and many planned to be up and running on key holiday routes by Christmas this year. Minister of Energy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
    Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
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