Think big & embrace the rot

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, January 20th, 2013 - 43 comments
Categories: child welfare, Economy, exports, health - Tags: , ,

As reported this morning by Rob O’Neill on Stuff, the World Bank has recently issued a report saying NZ needs to focus more on being friendly to multinational corporations, and be less focused on supporting small NZ businesses:

Small businesses do not create jobs. They are less productive than big businesses. They are not the answer to New Zealand’s export challenge.

Instead of supporting small businesses, New Zealand should create an environment that is friendly to large multinational companies and fast-growing start-ups. We should cancel the myriad programmes currently in place to assist small businesses to become exporters because there is very little evidence they work.

The article also reports on the responses by various NZ “experts” such as Phil O’Reilly, chief executive of Business NZ, and John Banks, who generally agree with the World Bank argument, though quibbling on some aspects of it.  However, all their focus is on exports as the way to boost NZ’s economy, and none on the significant and long term costs to NZ’s economy and society.

Matt McCarten’s column today is critical of the impact of at least one big businesses in NZ.  He responds to comments by the “outgoing Coca-Coal boss, George Adams“, who he says, “lamented that we Kiwis didn’t have the same adulation for multinational corporations that they have for themselves.”

McCarten points out how much Kiwis have contributed to Coca Cola’s empire overseas:

New Zealanders front up over half a billion dollars each year for Adams’ employer and, in 2011, our patronage made his profits jump almost 50 per cent to a cool $66.6 million.

And, McCarten identifies some of the destruction that Coca Cola causes to the health of New Zealanders:

Let’s face it, Coca-Cola markets sugar syrup mixed with water to teenagers, rotting their teeth, giving them spotty skin and making them fat.

At the same time it brainwashes them through clever advertisements and branding campaigns using beautiful and cool peers with perfect smiles, unblemished skin and beach bodies to die for.

The message drilled into their naive subconscious is to be cool, popular and happy you have to drink this wonder drink.

Few pre-teens and teenagers can resist that siren call. It helps that once the sugar addiction kicks in, it can be as strong as tobacco dependency.

Every health professional knows the body doesn’t need sugar at all.

And this will impact on the costs to NZ’s health system and to the social costs related to it.  These are costs that don’t seem to be taken into account when estimating the economic benefits of big businesses.  Not all profit-making businesses are equal in their benefits to the countries in which they operate.  And many small businesses contribute to their communities in ways measured by export-focused analysis.

Also today on Stuff, as reported by Marika Hill, there’s a report on the widespread, preventable occurrence of tooth decay in children from all socio-economic backgrounds.  This is partly caused by the amount of sugar in their diets, especially that coming from sugary drinks.

A new government report on dental care has for the first time revealed the full extent of the problem: 34,000 children under 14 had teeth removed due to decay or infection in 2012….

Toddlers come in with teeth so rotten from sugar that they are no longer recognisable.

“Some of them have decayed right down to the gum level so it’s just roots. We can do a full clearance and take out all 20 teeth on a two-year-old.”

Poor dental hygiene is often to blame.

“Parents will give them biscuits and a drink in the middle of the night to keep them quiet. That’s the worst thing you can do.”…

Losing teeth at a young age can affect eating and speaking and cause poor self-esteem, Lingard said.

Dentures are not an option for children as their mouths grow too fast. Instead, children must wait for the second teeth to come through.

More focus should be on businesses that benefit Kiwis and New Zealand in diverse ways, than just on the short term financial benefits of businesses and exports.  Not all businesses are equal. Some are better for us than others.

43 comments on “Think big & embrace the rot ”

  1. ropata 1

    I hope that in future we will treat sugar laden food additives the same way we treat tobacco now. in the mean time, watch this: http://youtu.be/HInOg12jMiY?t=6s

  2. Wayne 2

    So Coca Cola ha become the new tobacco, which is frankly ridiculous. A can or two of Coke every week would have absolutely no adverse effects on health.

    The World Bank is right. As you know this whole area of growth and innovation was a central concern of mine a while back. The big gap we have is building companies that have more than than $100 million in sales, mostly export sales.

    For NZ that is seen as a big company. That is typically a firm employing 200 or so people and is often family owned (by the founders and close associates). There are around 20 of them in NZ, but we need 50.

    We put a huge amount of support to small start ups. At one level that is good, some of them will become credible export firms – but many won’t. Most (if they survive at all) top out at $5million revenue, good for the owners, but not transformative for NZ.

    The new Callaghan Institute should help, but more needs to be done, especially around venture capital.

    Gordon Campbell has a perceptive article on this in relation to Peter Jackson. While I obviously don’t agree with everything he says in it – for instance the employment law reforms were much more important than he accepts, but I understand that is a bit of thing for the Left (especially the Alliance/Green end) – he is broadly correct.

    This whole area is still the big opportunity for New Zealand. Other smart smaller countries (Denmark, Finland, Israel, Singapore, Queensland) have done this – we are the laggard.

    • lprent 2.1

      We put a huge amount of support to small start ups. At one level that is good, some of them will become credible export firms – but many won’t. Most (if they survive at all) top out at $5million revenue, good for the owners, but not transformative for NZ.

      There isn’t that much support for export companies in the initial start-up phase (and I have been around quite a few since the early 90’s). Once people actually started exporting a reasonable amount then there was more. Most of the really useful parts are in MFAT which is currently in a state of turmoil and being cut.

      As you say, most exporting companies will top out somewhere around $5 million in revenue. The problem is that they’re usually in a vertical niche market worldwide. They don’t have the capital to develop a whole new market area. There aren’t a lot of sources of capital that don’t want to effectively take over the control of the company. The choice usually winds up as being to sell out the company overseas to a larger company in the market area or to list in an overseas exchange where the capital is available.

      The NZX is of course pretty damn useless to get any useful capital.

    • Colonial Weka 2.2

      “So Coca Cola ha become the new tobacco, which is frankly ridiculous. A can or two of Coke every week would have absolutely no adverse effects on health.”

      And a cigarette or two every week is unlikely to cause any more harm than a coke. What’s your point?

      As far as I am aware neither tobacco companies nor soft drink companies are content with occasional sales of their products. They both engage in practices designed to get as many people as possible to consume as much of their product as possible, with a special emphasis on people vulnerable to both the product and the advertising strategies.

    • Murray Olsen 2.3

      I’m not sure what Israel or Queensland have done that’s smart enough for us to want to copy. Israel manages to support high tech companies because it’s bankrolled in a very extravagant manner by the US and A. Queensland depends on mining and government investment in anything except property “development” and horse racing has been stopped since Bjelke-Newman was elected. The public service has been ripped to shreds. Ironically, there is a similarity in that both Bjelke-Newman and Bibi Netanyahu are in bed with some very dodgy property developers. Both also have a very dismissive attitude to human rights and the rule of law.

      • Wayne 2.3.1

        Essentially the Labour Govt in Queensland from around 1995 to 2008 had a “smart state” concept which boosted spending on higher education and innovation. The University of Queensland now ranks in the top 50. In contrast Auckland has been falling in the rankings. Queensland has annual revenue of $1.2 billion and Auckland is $800 million. Queensland attracts more research money and more top level academics.

        Queensland had a plan to attract a lot of international firms in pharmaceuticals, aerospace and IT (and this was done by a Labour govt). It is one of the reasons why Brisbane has grown faster than Auckland. Twenty years ago NZ and Queensland had the same living standards, now Queensland is 30% higher, and it is not just about tourism and mining.

        That is why I say the World Bank is correct. We no longer have any research centres of global pharma firms or IT firms. If we did they would generate start ups in the same sector.

        Otherwise we are just a market for the global firms, not generator of IP for them. All those other countries I named are, and have done better than we have.

        After all many dairy farmers still buy Danish dairy equipment, because Denmark consciously built a complete dairy ecosystem from cow to plate. I wonder if the Danes buy our dairy equipment? I know many people on the site do not like Fran O’Sullivan, but her article in the NZH on baby formula shows why we need to do better.

        • Colonial Viper 2.3.1.1

          Unions. Queensland has better and stronger unions and labour conditions than NZ.

          • Murray Olsen 2.3.1.1.1

            The Queensland unions haven’t been very strong in fighting Bjelke-Newman’s job losses.
            The Smart State program is dead under Bjelke-Newman.
            A lot of the success of the University of Queensland came from poaching academics from other universities. These poachees are paid at rock star rates while everyone else is neglected. UQ had the highest paid VC in Australia and the lowest paid staff, except for the rock stars.
            In Wayne’s World, success is defined a little differently than on mine.

            • xtasy 2.3.1.1.1.1

              Unions are being undermined worldwide, it happens all over “developed” countries, also in Europe. It is a sad fact, that proves again, a scientific finding decades ago, that 80 per cent of humans are COWARDS, complicit persons, rather choosing to buckle, go along with any pressured rule, and not take a stand.

              That is reality dear friends, the majority of people are COWARDS!

              That is also why NZ will NEVER see a revolution, and Key and his gang know this, same as wanker Shearer.

              People are vermon, like rats, and gentically the closest DNA humans have is that to rats, and rats are used for research for medicine and so forth, to test medication and so for humans.

              So when you have human cowardice, vermon and shit like that populate the globe, there will NEVER be progress the few idealists on this forum desire and dream of.

              It will NEVER happen, as long as the human majority is pressed, black mailed, estorted and held to ransom for income, jobs and livelihoods, that the capitalists offer them. Slavery and servitude are here to stay, because most are cowardly slaves and idiots.

              I am sorry to upset you, but this is the total and blunt truth about human kind. Forget humanity too, I just experience again this weekend, how someone was prepared to kill me, for no sensible reason at all. Humans are vermin!

              • Saccharomyces

                Actually, our closest genetic relative is the Bonobo Chimpanzee.

              • Draco T Bastard

                There are none so chained as those that think that they are free.

                And that is the true victory of capitalism as the majority of people actually think that they are free when they aren’t. They’re slaves to the capitalists without realising it.

    • Richard Down South 2.4

      “So Coca Cola ha become the new tobacco, which is frankly ridiculous. A can or two of Coke every week would have absolutely no adverse effects on health.”

      The amount of sugar normally in your body, is about 5g…. a can of coke has 39g of sugar. ever ponder why we have so many cases of diabetes in NZ?

      This makes for an interesting read http://www.kare11.com/news/article/1004378/391/Brain-image-study-Fructose-may-spur-overeating

  3. muzza 3

    Woops, the myth of the export lead recovery makes another appearance, this time from the World Bank. I believe there was some articles recently showing that while Oz has been exporting more than ever in its history (past decade +), their current account had blown out further – One country’s exports , in another county’s imports, you simply can’t have even export driven recoveries amongst trading partners, under the current systems!

    http://www.interest.co.nz/news/62640/big-aussie-trade-deficit-record-eu-jobless-markets-nervous-ahead-us-earnings-season-nz-da

    New Zealand Current Account
    http://www.tradingeconomics.com/new-zealand/current-account

    (extend Date Selection to 1965 from drop-down box)

    New Zealand Exports
    http://www.tradingeconomics.com/new-zealand/exports

    (extend Date Selection to 1951 from drop-down box)

    As is plain to see, the more we export, the GREATER our current account deficit gets.

    ________________________________________________________________________

    Was it not only a week or so ago, we had a report aimed at NZ by the IMF!

    Who’s picking up how these entities work – Show of hands..

    Perhaps its all just random publishing, of randomly *produced/written* reports!

    • Poission 3.1

      NZ has not had a current ac surplus since 1972,due to the repatriation of multinational investment.and excessive borrowing for non productive assets.

      Of the additional 51 billion of external os debt we have racked up since the GFC (2007) 80% is into additional household debt,and farmland purchase,.

      As these so called think tanks such as the IMFand WB bring very little to the table in as much as innovative thinking or solutions to the persistence of the GFC NZ should look at providing its own solutions.

  4. AmaKiwi 4

    + 1 to Poission

    We create innovative companies so foreigners can buy them up. The profits go overseas and we spiral deeper into financial slavery.

    “The power to tax is the power to destroy.” We can create tax structures which severely discourage the takeover of NZ companies by overseas powers. Until we do so, we will continue to be bled dry.

  5. Bill 5

    Small businesses do not create jobs. They are less productive than big businesses.

    How do they figure that? Putting the strange and stupid quasi- religious fixation on exports aside for a moment…a supermarket might employ a few hundred people. And take the place of how many potentially local and convenient gift shops, specialist stores, general grocery stores, green grocers, off- licenses, florists, butchers, bakers etc?

    According to the following quote from a UK study, quite a lot.

    In their Ghost Town Britain reports (2003), the New Economics Foundation (NEF) revealed that between 1995 and 2000 we lost roughly one fifth of our local shops and services including post-offices, banks, butchers and grocers. Furthermore, over the five yeats to 2002, around 50 specialist stores closed every week.

    And from the same report

    In 1960, small independent retailers had a 60% share of the food retail market. By 2000, their share was reduced to 6% while the multiples share increased to 88%

    Meanwhile the ” British Retail Planning Forum (1998), embarrassingly financed by the supermarkets themselves, discovered that every time a large supermarket opens, on average, 276 jobs are lost.”

    And on the questionable production side of things, I wonder if they had a blind spot for… ” Off Our Trolleys’ (see Further Reading) shows that a typical out-of-town superstore causes £25,000-worth of congestion, pollution and associated damage to the local community every week.”

    http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=2599

    • karol 5.1

      And with the closure of small stores, we lose a lot of the personalised service they provide. The staff there most likely come from within the local community, and can chat with customers.

      Now the post shops banks etc, within the malls and shopping centres, as well as adding to travel pollution, cost customers in time standing in long queues.

      • Colonial Viper 5.1.1

        Small businesses do not create jobs. They are less productive than big businesses.

        This is standard bankster bullshit.

        Large companies DESTROY local jobs and replace them with miimum wage. Ask any small retail owner what happens when the large malls and corporate retail move in.

  6. Whom does the World Bank generate its money from?

    My perspective: The World Bank Report, funded by Multi-National Corporations, recommends that New Zealand support Multi-National Corporations (for a variety of specious reasons).

    Um…Is that a “report” …or a threat?

    In short I consider this “report” a load of rot.

    Monopolies are unhealthy for the proper functioning of the current system we have, so isn’t it about time that Multi-National Corporations were seen for the monopolies that they are? Stamp their monopolistic behaviour out and let us get on with it, I say.

    Additionally I agree with Bill @5’s comments.

    • fatty 6.1

      Um…Is that a “report” …or a threat?

      A report from the World Bank is always a threat

      • blue leopard 6.1.1

        …Well perhaps they should be labelled “a terrorist” and treated accordingly then…
        (heh)

        …I mean, don’t they know that making complaints to Governments is becoming illegal…?

        …Oh sorry, I forgot, that is only when common citizens make complaints and criticisms….not large organizations; they can say what they want, and it doesn’t even have to make any real sense(in the normal sense of the term “sense”)…..clearly; this “report” is illustrative of that.

  7. GeoffC 7

    500million spent by the consumer etc on coca cola products…what a waste of money.
    Perhaps time we calc amount of wasteful spending each year and in a social sense what that total collectively we could have done.
    Together we stand divided we are slaves.

    • xtasy 7.2

      GeoffC

      One must be a bit discerning though, you will perhaps not know, that even Coca Cola Amatil have diversified substantially. You will buy carbonated water, still water, juices and a range of other beverages here in NZ, which are now made by Coca Cola.

      It is a fact, that they do not just produce the black and brown coloured carbonated drinks now.

      Yet the control of a large sector of the market is the worry, and this is where corporates tend to strive for dominance.

  8. infused 8

    What small business support? I haven’t seen it.

    God damm I feel like a coke now. Seriously, tastes so good in warm weather 😀

    • karol 8.1

      What small business support?

      Ask John Banks, he’s the minister of small businesses. According to Banks, as reported in the O’Neill article my post links to:

      Banks said NZTE is focused on where it can have the greatest impact.

      “The agency works one-to-one with a core group of around 500 companies, including SMEs. As well as this core group, NZTE also engages less intensively with another group of about 1500 exporting businesses.

      “The focus of Government assistance is on providing the basic skills, information and advice that will give SMEs the best chance of harnessing their capabilities [in doing so increasing productivity] so that they are competitive once they start exporting.”

      It sounds like he’s reading from a pamphlet promoting his ministry – maybe like one of his pamphlets promoting Charter Schools? I wonder if he can actually explain the practical assistance to SME’s in his own words?

      • xtasy 8.1.1

        Small minds equal small business, or wannabe business. That is John Banks, the lone, memory lost, fighter for SMEs

    • xtasy 8.2

      Have your coke and choke, thanks best wishes.

    • Draco T Bastard 8.3

      Seriously, tastes so good in warm weather

      Only if you’ve become accustomed to it. I haven’t so it still tastes like crap to me.

  9. RedLogix 9

    As usual John Michael Greer nails it.

    As the costs of empire rise, the profits of empire dwindle, the national economy circles the drain, the burden of deferred maintenance on the nation’s infrastructure grows, and the impact of the limits to growth on industrial civilization worldwide becomes ever harder to evade, they face the unenviable choice between massive trouble now and even more massive trouble later; being human, they repeatedly choose the latter, and console themselves with the empty hope that something might turn up.

    http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.co.nz/2013/01/the-road-down-from-empire.html

    Along with Chris Trotter, these two are about the only people I can be bothered reading with the very limited time I have available these days.

    • karol 9.1

      Meanwhile, the maintainers of, and profiters from, empires like the US, and the UK (some people there still haven’t accepted they no longer have an empire), try to continually extend it’s reach through their multinational companies. Often these companies, as Greer says, peddle stuff we don’t really need.

      • Colonial Viper 9.1.1

        Often these companies, as Greer says, peddle stuff we don’t really need.

        Or could do for ourselves.

      • Draco T Bastard 9.1.2

        and the UK (some people there still haven’t accepted they no longer have an empire),

        It’s probably more that they have realised/accepted that the British Empire was passed on to the US after WW1. The empire still exists and the UK still belongs to it but it’s as courtier to the US rather than the leading role it used to have.

  10. Macro 10

    Wow there are 5, that’s FIVE!, jobs being advertised by Coca Cola! These big multinationals really generate the jobs don’t they.

    http://www.cokecareers.co.nz/search

    • @ Macro

      …the job creation cited probably includes the healthcare workers required to deal with the consequences of their products and all the pill-makers being employed to keep people happy despite job conditions and wages degenerating. And lets not forget all the WINZ staff to process all the unemployment monopolies-I-mean-Multinationals create….

  11. KJT 11

    Can’t anyone see the logical fallacy of the idea that every country is going to get onto a trade surplus and export their way to prosperity.prosperity.
    Not going to happen. Especially for the ones with the least market power.

    • Draco T Bastard 11.1

      And that is the second biggest delusion of the entire market economy theory. The simple fact is that every country is perfectly capable of producing everything that it needs thoroughly undermines the possibility of exporting to prosperity.

      The biggest delusion is the idea that resources are unlimited and that we can export as much as we like without ever running out.

  12. So in other words, be a bigger corporate slut; even though it didn’t work in the 1980s-1990s?

  13. xtasy 13

    I know very few countries, that are like NZ, that are so “hospitable” and welcoming to international corporations!!!

    This stuff.co article belongs in the stuffed dust bin, for real.

    There are all the large US based retail fast food and “coffee” chains here, dominating the take-away business. There are numerous other retail and manufacturing companies, here, e.g. Coca Cola, who produce products for the local and even overseas markets.

    We have had a suburb of Wellington welcome a large tobacco corporation, to establish a production facility there to produce cigarettes, largely for export to Australia, using cheaper labour, while NZ governments are pretending to fight smoking.

    Most NZ banks are owned by Australian corporates.

    We have corporations invest in water supplies, electricity supplies, healthcare, transport and the works, and here we have some jerk complaining to stuff.co about NZ being not inviting enough of such self-serving “investors”.

    Get a bloody reality check, please.

    That is such a load of damned garbage, what else does the NZ crap media come up with next???

  14. Foreign Waka 14

    Considering that these companies pay neither tax here nor there, it should read “Think big and embrace the rort”

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    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    17 hours ago
  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    18 hours ago
  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    18 hours ago
  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    18 hours ago
  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    18 hours ago
  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    18 hours ago
  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    19 hours ago
  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    22 hours ago
  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    22 hours ago
  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    22 hours ago
  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    23 hours ago
  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    24 hours ago
  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    1 day ago
  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    1 day ago
  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    3 days ago
  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    3 days ago
  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    3 days ago
  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    3 days ago
  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    4 days ago
  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
    5 days ago
  • Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts

    Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...

    5 days ago
  • Or is that just they want us to think?
    Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...
    6 days ago
  • Arguing over a moot point.
    I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    Turning Point: What has turned me away from the mainstream news media is the very strong message that its been sending out for the last few years.” “And what message might that be?” “That the people who own it, the people who run it, and the people who provide its content, really don’t ...
    6 days ago
  • Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
    No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    6 days ago
  • Sad tales from the left
    Michael Bassett writes –  Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • In Whose Best Interests?
    On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...
    6 days ago
  • Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
    It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    52 mins ago
  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.  “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
    The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
    State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research.   “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government redress for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua
    The Government is continuing the bipartisan effort to restore its relationship with iwi as the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill passed its first reading in Parliament today, says Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith. “Historical grievances of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua relate to 19th century warfare, land purchased or taken ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Focus on outstanding minerals permit applications
    New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals is working to resolve almost 150 outstanding minerals permit applications by the end of the financial year, enabling valuable mining activity and signalling to the sector that New Zealand is open for business, Resources Minister Shane Jones says.  “While there are no set timeframes for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Applications open for NZ-Ireland Research Call
    The New Zealand and Irish governments have today announced that applications for the 2024 New Zealand-Ireland Joint Research Call on Agriculture and Climate Change are now open. This is the third research call in the three-year Joint Research Initiative pilot launched in 2022 by the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ireland’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Tenancy rules changes to improve rental market
    The coalition Government has today announced changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to encourage landlords back to the rental property market, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The previous Government waged a war on landlords. Many landlords told us this caused them to exit the rental market altogether. It caused worse ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Boosting NZ’s trade and agricultural relationship with China
    Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay will visit China next week, to strengthen relationships, support Kiwi exporters and promote New Zealand businesses on the world stage. “China is one of New Zealand’s most significant trade and economic relationships and remains an important destination for New Zealand’s products, accounting for nearly 22 per cent of our good and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Freshwater farm plan systems to be improved
    The coalition Government intends to improve freshwater farm plans so that they are more cost-effective and practical for farmers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay have announced. “A fit-for-purpose freshwater farm plan system will enable farmers and growers to find the right solutions for their farm ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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