Todd’s going … who is next?

Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, June 24th, 2021 - 67 comments
Categories: Judith Collins, leadership, national, same old national, todd muller - Tags:

Yesterday I put up a short post about a National MP who apparently had spent Parliamentary Services money on a Television that may have been placed in his or her home and there was some weird comment about how he or she had done something with a sofa.

It was clearly an inside job.  The only questions were who was it and who leaked it and what did this say about National’s internal civil war?

The day got worse for National.  In the afternoon there was the announcement that the MP involved was Harete Hipango, she who had recently replaced Nick Smith after he jumped after being told by Crusher Collins that there was a Parliamentary Service inquiry into his behaviour (hint alert the irony is extraordinary).

The story about Nick has never appeared.  Questions have been raised, was this a sabotage job by Judith?

Then Hipango readied herself to take over.  But it transpires that she had a few Parliamentary Services issues of her own that she had to deal with.  Because it was confirmed that the MP who allegedly misused Parliamentary Services resources was none other than Harete herself.

A week ago there was this hit job of a Newsroom piece on the prospect of her return.

From Jo Moir at Newsroom:

A liability and not a team player.

That’s how some in the National Party caucus have described returning MP Harete Hipango, who is next in line after the resignation of Nick Smith.

Known for her strong opposition to abortion law reform and euthanasia legislation, Hipango was only in Parliament for three years, but in that time raised the eyebrows of her colleagues with some of her more controversial takes.

One National MP told Newsroom she “sailed her own waka’’ and seemed to think the party should be honoured she had agreed to join, rather than being grateful for the opportunity to be in Parliament.

Several National MPs said she wasn’t particularly well-liked in the caucus and didn’t have a lot of friends.

Hipango alluded to this in a recent interview for RNZ’s Matangireia, saying it was very lonely during her time as an MP and Māori woman in the National Party caucus.

She went on to say, “the Māori voice in the National Party is still yet to be truly valued’’ and there was a serious diversity problem.

After the astounding announcement that National’s newest MP had Parliamentary Services spending issues Todd Muller announced that he will stand down as an MP at the end of this term nominally so that he can eventually spend more time with his family.

But then the real reason leaked out, he had been told that he had to go.  He was not allowed the dignity of drifting out of the public consciousness but was further collateral damage from National’s civil war.

From Claire Trevett at the Herald:

National MP Todd Muller’s resignation announcement followed a late-night caucus meeting in which Muller admitted he was one of several unnamed MPs criticising returning MP Harete Hipango in a media article.

Muller has confirmed to the Herald that he admitted at that caucus meeting to making a comment that was quoted in the media.

“I did not leak. I made a comment to a journalist that was subsequently quoted. Yesterday I admitted to that and apologised for this.”

He would not comment further on whether that was a factor in his resignation, or whether National leader Judith Collins had demanded he resign.

Collins is understood to be furious about Muller’s admission.

One source said Muller was threatened with a move to suspend him from caucus if he did not announce his resignation.

The next morning Muller announced he would resign at the next election, saying it was a “difficult decision” but he had “decided that I need to prioritise my health and family and move on to the next chapter of my life.”

The tit for tat feeling of what was happening is extraordinary.  Every action is met by a crudely balanced nuclear option of a response.  Talk about giving back double.  Maybe Muller was the one who said that Hipango “sailed her own waka” but this appears to be accurate rather than disloyal.

It seems that the most vulnerable in each faction are going to be picked off as all eyes are on the leadership spill numbers.  And the moves do not bode well for National’s climate change response as Muller was the sane one who brought National behind the Zero Carbon legislation.

From a left perspective this is great fun.

I really hope Judith succeeds and hangs on.  The liberal wing of the National Party, the most important wing, is clearly being decimated because of Judith’s leadership goals.  National is becoming more conservative and more irrelevant.

The question has to be asked.

Which MP is next?

67 comments on “Todd’s going … who is next? ”

  1. Jimmy 1

    Yes I thought (and it is only my opinion) that Judith basically told Muller to go. To be honest, he should have left when Nicki Kaye left. Only thing I'm surprised about is that he will stay until the next election.

  2. Gosman 2

    This allows more space for ACT to soak up liberal right wing voters.

    • Robert Guyton 2.1

      Like a dry bread-crust dropped into a bowl of sour milk? 🙂

    • Incognito 2.2

      Yeah, nah, you’re dreaming, mate. You’ll have to watch out for the old horse coming through the middle.

      • Forget now 2.2.1

        We did hear that old horse whinny just the other week. I reckon he will be timing his run for the 2024 finish line. rather than breaking cover too much right now. Though he is pretty long in the tooth, and rumours about health may affect that nag's stamina.

        National biting the bullet and readmitting Peters to the party as leader outside of parliament would be an interesting scenario. Might even win them election if Labour's gambles don't pay off. Not going to happen though.

        I am more worried that the Christian Right may instead fill the vacuum; it'll be nearly two decades since Capill was convicted of raping children next election, so that stigma won't be as burdensome. However, the CR's inability to work together may remain the best defense against that.

      • Gosman 2.2.2

        Winnie does not appeal to liberal voters. He's strictly old school conservative.

    • Sanctuary 2.3

      ACTs collection of gun nuts and lobbyists are not attractive to "liberals" unless your definition of a liberal is an aging boomer in Remmers who thinks that being liberal is having the rules apply to everyone else.

      • Ad 2.3.1

        Utes mate, follow the utes.

        At the big Auckland Contractors ball last weekend, Seymour and Collins were on hand to work the room. In a business sector employing over 10% of the working population and spending billions a year, not a single Labour or Green MP bothered to show up.

        • woodart 2.3.1.1

          "in a business sector running flat out due to gov action, orders for new utes are well up." there fixed it for you.

          • Ad 2.3.1.1.1

            Ardern un-fixed it by telling those ute-users to go electric.

            • Patricia Bremner 2.3.1.1.1.1

              Ministers having to stay in Wellington?
              Seymour and Collins don't hold the levers., and they are not in the driver's seat.

            • Graeme 2.3.1.1.1.2

              Must be an insular mob of knuckle draggers in the contracting world up there, around here they're talking Cybertruck and hybrid LandRovers to replace the Ram or F150.

              Although the EV uptake here is pretty high, a lot of Teslas driving around know a V8 boy who went Tesla quite early and is on his third now, keeps trading up to the quickest. There's also a Ram in his fleet for work, I'm pretty sure that'll be gone once his Cybertruck arrives.

              I'm a bit more hopeful of change, and probably quite quickly.

              • Ad

                We're all talking about it. No fleet replacement is free.

                And the way those DueenstownLakes tradies charge, it's a wonder they don't specify their Ford E150s in solid gold.

                • woodart

                  you are full of it ad. full of what is another question. double cab utes didnt exist 30 yrs ago. it was all holden and falcon utes. contractors and farmers might make loud whingeing noises about their vehicles, but as was shown in the seventies with l.p.g. and c.n.g. powered vehicles, they are very quick to change technology when pushed. electric vehicles will be no different.

        • Anne 2.3.1.2

          Maybe they weren't invited.

          Ardern might have been but too late… her diary was fully booked.

          • Ad 2.3.1.2.1

            OMG. Like there wasn't an MP in the entire caucus available as a client rep for multiple billions of expenditure. Yeah right.

      • Gosman 2.3.2

        ACT appeals to liberals in multiple areas. Free speech, less restrictive social rules, more choice around health and education, less economic regulation and central control. All bread and butter liberal ideas.

        • lprent 2.3.2.1

          Auckland super-shitty, 90 day rule, three strikes that just expensively raise prison numbers with not significiant changes in convictions once you take demographics into account, and some really awful 'dancing'.

          Plus of course the the support for idiots who love selling weapons to terrorists.

          Whats not appealing.

          Coded dog whistles trying to say that it doesn’t matter in the face of evidence that it does (like prison populations) tend to go down badly outside of rtacist bigots. Plus we have only have examples of ACT fucking things up stupidly.

          It is hard to see anything useful that they have proposed over decades. That includes their almost continuous calls over the last year and a bit to open borders widely in a world wide pandemic that has years to go yet, punctuated by calls to close them for a couple of weeks.

          ACT – the home for incompetent thinkers with signs of early onset chicken little syndrome.

          • gsays 2.3.2.1.1

            There is also the euthanasia enthusiasts.

            That wide net scoops a few votes.

      • Maurice 2.3.3

        Think of these in the Rural sector who are so seriously pissed off that they urinate in the Soy Beans before shipping them off to make Soy Milk and Toffu for the city slickers they now dislike intensely …

        Enjoy that Soy Latte'

  3. WC1 3

    The cynical might say that Todd is hanging around until he gets 9 years in Parliament and the benefits that come with that. I imagine that will never have to front up to a WINZ questioning about entitlement!

    • alwyn 3.1

      When will you ever learn?

      The "perks" you are alluding to were abolished in 1992. The last MP to qualify for them was Nick Smith who did 31 years in Parliament. In return I gather he gets a pension of about $86,000/year and some relatively minor travel concessions. They probably come to about as much as an average MP runs up in about 3 months.

      There are no current MPs who are eligible for the old scheme and there never will be another one. Let it go.

      • In Vino 3.1.1

        Fair comment. It is a pity that alwyn has to keep on repeating this.

        • alwyn 3.1.1.1

          Do you think I should give up and just leave this sort of rubbish to just go on being repeated forever?

          I find the canard that banks can just seize depositors funds to make up for their losses and then go on with business as usual equally as frustrating. Luckily it doesn't seem to be brought up nearly as often in recent times.

  4. tc 4

    Long may the cult of personality continue up top….you reap what you sow.

  5. peter 5

    Hipango finds it very lonely sitting in the National caucus.

    Is she putting that down to being a Maori woman?

    It seems there are other reasons for her feeling as she does.

    One remarkable thing is that given what is known about her and her past performance, she was the next cab off the rank. They have so few MPs yet she is ranked that highly?

  6. Ad 6

    No need to worry about the collapse of the National Party from within, because according to Chris Trotter the massive majority of Labour is but mere puffery that will soon melt away:

    http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2021/06/skating-on-thin-ice-labours-support-is.html

    "Not that you can tell Labour’s apparatchiks any of this. Their ears are blocked to any suggestion that the Government has advanced dangerously far ahead of public opinion. Nor can they be convinced that they have made themselves vulnerable to the sort of brutal, right-wing political attacks that Labour’s and the Greens’ radical policies on race, gender, culture and climate change are bound to attract."

    Covid19 hasn't just been a gift to Labour: it's been a gift to politics itself to revive the necessity of government in all its forms. That Labour and the Greens are making use of this rolling crisis as cover for all sorts of other massive interventions is simply smart politics. National would certainly done the same.

    It's great to see the right fracturing. We're well overdue for renewal.

    • mickysavage 6.1

      Trotter has this strange view of politics where everyone occupies a certain segment and winning only involves putting enough segments together. He never allows for the possibility that groups of people change and evolve their thinking. My personal view is that Covid has made many of us realise the importance of community and there has been a fundamental change in the way many people think.

      • Ad 6.1.1

        Well exactly. Covid is the perfect admixture of community response and state response. But only if it's done well, and the alternatives to that are all around us and getting closer.

      • Gosman 6.1.2

        Me thinks you might be guilty of wishful thinking…

      • Chris 6.1.3

        "My personal view is that Covid has made many of us realise the importance of community and there has been a fundamental change in the way many people think."

        I hope you’re right, but I think it’s way too early to know how widespread the impact of this might be. We've had one election only, and the highly divisive Collins as nats leader. Hateful attitudes are still extremely prominent amongst the general population. Willy Jackson acknowledged this when he said releasing the He Pua Pua report to NZ First before the election could have been disastrous for the government. He's right because whipping up racial hatred – all sorts of hatred – amongst the general population is still an easy thing to do. Just look at the opposition to Covid restrictions the nats are hell-bent on generating (while at the same time castigating government for every minor Covid security slip up, of course).

        All it could take is a change of leader and the nats are back in the saddle. Sure, general attitudes have changed since Covid. But whether this is meaningful and widespread cultural change, only time will tell. Any perceived demise in the National Party could easily be due to its current leader. Let's hope it isn't, but it's certainly too early to know.

        • In Vino 6.1.3.1

          Fully agree. Hard to tell which was more influential in that last election: a new communal sense, or an off-putting performance by the Nats.

          • KJT 6.1.3.1.1

            The sense I get from the Chamber of Commerce types I associate with, is they are conservatives. And conservatives like to feel safe.

            National's flip flopping about borders made them feel anything but safe.

            Also for most of them business is booming. People are doing up their boats and houses, buying new kitchens, spending in local shops, etc. Instead of the overseas trips. Farm contractors are doing very well as the imported labour force dries up.

            Tourist industries and tourism shops are feeling the pinch, but the local cafes are full. Some tourist only shops have closed but a lot of the tourist attractions have done a lot better than they expected, with New Zealanders seeing the country.

      • Patricia Bremner 6.1.4

        We realised we need each other in ways not anticipated. We grew impatient with those who did not think of the collective. We appreciated feeling we were "in this together". so many middle Nats moved their thinking. Self preservation really.

        Those who push against this new solidarity find they are frowned on. That may change as we feel less threatened by the virus and get high vaccination numbers.

        The number of threats grow as climate change rolls on, and off shoots such as fungal infections disease and disruption increase. Community has replaced individual, as that "individual" stance is now a luxury and most realise BAU is unlikely to fully return.

        Trotter sees the world through a right left lens and finds tribal alteration strange.
        Just a thought Toddy leaked, how often? who were the journalists?

      • Cricklewood 6.1.5

        I suspect a big chunk of support is actually a very content home owning middle class after all many have gained on paper 100-200k in the last year…

        Trotter is right in that the current situation could very quickly change ie a wobble in house prices…

        That and issues around delivery are starting to stack up… housing, housing affordability, mental health, light rail and I'll bet the harbour crossing joins that list.

      • Sanctuary 6.1.6

        Trotter's problem is old age.

      • Sanctuary 6.1.7

        There is a quote from Apsley Cherry-Garrard in his book “The Worst Journey in the World: Antarctica, 1910-1913”

        "…The mind of a horse is a very limited concern, relying almost entirely upon memory. He rivals our politicians in that he has little real intellect. Consequently, when the pony was faced with conditions different from those to which he was accustomed, he showed little adaptability…"

        Whenever I read a Chris Trotter column these days, I am reminded of Cherry-Gerrards pony.

    • "Not that you can tell Labour’s apparatchiks any of this. Their ears are blocked to any suggestion that the Government has advanced dangerously far ahead of public opinion. Nor can they be convinced that they have made themselves vulnerable to the sort of brutal, right-wing political attacks that Labour’s and the Greens’ radical policies on race, gender, culture and climate change are bound to attract."

      I tend to agree. Two points as examples

      Cycle Bridge vs paying nurses

      Unhealthy obsession with EV vs the unaffordability of that technology for the poor people of South Auckland (of which I am one). You want me to have a hybrid – give me one

      • Incognito 6.2.1

        You want me to have a hybrid – give me one

        This is a profound misunderstanding of the policy.

    • McFlock 6.3

      One can lead, follow, or get out of the way. Trotter seems to be sad that Labour are leading.

      Thing is, no matter what Labour do they're not going to maintain this lead in parliament. All glory is fleeting. And if you can't move boldy when you have one of the most populat governments in decades, a House majority, and an opposition in chaos, when can you move boldly?

      At least when Labour's electoral twilight approaches, they'll have accomplished something more significant than lab5 managed. They haven't changed the game yet, but at least they're looking at the rulebook with an eraser and a pencil.

      • Anne 6.3.1

        And what's more, Helen Clark and Michael Cullen are right behind them every step of the way. They were able to set the scene under difficult circumstances. The 6th Labour Govt. is slowly able to bring it to fruition.

        Sad that Michael Cullen is most probably not going to see the results.

  7. Which MP is next?

    I'll go out on a limb here and suggest that Brownlee will be the next to jump ship.

    Losing Ilam was a blow below the belt for him and he won't be able to conjure up the enthusiasm to fight for the seat in '23.

    • woodart 7.1

      the brilliant unforgetable M.P. for rangitikei (whatis his name?) must have qualified for his pension . after brownlee ,he will probably jump. he is not important enough to be pushed.

      • solkta 7.1.1

        That MP has only been an MP since 2011, not long enough to qualify for the old super scheme.

        edit: the scheme changed in 2003 so wasn’t there early enough rather than long enough.

        • alwyn 7.1.1.1

          He wasn't there in 1992 you mean. That was when it was scrubbed for all new MPs.

        • Rapunzel 7.1.1.2

          Muller has only been in Parliament since 2014 – Ryall was still there in 2011 – Muller was at Fonterra & made no more impact in that role that he did in Parliament other than shredding the leadership

          • solkta 7.1.1.2.1

            Woodart was referring to the MP for Rangitikei, Ian McKelvie.

            • woodart 7.1.1.2.1.1

              thanks for the name solkta. he is such a dynamic performer I should remember(yeah right!). as for super schemes, he was a mayor before being parachuted into a safe nat seat, so can assume he managed to slide his council super into parliamentary scheme. not that he would need it after inheriting large parts of manawatu-rangatikei .

            • Rapunzel 7.1.1.2.1.2

              Oh my mistake – because I'm local to BOP I probably think locally

    • ianmac 7.2

      No. Brownlee will not jump now! This is his big chance to move into the spaces opening up. With so few viable National MPs left, this is his big chance.

      Big Jerry for National Leadership!

      • woodart 7.2.1

        and maureen pugh as his deputy! the south will rise again! an over the hill teacher and someone phucking useless(s.bridges).

    • Robert Guyton 7.3

      I'd hate to see Gerry going out on a limb…

  8. Jenny How to get there 8

    Love the photo.

    Looks like they are falling off the world.

  9. gsays 9

    Muller seemed too decent a person to be involved with that back-stabbing, fornicating, self serving, unfit to rule rabble.

  10. mary_a 10

    A queue seems to be forming for retiring/resigning Natty MPS, for love or health reasons. They must be so seriously smitten it's affected their health!

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    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:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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