Tony Astle does not want progressive customers

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, May 24th, 2014 - 100 comments
Categories: david cunliffe, helen clark, john key, national, same old national - Tags:

Tony Astle

Tony Astle, National Party fundraiser extraordinaire and under this Government the recipient of an award as Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit is apparently a quite good chef and allegedly has good taste in food.  Unfortunately he has very bad taste in politicians, having publicly backed John Key and National to the hilt.  He has also made some rather weird public comments.  He is obviously not afraid of the prospect of putting off wealthy progressives from frequenting Antoine’s Restaurant.  But he should talk to a lawyer because he appears to be discriminating against people because of their political beliefs.

Rachel Glucina, social gossip columnist and official National Party propaganda spreader, said this recently:

The eccentric “godfather of New Zealand chefs” has banned Helen Clark – and jokes that David Cunliffe could be in his sights.

“I would have to consider banning Mr Cunliffe, should he ever become prime minister.”

Antoine’s, the favourite haunt of Prime Minister John Key, who is a frequent Sunday diner with his wife Bronagh, has entertained the great and the good for more than 40 years.

Astle is bringing out a book next year, and says he’ll dish the dirt on some of his more scurrilous patrons.

Len Brown, he says, was a frequent diner, coming as often as four times in one week before the SuperCity election. “But we don’t see him as much now.”

Astle is a staunch Tory supporter. The glittering 40th anniversary party he threw for Antoine’s last November billed Mr Key as a main attraction and many rich-lister Nat donors as guests.

Astle should talk to one of the many lawyers who frequent his restaurant.  Discrimination on the basis of political opinion is prohibited.   And banning Helen Clark and being willing to ban David Cunliffe is stupid at so many levels that it is hard to know where to start.

Astle no doubt thinks that his Remuera, Mission Bay, Epsom, St Heliers clientele will approve of his obnoxious privileged view.  This may be so but there are a group of well heeled liberals who will probably never set foot in his restaurant ever again.

For me I would prefer to frequent the likes of the Hardware Cafe or the Refreshment Room or La Rosa or the Stripe Cafe where wonderful food and exquisite company can be experienced at a price which is within the range of most of us.  Of course we need a society where this is within the range of all of us.

Astle and his kind would squirm at the suggestion that ordinary people could have a great meal and not subsidise his obnoxiously privileged lifestyle.  But he is a dinosaur whose world view where he occupies a position of privilege is clearly wrong.  There are multitudes of ordinary people whose contribution to our society is way more valuable than Astle’s contribution.  And they have the decency to respect human rights.

100 comments on “Tony Astle does not want progressive customers ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Grumpy 1
    24 May 2014 at 9:18 am

    Wanna phone and try to make a booking? Let us know how you get on………

    • fender 1.1
      24 May 2014 at 12:02 pm

      Yeah I suggest hundreds of reservations get made for customers that never turn up..

    • cinesimon 1.2
      24 May 2014 at 5:24 pm

      Because for grumpy, the only thing that matters is that rich people eat at an asshole’s restaurant.
      Because actually reading an article before he decides to make childish and bizarre comments is just TOOOO MUCH, MUUUMY!!!

    • Murray Olsen 1.3
      24 May 2014 at 9:29 pm

      I know what you mean, Grumpy. The telephone service can be atrocious:
      http://www.yelp.com.au/biz/antoines-auckland

      • North 1.3.1
        24 May 2014 at 9:53 pm

        Fukn Marie Antoine-ette Ponce ! Ramsay with a carrot up his arse.

      • Draco T Bastard 1.3.2
        24 May 2014 at 10:30 pm

        Hah, that’s an awesome review 😈 😆

      • Olwyn 1.3.3
        24 May 2014 at 10:50 pm

        Given such reviews it looks as if it would be more fun being banned from the place than going there – sort of like being banned from Fawlty Towers.

  2. the card 2
    24 May 2014 at 9:23 am

    If he’s had Len brown dining there it means he clearly accepts anyone at his restaurants, it would probably be advisable though to arm his waitresses with pepper spray if Brown comes back to visit.

    • cinesimon 2.1
      24 May 2014 at 4:57 pm

      Oh so you think he’s a rapist, or do you just think rape is a good laugh? You’re probably projecting your own issues with women onto others.
      Grow up, you hateful little child.

  3. Hamish 3
    24 May 2014 at 9:24 am

    His website is a pile of shite too.

    http://www.antoinesrestaurant.co.nz/index.php

    He should get that sorted before banning people.

  4. karol 4
    24 May 2014 at 9:25 am

    Ah yes, there’s some good restaurants and cafes around Titirangi. Also, I’ve been to a few around Henderson & New Lynn. Most are propably a little more down market than Titirangi, but I have been to one or two with a good vibe & some dood food.

  5. ianmac 5
    24 May 2014 at 10:19 am

    “This may be so but there are a group of well healed liberals….” Maybe healed from the hope that National had intended to help all people but instead ripped off the poor.

    Astle probably follows the belief of the sort of people who live in gated communities so that they can signal their imagined superiority over the ordinary folk. They need an inferior group to bolster their advantage.

    [Right you are. I blame autocorrect! – MS]

    • ianmac 5.1
      24 May 2014 at 2:50 pm

      Meant no offence. Just find accidental mistakes can often appeal to my sense of humour.

  6. Marty 6
    24 May 2014 at 10:39 am

    I know you and David got the dosh Greg, but I can’t even think of eating at places like that. No great loss, to be honest. Nothing wrong with a decent burger 🙂

  7. Grumpy 7
    24 May 2014 at 10:39 am

    Wow, how the left have evolved……..The Standard now becomes the vehicle for silver service restaurant critiques…………..meanwhile, the poor people wait………

    • Colonial Viper 7.1
      24 May 2014 at 11:55 am

      Seriously Grumpy, what do you care?

      • Grumpy 7.1.1
        24 May 2014 at 1:38 pm

        Perhaps it could become a feature, you know, from a left wing point of view naturally…….

        • Colonial Viper 7.1.1.1
          24 May 2014 at 1:45 pm

          Well there is an upper middle class liberal set who believe that buying a new Prius is their bit to help prevent global warming, and they always love new eateries to drive to and try out.

          • grumpy 7.1.1.1.1
            24 May 2014 at 3:02 pm

            I think you are describing Greens voters…………..

            • karol 7.1.1.1.1.1
              24 May 2014 at 3:17 pm

              You know this how?

              Doesn’t describe this Green voter, who walks, or uses public transport as much as possible.

              • mickysavage …
                24 May 2014 at 7:37 pm

                But describes in part this Labour voter who is middle class and owns a Prius …

                But I am trying to cut down on consumption!

            • cinesimon 7.1.1.1.1.2
              24 May 2014 at 5:21 pm

              You’ve got to be one of the most childish little trolls I’ve seen in quite some time, kiddo.

              • TightyRighty …
                25 May 2014 at 9:59 am

                i’ve watched you migrate from the daily blog. you never add anything but hate and bile to the conversation. Here is a list of people who you will call trolls at some point here who have deviated from your absolutely set and narrow line
                – CV
                – MACRO
                – Anne

                There will be others, but it will be these three you blindly lash out at first.

  8. captain hook 8
    24 May 2014 at 10:49 am

    with a bit of luck he might choke on a frogs leg or swallow a bad snail!

  9. tc 9
    24 May 2014 at 11:32 am

    Bet he has been encouraged along with others to play some distraction politics in GE year.

    Boosting his book sales is a bonus as some back scratching is indulged in to keep his clients happy.

  10. fender 10
    24 May 2014 at 11:34 am

    Living at the other end of the island I know nothing about this fuckwit and his discriminatory (emphasis on the tory) eatery, but it sounds like the kind of place a runaway bulldozer needs to make a target out of (after hours of course).

    It’s a rather foolish businessman who effectively alienates half the potential customers available to him I would have thought.

    • fender 10.1
      24 May 2014 at 11:48 am

      Maybe he’s having financial problems and is trying to attract an arsonist so he can collect insurance..

      • Populuxe1 10.1.1
        24 May 2014 at 2:05 pm

        Given that you are alluding to Indochine, I think you know exactly who he is

    • CnrJoe 10.2
      24 May 2014 at 12:25 pm

      for your interest Astles restaurant specialises in offal dishes

      • fender 10.2.1
        24 May 2014 at 12:32 pm

        Oh ok, that must explain his mad cow disease issues..

      • joe90 10.2.2
        24 May 2014 at 2:10 pm

        Am I alone in thinking it’s mightily offensive offal, once vital to the nutrition of working folk, has been appropriated by clueless nobs and is now priced out of reach of most.

        • Rosie 10.2.2.1
          25 May 2014 at 1:35 pm

          Yes, apparently offal is the new thing, it’s ALL the rage darling. I’ve read about it and am quite disgusted being a pescetarian an’ all. It’s called nose to tail dining and chefs are trying to emphasise the importance of not wasting the any part of the animal to be consumed.

          Fair enough point but you’ve got to wonder how many people eat these things because it’s the new fashion.

          Do you know that salmon and oysters were once the food of the rural and working classes?

          In Ireland and Scotland, their well loved fish, “The Salmon Of Knowledge” (who ate from the hazelnut tree, the Tree Of Knowledge when the nuts fell in the river, so the story goes) was abundant and was freely and widely eaten by all until the English started up with their colonisation and oppression of the countryside and Highlands. They fished the salmon out until numbers dwindled and barred access to the rivers so the traditional food of the indigenous people became the food of the elite on vast privately owned estates, once the habitat of the locals.

          The oyster was the common food of those living along the river Thames in London until they became so scarce that the elite took up eating oysters as a sign of their power – they were the only ones able to afford the scarce resource.

          So, whats next on the menu, Pam’s sliced white bread with one’s consommé?

    • Murray Olsen 10.3
      24 May 2014 at 9:46 pm

      I doubt if he’s alienating many potential customers at all. People eat at Antoine’s because it’s snobbishly Tory and they like to show each other their company expense accounts can afford it. Lefties, except perhaps for the Blairs and Goffs (hardly lefties, I know) don’t tend to be into such conspicuous consumption. It’s a restaurant for the Aaron Gilmores of this world. The food has apparently not changed noticeably since I went there somewhere round 1980, and it wasn’t really that flash then. The place was weird, all Upstairs Downstairs type of ambience. I should have gone to Al and Pete’s instead.

      • Colonial Viper 10.3.1
        24 May 2014 at 9:55 pm

        People eat at Antoine’s because it’s snobbishly Tory and they like to show each other their company expense accounts can afford it. Lefties, except perhaps for the Blairs and Goffs (hardly lefties, I know) don’t tend to be into such conspicuous consumption

        Len Brown said he used to go to Antoines all the time, and still does occasionally.

        • Murray Olsen 10.3.1.1
          24 May 2014 at 10:04 pm

          How is Len Brown different in his politics to Blair and/or Goff?
          Maybe it was conveniently close to the wharves so that, after discussing how to smash the union with the idiots at the port headquarters, he could drop in for a quick bite to eat.

  11. Colonial Viper 11
    24 May 2014 at 11:51 am

    Another arrogant we’re-too-good-for-your-kind Tory

  12. Macro 12
    24 May 2014 at 12:10 pm

    Went there once – about 40 years ago when living in Parnell – was ok but just as good dining to be had elsewhere – obviously the man is seriously up himself now.

    • Tracey 12.1
      24 May 2014 at 5:00 pm

      it appears people go there to see the other people who go there, or to be seen there.

      i went once 32 years ago with my family. never been back.

      • Macro 12.1.1
        24 May 2014 at 5:17 pm

        Yes that would be it – and be seen to be paying exorbitant prices for not very much – a sign of visible extravagance which is very important those who confuse goodness with money.

        • Colonial Viper 12.1.1.1
          24 May 2014 at 9:58 pm

          a sign of visible extravagance which is very important those who confuse goodness with money.

          It’s a more legal way of keeping the riff raff and the working classes out. In the old days you would just put out a sign saying “No Blacks or Chinese”.

    • Colonial Viper 12.2
      24 May 2014 at 5:15 pm

      So, a man who set himself up in business during the security of socialist NZ – then cheered on as it was dismantled and sent to the scrap heap. Another example of the 60+ generation who have screwed the youth of the nation.

    • North 12.3
      24 May 2014 at 10:01 pm

      It’s that Ramsay carrot Macro.

  13. Linz 13
    24 May 2014 at 1:10 pm

    Today’s fine dining is tomorrow’s shit, so basically Astle and his ilk are early-stage shit merchants.

  14. sabine 14
    24 May 2014 at 1:47 pm

    Ahhh, arrogance always comes before the fall.

    there is a loot of good food in Auckland, and well one chooses their company to have dinner, lunch and or breakfast with.
    Let him ban David Cunliffe, surely D.C will find another eatery just as fine and accomplished, and who knows ……makes culinary history in Auckland again.

    • Murray Olsen 14.1
      24 May 2014 at 10:13 pm

      I think it would be difficult to find a worse restaurant, particularly in terms of value for money and clientele. The time I flew first class on Emirates, the food was better. In fact, if you wanted to do a 70s nostalgia evening, you could hire a Fokker Friendship from somewhere and get Astle to do the catering. The funny little rooms and tiny tables make dining there a bit like eating on a plane.

  15. Simon Buckingham 15
    24 May 2014 at 1:49 pm

    You notice that he has no idea how to update a website:

    You’re invited! Please join us for a glittering evening of fine wine, delicious fare, dancing and non-stop entertainment at one of Auckland’s most spectacular new waterfront venues to celebrate

    Forty Fabulous Years!
    The 40th Anniversary of Antoine’s Restaurant

    Friday 8 November 2013, 7:00pm
    Shed 10, Queens Wharf, Auckland

    Please note the line:

    Friday 8 November 2013, 7:00pm

    What a complete hooray henry!

  16. Populuxe1 16
    24 May 2014 at 2:12 pm

    (1) quoting Porkchop Glaucoma, a barely literate gossip columnist, as a reliable source.
    (2) spinning that into a conspiracy despite the obvious fact that if all left wing pollies were banned, Len Brown wouldn’t be dining there.
    (3) reverse-snobbery restaurant spruiking.
    (4) it’s his restaurant and private property, and he may be a scumbag but he can ban anyone he wants so long as it isn’t discriminating against something protected by law.
    (5) You missed out all the funny stuff about Kim Dotcom.
    (6) FailOil has run this as a story too – Can’t we do a little bit better than that?
    Classy. Bored now.

    • grumpy 16.1
      24 May 2014 at 3:05 pm

      Wasn’t it Whaleoil that coined the name “Porkchop” for Glucina

    • felix 16.2
      24 May 2014 at 4:08 pm

      “(2) spinning that into a conspiracy despite …”

      Could you please indicate where someone has alleged a conspiracy?

      Thanks.

      • Populuxe1 16.2.1
        24 May 2014 at 4:52 pm

        Hmm, that would be summed up in the title:
        “Tony Astle Does Not Want Progressive Customers” – a fairly bold assertion of a state of affairs

        • felix 16.2.1.1
          24 May 2014 at 5:11 pm

          That’s nice dear, but the line you quoted neither says nor implies anything about a conspiracy of any sort.

          Care to try again?

          • Populuxe1 16.2.1.1.1
            24 May 2014 at 6:03 pm

            No, I think it’s best if I avoid one of those tedious threads you like to spin whereby you use semantic gymnastics and deliberate obtuseness to wear the other party down in a petty attempt to always get the last word. You can have the last word. I don’t care enough to begrudge you, though you have always struck me as being like one of those nasty old vulture ladies who during the French Revolution used to knit while they gleefully watched the beheadings.

            • TheContrarian 16.2.1.1.1.1
              24 May 2014 at 6:57 pm

              “those tedious threads you like to spin whereby you use semantic gymnastics and deliberate obtuseness to wear the other party down in a petty attempt to always get the last word.”

              Heh, Felix to a tee.

              • North …
                24 May 2014 at 10:05 pm

                Poor old Popsicle. The Tory pus-thinking leaking out – as usual. While always proclaiming he/she is left wing. Fantasist I reckon.

                • Populuxe1 …
                  24 May 2014 at 11:08 pm

                  Yes, of course, I don’t mindlessly agree with something so I must be a Tory. Maybe the political spectrum is just a little bit more complicated than that.

            • felix 16.2.1.1.1.2
              25 May 2014 at 2:18 am

              Semantics, Pop? Well yes, I suppose it is.

              What you wrote was only untrue in the sense that words have meanings.

              If we accept that you can use any old word to mean any old thing then yeah, sure. You’re totally right and I’m being totally petty.

              massive 🙄

  17. millsy 17
    24 May 2014 at 2:16 pm

    I wonder how he treats his workers…

    I imagine the 90-day trial period is strictly applied there.

  18. Tracey 18
    24 May 2014 at 4:39 pm

    thank goodness he only discriminates on the basis of political belief and doesnt own an autographed churchill, hitler or stalin book.

    • Populuxe1 18.1
      24 May 2014 at 4:53 pm

      I bet he doesn’t have “racist day” in the work place

      • Tracey 18.1.1
        24 May 2014 at 4:57 pm

        i cant imagine what you would base that bet on. would you be ok if it was jews he banned from his restaurant?

        • Populuxe1 18.1.1.1
          24 May 2014 at 6:07 pm

          If I said Ariel Sharon was an evil murderous bastard who deserves to rot in hell, and Bibi Netanyahu was a warmongering scumbag, would you stop trying to paint me as some kind of Zionist? It’s annoying, childish and doesn’t say much for your mental sophistication. Unless of course you’re some kind of anti-Semitic neonaz1

          • Tracey 18.1.1.1.1
            24 May 2014 at 7:30 pm

            was the question too hard for you, or did it just hit your double standard nerve.

            • Populuxe1 18.1.1.1.1.1
              24 May 2014 at 11:15 pm

              (1) I don’t imagine Jewish people often throw their religion into the conversation when booking tables, and (2) NZ law forbids that sort of discrimination, (3) I would not be ok with it, (4) nor would I be ok with it were they Muslims, (5) you are a dick.

              • Tracey …
                25 May 2014 at 2:27 pm

                i dont imagine anyone booking a table throws their politics into the conversation either.

                hitler put communists in camps and mccarthy hounded many to suicide. astle is basically hanging a sign on his door stating anyone with different political views to himself need not enter.

                you spent two days almost apoplectic over a man who bought autographed books from world war ii leaders who persecuted and killed many for religious and political reasons. you are strangely calm about a guy with discriminatory practices who raises alot of money for “his” party… calm except for the name calling.

  19. J.Caulfield 19
    24 May 2014 at 4:55 pm

    Tony Astle is not worth worrying about. Just to show my age, I went to Antloines when it first opened over 30 years’ ago and again 7 years’ ago. The food style is stuck in the seventies, rich and heavy. These days there are some fabulous restaurants in Auckland that far surpass Antoines. Ignore him – he’ll hate that!

    • Huginn 19.1
      24 May 2014 at 10:23 pm

      So true. So true.

      Antoine’s menu is dated – it’s like he’s missed the point of the great things that have been happening with NZ cuisine over the last twenty years – he probably has a very good understanding of his clientele.

      There are some great restaurants in Auckland at the moment – wonderful, intelligent, creative chefs making fantastic meals.To eat a meal with them is a happy, pleasurable occasion that affirms basic human relationships – maybe even with people you who don’t share your political views.

  20. greywarbler 20
    24 May 2014 at 6:21 pm

    I hope his colon coils round itself and chokes him.

  21. Big dog 21
    24 May 2014 at 6:57 pm

    The amazing thing is that he’s still alive!The name Tony Astle is one you would associate with Morris 1100’s,walk shorts and telethons.

  22. repateet 22
    24 May 2014 at 7:25 pm

    I see the on the menu in the small print, “gst exclusive.” Don’t you have to pay gst there?

    And I’m disappointed people are getting at Rachel Glucina. Surely as one of the Herald’s chief political reporters and National Party leaksperts she deserves respect?

    • karol 22.1
      24 May 2014 at 7:44 pm

      Doesn’t GST exclusive refer to the menu prices – and that means, GST will be added to what people are charged?

    • Anne 22.2
      24 May 2014 at 8:05 pm

      “gst exclusive”. Don’t you have to pay gst there?

      Nah… what he meant was that as a very exclusive restaurant, their gst is of the exclusive variety. Not the ordinary common garden gst. That’s for the plebs like us. :mrgreen:

      • Colonial Viper 22.2.1
        24 May 2014 at 10:03 pm

        It means that he expects patrons in his restaurant to be of a professional business variety who will write off their lunch and wines against their business accounts, thus getting the GST portion of the bill subsidised by the tax payer as well as a deducting the rest off their profits as a “business expense.”

      • greywarbler 22.2.2
        24 May 2014 at 10:25 pm

        Anne LOL

  23. infused 23
    24 May 2014 at 11:47 pm

    This particular post sums up the left so well.

    • Colonial Viper 23.1
      25 May 2014 at 12:07 am

      It’s fascinating isn’t it, history is replete with episodes where the wealthy and power elite push too far, take too much, denigrate too harshly.

      It never ends well for them or anyone else of course (people tend to lose their heads or end up swinging from lamp posts), but yet, they do not seem to learn one whit preferring to think of themselves as somehow different.

      • North 23.1.1
        25 May 2014 at 8:35 am

        Yes CV. They always know best. They own it all. In all things they and theirs personally reflect the zenith of human development. Hilarious that delusional snobbery should dominate lives so.

    • appleboy 23.2
      25 May 2014 at 10:40 am

      Your post sums up all that’s wrong with the right – Narrow minded, don’t give a shit about anyone else outside of your little “I’m all right” bubble. Poverty does not exist. People who are poor are just lazy. You on Planet key are doing just fine where billions in tax cuts get given to the wealthiest 5%. Assets owned by generations are sold off to a well off elite of kiwis who buy shares . Yeah that’s just great..for you and your ilk.

  24. appleboy 24
    25 May 2014 at 10:47 am

    Oh my god. Astle runs a restaurant where prices exclude GST and doesn’t take eft post. Funny how the well off can be so greedy. Over priced and so greedy he wants you to subsidise his business by YOU paying his bank fees. Staggeringly greedy.

  25. Cancerman 25
    25 May 2014 at 11:02 am

    I suggest a campaign of people organising on here and making reservations and then not turning up.

    • Anne 25.1
      25 May 2014 at 11:38 am

      I was going to make a similar suggestion, but the patrons would turn up and towards the end of the meal hold up signs with “Cunliffe for PM ” written on them. They would presumably be thrown out without having to pay for the meal.

  26. JanM 26
    25 May 2014 at 11:14 am

    By the look of that photo he could do with spending some of that restaurant profit on a decent hairdresser 🙂

    • fender 26.1
      25 May 2014 at 11:54 am

      +1 🙂

      And a shirt that fits his skinny (red) neck properly…

      And give the John Banks glasses back to John, he’ll need them find his cell…

  27. minarch 27
    25 May 2014 at 12:07 pm

    I can guarentee for the right “consideration” or celebrity all those tory ideals would dissolve into nothing….

    would he turn away lucy lawless if she arrived looking for dinner ?

  28. Tamati 28
    25 May 2014 at 12:51 pm

    Perhaps Phillip Mills should ban Gerry Brownlee and Paula Bennet from his gyms in retaliation?

  29. big bruv 29
    25 May 2014 at 6:30 pm

    What a great idea!

    Being able to dine without ones evening being ruined by low life lefties.

    • felix 29.1
      25 May 2014 at 7:07 pm

      This from the moran who thinks his civil rights are being violated every time he gets banned from someone else’s blog.

  30. Liam Hehir 30
    25 May 2014 at 6:51 pm

    Surely the word “jokes” is an important part of the sentence that has so upset the writer.

  31. Will@Welly 31
    26 May 2014 at 10:44 am

    Anyone who has ever seen Peter Greenaway’s “The Cook, the thief, his wife, and her lover” will remember the final twist.
    Perhaps that should be Tony’s final offering – sausage du Key! A meal fit for a real plonker, full of sinew!

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  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

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