Tough, swift leadership needed to police social media

Written By: - Date published: 1:45 am, April 10th, 2019 - 73 comments
Categories: australian politics, Dirty Politics, International, jacinda ardern, Media, Politics - Tags: , , , , ,

The government has been rightly lauded for swiftly acting to ban assault weapons after the Christchurch massacre, but is its failure to decisively call social media giants to order is as weak and unacceptable as was the failure to respond decisively to the Aramoana massacre back in 1990?

There were massive calls after Aramoana to sort out the madness of selling assault weapons but despite report after report recommending a ban, our politicians unacceptably succumbed to the gun lobby.

That frightful decision cost 51 people their lives and changed our social fabric.

Both Australia and the UK, each led by conservative, socially backward governments, are forging ahead with strict new laws regulating social media companies that will hold companies and, importantly, their executives, to account for such things as the livestreaming of killings.

Our government is procrastinating just as the National government did after Aramoana.

We have had some great leadership on this issue by Privacy Commissioner, John Edwards, who has, described those in charge of the major social platforms as ‘morally bankrupt pathological liars‘ who cannot be trusted.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has won much kudos for her overall leadership in the aftermath of Christchurch, has failed to lead in this instance.

She has called for the international community to work together.

“What we’re looking to is whether or not there’s a global appetite for us to move collectively,” she said. “But at this stage I’m in the process of seeing what other countries have done and what might be possible.”

Ardern acknowledged Aotearoa had a responsibility around social media restrictions after Christchurch. She said live streaming had been used in a way it had not been used before, but actually it was only the scale of the atrocity that was new. Gruesome beheadings by ISIS and the like showed us some time ago how the application could be abused.

The UK is proposed to establish an independent watchdog that would create a “code of practice” to regulate technology giants, such as Facebook, Google and Twitter. Regulator will have the power to fine companies for breaking rules and the ability to fine executives and block websites.

Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pushed ahead with plans to introduce jail terms and massive fines for social media providers that don’t act on removing violent material quickly enough.

Under Australia’s proposed laws, offences would be punishable by three years’ jail for executives of social media companies, or fines that could reach up to 10% of the platform’s global annual turnover.

Ardern is sceptical similar legislation will help and believes global action would be more effective. She said European laws that required companies to remove illegal content with 24 hours, or face fines of up to €50 million (NZ$84 million) would not have addressed the live streaming problem of Christchurch.

This response is similar to our passive response to the same global giants (and many others) avoiding paying their fair share of tax by using tax havens. While New Zealand has chosen to wait forever for the OECD to propose concerted action, countries like the UK are protecting themselves through unilateral action.

Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg refuses to make changes to livestreaming because Facebook would lose a revenue stream. In would interfere with the “interactivity” of live streaming, he said. Such argument has as little validity as those of gun enthusiasts who claim there an inalienable right to carry what weapons they like.

As well as been criticised for not doing enough to police hate speech in Myanmar, Facebook’s platform has been at the centre of claims it was used by Russia to meddle in elections, included the 2016 US election that astonishingly bought the moronic Donald Trump to power.

The Privacy Commissioner says Facebook’s attempts to self-regulation fall far short. “That is not good enough,” according to Edwards said. Governments needed to “force the platforms to find a solution” to the problem of livestreaming which have seen slayings as suicides and rapes streamed.

Unless companies could demonstrate the safety of their services, they simply shouldn’t be allowed to use them, he said.

Australia’s new law, rammed through this month, makes it a crime for social media platforms not to quickly remove “abhorrent violent material“.

The crime would be punishable by three years in prison and a fine of $A10.5 million, or 10% of the platform’s annual turnover, whichever is larger.

The Digital Industry Group Inc — an association representing the digital industry in Australia including Facebook, Google and Twitter — said taking down abhorrent content was a “highly complex.”

Funny how Google, Facebook and the like can solve complex algorithms when they want to but find it too difficult when they don’t want to.

Ardern for once is out of step with most kiwis on this issue. An overwhelming majority of New Zealanders would back a crackdown on social media companies, according to a UMR Research poll of 1000 adults, commissioned by ActionStation Aotearoa.

Some 86% agreed that “the government should require social media companies like Facebook and Twitter to take more responsibility to prevent distribution of harmful content on their platforms.”

Action Station spokesman Leroy Beckett said it hopes to pivot attention from the regulation of guns to regulation of social platforms.

“We are hoping this showing of public support gives the government the confidence to move forward with new rules for social media companies that protect people online,” he said.

Such regulation of the internet will never be straightforward. Singapore’s draft legislation introduced this month plans to restrict false and misleading information, which would clearly have Trump where he belongs before lunch, but might be problematic in the socially restrictive island state. India is also planning broad new powers that could well curtail free speech, while the EU is debating a new terrorism content measure that some have warned is overly broad and will harm free expression.

Zuckerberg believes governments and not companies should be the definers of what is acceptable and in light of their failure to self regulate, he is certainly correct.

New regulations are needed so that we have a standardised approach across platforms and private companies aren’t making so many important decisions alone,” the company said in a statement.

The problem is that the internet is such a fast-changing behemoth that it is virtually impossible for any government to keep track of content. The British approach that calls for the creation of a mandatory “duty of care” standard “to make companies take responsibility for the safety of their users and to tackle harm caused by content or activity on their service,” seems sensible.

The likes of Facebook and Google have, with dire consequences, failed to self-regulate so society, through our governments should put the risk back onto them. Make them construct the checks and balances before they allow an application such as livestreaming that can be so abused as we had in Christchurch.

Voluntary actions from industry to tackle online harms have not been applied consistently or gone far enough,” said Jeremy Wright, Britain’s Digital Secretary, said. “Technology can be an incredible force for good and we want the sector to be part of the solution in protecting their users. However, those that fail to do this will face tough action.”

The previous government has rightly been criticised for not wanting to lead on climate change but how this government responds to Christchurch may well be defining for this government. It’s not the time to be a follower, it’s time to lead.

(Simon Louisson reported for The Wall Street Journal, AP Dow Jones Newswires, New Zealand Press Association and Reuters and has been a political and media adviser to the Green Party.)

73 comments on “Tough, swift leadership needed to police social media ”

  1. Ad 1

    I wrote about the need to break up the internet giants in March last year.
    It’s seemingly impossible on a global-protocol wide scale.

    https://thestandard.org.nz/break-up-social-media-itself/

    But Australia has had a crack at it. It will be amazing if Australia and others take big steps to regulate social media – in part because of the massacre that occurred in New Zealand – but we don’t.

    It’s a far more pressing global and local issue of regulation than most of the bills on the current books.

    Ardern needs to press on with the goodwill that she has gained and turn it into more than gun laws.

  2. WeTheBleeple 2

    Absolutely.

    Ever notice how ‘free speech’ advocates have nothing new to say. We’ve heard it, read it, wore the t-shirt and now we’re paying for it.

    Gave them an inch. Times up.

    Facebook is holding on to all the initial streamers and distributors details. This is the terrorists fan club and network. This is the exact information security agencies should have been handed immediately. But Facebook protects terrorists to protect their bottom line.

    The more controversy, the more they profit.

    The US is morally bankrupt, their companies and political establishments are fetid cesspools of lobbying and backhanders. Facebook breeds terrorism and hate every second of every day. The US military does the same. They protect the worst people on the globe. They fancy themselves as untouchable under the wings of a tribbling tyrant.

    The currency of disinformation, fear and terror. Backed by US for US interests.

    May they all wind up in jail for a very long time.

  3. Dennis Frank 3

    If the design problem is rapid identification of on-screen violence, why not provide a crowd-sourced solution? It would be easy to implement a system that takes a source off-line as soon as a hundred people hit a delete button within a five-minute time-frame, say.

    That mass ringing of the alarm signal could be designed to automatically notify Facebook’s review panel, who could then take a look and put it back online if it was a hoax. Facebook users could be instructed that their account will auto-delete itself if they participate in such a hoax.

    • …why not provide a crowd-sourced solution?

      Because of the nature of the relevant crowd. Facebook reported that Anonymous Loser’s live stream was seen directly by several hundred people before it was killed, many of whom were his online associates. That crowd is not going to report his live stream to Facebook. Same with Islamist torture/beheading/other murders videos – the target market for the live stream isn’t likely to complain about it.

      • Dennis Frank 3.1.1

        Yes, but. Look at the time it took for others to go online reporting the livestream. I saw it happen onsite here real fast. So I expect the solution I’m proposing to operate on that basis. I bet it would get the violence off-line faster than any Facebook executive decision!!

        As for robot enforcement by Facebook: that requires an algorithm sufficiently well-designed to detect violence. Good luck with your reliance on that! Facebook is reluctant to say it’s impossible, for obvious reasons, and reluctance to say it’s doable, for obvious reasons. I predict this hiatus will persist quite a while…

        • Psycho Milt 3.1.1.1

          Facebook took the video down after an hour, based on whatever its existing monitoring processes are. By that time it had been seen by a few hundred fellow racists who were highly unlikely to report it. How would crowd-sourcing improve on that performance?

          • joe90 3.1.1.1.1

            The crowd knew the damn thing wouldn’t last long so they downloaded it quick-smart and shared a shit load of links to storage sites.

    • hoom 3.2

      It would be easy to implement a system that takes a source off-line as soon as a hundred people hit a delete button within a five-minute time-frame, say.

      This is incredibly stupid.
      You immediately create an internet where the only views you see are those of the groups with the biggest, best resourced armies of people going round putting 100 votes against anything and everything anti-their viewpoint.
      And those won’t be Left-liberal, Green, anti-war type view-points, those will be first to go.
      Already we have FB and other major media using Atlantic Council & other neo-cons to decide what is ‘fake news’.

      This whole blaming the service provider stuff is dangerous bullshit.
      Takedowns should be properly regulated, politically neutral, reasons publically notified & appealable.

      Its one thing if a provider is refusing to put behind an access barrier or takedown clearly bad content but if as said below the CHCH stream was taken down by FB within an hour then I’d call that pretty impressively quick action.

      • Dennis Frank 3.2.1

        You obviously failed to read what I wrote. Abuse of the system results in loss of account, by design. Abusers eliminate themselves!

        • hoom 3.2.1.1

          And the well resourced will have the ability to create loads more.

          This happens already: not just Russia has spam/troll/influence accounts, at least NATO, US, UK, Israel, Saudi & probably most countries have them as well as loads of Corporates & ‘NGO’s/thinktanks.

          You don’t seriously think those guys are all using their real personal accounts do you?

          • Dennis Frank 3.2.1.1.1

            Now you’re talking about cyberwarfare by state orgs, not alt-right rabble. Different ball-game. But it does suggest that Facebook etc may have to eliminate the possibility of fake accounts by allowing only real verifiable people to participate in their system. Could be the writing is on the wall for anyone hiding behind an alias…

            • hoom 3.2.1.1.1.1

              And compulsary webcam pics when you post!
              Compulsary name-tags when we walk around in public…

            • WeTheBleeple 3.2.1.1.1.2

              The issue is allowing these companies everyone’s authentic information.

              Facebook’s business model is customer betrayal aka selling customer data. Verified data would be their Holy Grail.

      • reason 3.2.2

        I agree with a lot you say hoom ….. ” Already we have FB and other major media using Atlantic Council & other neo-cons to decide what is ‘fake news’.”

        I’d also like to add that hard Censorship did take place after Christchurch …… a video sharing site ‘, Bitchute’ was blocked by internet providers in NZ for about a week.

        I have anti war and peacful videos there … and I had to use the TOR browser to bypass the blocking / censorship.

        neither facebook or youtube were blocked ….. Bitchute would be youtubes biggest competitor / threat. …. and it’s been attacked by the big dogs before….. by paypal etc blacklisting them

  4. SPC 4

    Are we expecting too much of our political leaders?

    Our legislation will not change the global environment – physical or online.

    And neither the UK nor Oz is trying to end live streaming by blocking sites that allow this. They will only sanction those that do not remove objectionable material.

    We can join attempts to establish an accountability regime, just as we can do on taxation, but we cannot be world leading from our small market.

    • WeTheBleeple 4.1

      “but we cannot be world leading from our small market.”

      All it takes is a good example to lead.

  5. fustercluck 5

    “Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg refuses to make changes to livestreaming because Facebook would lose a revenue stream.”

    I am all for moves to prevent the live broadcast of atrocities, but misinformation makes real policy more difficult to implement.

    Livestreaming is not itself a revenue stream for Facebook. It is a feature but it does not create revenue on its own.

  6. Both Australia and the UK, each led by conservative, socially backward governments, are forging ahead with strict new laws regulating social media companies…

    Our government is procrastinating…

    That’s because our government isn’t conservative or socially backward, and recognises that “Something must be done! This is something, therefore it must be done!” isn’t a good basis for creating legislation.

    • higherstandard 6.1

      ‘That’s because our government isn’t conservative or socially backward, and recognises that “Something must be done! This is something, therefore it must be done!” isn’t a good basis for creating legislation.’

      😆 if only that were true.

  7. dv 7

    When FB was first introduced the time/motto was Do no harm.
    Than was dropped quietly latter.

    • mpledger 7.1

      Google was the one with that motto.

      FB was an ethical nightmare right from the get go.

      • SpaceMonkey 7.1.2

        It’s now an essential tool to help the spies in keeping track of people.

  8. marty mars 8

    “Funny how Google, Facebook and the like can solve complex algorithms when they want to but find it too difficult when they don’t want to.”

    Yes they must be forced to comply or pull the apps.

    No real difference from using ‘commons’ to make personal profit. Those companies make obscene profits from our collective consciousness, our ‘commons’ with minimal morals from those companies. Who suffers? – not them.

    • patricia bremner 8.1

      1000+ martymars

    • If only there were some way to avoid having a Facebook account! Some simple step one could take to avoid being made to contribute to the obscene profits, and to escape the alleged suffering! Oh, if only…

      • higherstandard 8.2.1

        What ? Delete my facebook account and stop twittering my instagrams, that’s crazy talk.

      • marty mars 8.2.2

        Yeah all or nothing ideas are so helpful.

        • SPC 8.2.2.1

          Comply or pull the apps – in our case they would pull the apps from being available here. Which is why we are dependent on global co-operation, governments with larger national markets have the leverage we do not.

        • Psycho Milt 8.2.2.2

          All or nothing ideas like “comply or pull the app,” for example?

          • marty mars 8.2.2.2.1

            Pretty basic really. They comply or disable the feature – easy. The argument ‘just turn it off’ is silly. Really all this stuff is pretty easy.

            Sorry you might be confused between ap and feature – my bad.

        • gsays 8.2.2.3

          hi marty, by your comment, i take it as: FB must pull its socks up so we can keep using the service without feeling bad.

          this is an all our nothing issue.

          if, en masse, kiwis deleted their accounts, that may make FB change.

          it’s kinda like supermarkets:
          we are aware of how poorly they pay and treat their staff,
          their contracts with small suppliers can be very restrictive and harsh,
          one chain must move the beef to auckland to be processed then moved again to the outlets,
          they use road freight predominantly over rail….
          but we cant stop going there to buy stuff. directly condoning their behaviour.

          as a parallel, i have boycotted monsanto for two reasons: their desire to control the foodchain and the lies told about round-up, (the active ingredient crosses the placenta barrier and has been found in breast milk).
          this comes at a cost- blackberry goes crazy here, the goat and i can only do so much.

          this is not personal.
          i am dismayed that an organised response to FB’s obscene inaction didn’t emerge let alone a spontaneous boycott from individuals.

          unfortunately FB is us.

          • marty mars 8.2.2.3.1

            Yep I’m on the edge of leaving the book – bloody handy though. Prob should ditch my child slave labour phone too.

          • joe90 8.2.2.3.2

            unfortunately FB is us.

            Must be.

            Folk seem to have no qualms about handing over their personal data to the corporate owners of social media but the state can’t be trusted with their personal data.

            • maggieinnz 8.2.2.3.2.1

              We do it all the time Joe. It’s not just social media companies. Almost every app on your phone, our computers and their programs, the sites we visit all collect data. Even the stores we shop at IRL collect data every time we make purchases. IMO, none of them are trustworthy but it’s become almost impossible to avoid.

          • maggieinnz 8.2.2.3.3

            The Roundup debate perfectly illustrates the problems associated with trying to limit free speech on the basis of truthfulness. Whilst it may be true that glyphosate passes the placental barrier and is found in breast milk it in no way means that it presents a threat to health. And I’m not saying it doesn’t, simply that we have a tendency to jump to conclusions that aren’t proven which is why the topic of policing hate speech is so complex.
            https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5705608/

            • gsays 8.2.2.3.3.1

              Hi Maggie, I have enjoyed reading yr posts of late even though I am not necessarily in agreement with them, please keep it up.

              The problem with so many contentious issues, and one of my reservations at worshipping at the altar of science, is knowing who is paying for the results.
              After reading the article you linked to (slight headache and I feel tired), I realise that some folk argue from the heart and some from the head, therefore often arguing past each other.

              In the round up example, it was denied for years that either of those things was possible (breast milk, placenta).
              In fact the faith in the science of the product, lead folks to believe it was inert 15mins after application and that you could drink it without harm!

              As to the hate speech issue, ideally there is none but I would rather there was too much than too little.
              In the same way i would rather a person guilty of a crime remained free rather than an innocent person be incarcerated.

              • maggieinnz

                Thank you gsays. I totally hear you on the research issue which is why I linked that study. I am in two minds about most things and the few things I am 100% about I am highly suspect of because if I’m that keen to be 100% then I’m probably emotionally invested in the outcome.

                When it comes to research I am well aware of its weakness. I’d love to see research be government funded and all results made public knowledge regardless of the results. I think it’s wrong that companies can fund self-serving research then hide unhelpful or even damning results.
                I’m also wary of how results are manipulated into meaning something they don’t. I’ve seen a great deal of this from practitioners of woofuckery who use things like a picture of a nail rusting in a glass of coke saying “You’ll never want to drink coke again after seeing it dissolve a nail” or decrying synthetic insecticides for being toxic whilst ignoring the fact that one of the most toxic insecticides is organic.

                I actually think the ‘glyphosate is dangerous’ argument is more likely than it being harmless but to date there hasn’t been a lot of reliable studies done on humans in real world terms to determine the extent of harm, if any, so I’ll stay unsure on that one.

                I agree with you on the free speech issue. I really don’t like censorship and I also I think completely unfettered freedom of speech is dangerous. It’s a very complex issue and I’m glad I’m not in government having to decide how to deal with it right now.

                • gsays

                  Being a from the heart type, I don’t drink coke because I heard a story about the company going to India, opening a factory, providing some jobs, digging a well and denying lots of subsistence farmers their livelihood because there was no more water.

                  Could be urban myth but that was all I needed.

                  • maggieinnz

                    I think that’s an entirely rational response gsays. The heart shows the way and the head builds the road.

          • WeTheBleeple 8.2.2.3.4

            Been observing round up closely on proximate properties. Roundup causes erosion. Clear as day in every site with a slope. Plants die then the roots are collapsed the soil sinks in on itself losing structure. The soil is unprotected and when rain arrives it washes away creating miniature gullies which are the start of larger gullies…

            One neighbor is going to lose a brand new footpath due to spraying the edges. The water is undercutting the path only a year after installation, and a few sprays of roundup to keep it looking tidy.

            Buyer beware.

            • Psycho Milt 8.2.2.3.4.1

              That’s a consequence of removing vegetation, not of using glyohosate to do it. A hippie who removed the plants by hand or used organic pesticides to do it would achieve precisely the same effect. You can see the same thing on every steep hillside in NZ that’s had its trees removed because dumbasses thought it might make marginal pasture.

              • WeTheBleeple

                Not true.

                Don’t know why you need a hippie in your example. I’m a scientist. Have watched closely as Glyphosate sites become dead then eroded zones.

                I have decades experience in various ag capacities.

                Remove trees and grasses remain. Trim edges and cover remains. Use glyphosate and soil structure collapses (soil sinks in on itself) BEFORE the rain begins to remove the dirt.

                You don’t even have to till to lose your topsoil with glyphosate. Just buy more ferts to make up for it (and you’ll need more ‘cides too).

                Remove trees above 15 degree slope anywhere is indeed a dumbass move.

                Glyphosate any slope is a dumbass move.

            • gsays 8.2.2.3.4.2

              Ironically it is through soil health and structure that reinforced my cynicism around glyphosate.

      • maggieinnz 8.2.3

        That really doesn’t solve anything Milt.
        “and to escape the alleged suffering! Oh, if only…”
        ^^ That’s the equivalent of saying if we don’t like drunk driving we should just stay off the roads.

        • Psycho Milt 8.2.3.1

          Demonstrating causality of harm to others from drunk driving is somewhat easier than demonstrating causality of harm to others from not punishing Facebook for taking an hour to remove a terror-attack livestream.

          • maggieinnz 8.2.3.1.1

            That’s a false comparison. To be a valid argument you’d have to compare the failure to punish drunk driving with the failure to punish unfettered hate speech – which doesn’t address the fact that you suggest avoidance as a solution. Avoidance of social media doesn’t safeguard people from becoming victims of hate crimes.

            • Psycho Milt 8.2.3.1.1.1

              Perhaps I wasn’t explicit enough.

              Your comments assume a causal relationship between social media and hate crimes. There’s no obvious basis for that assumption, let alone proof of it. Therefore drunk driving is a false analogy, because the causal relationship between drunk driving and harm to others is very clear.

              • maggieinnz

                haha well played, Milt. That’s a stunning logical response. I’m well impressed.

                Whilst I agree that the drunk driving analogy doesn’t fit for a causal argument between antagonist and harm it does fit as a rebuttal to your suggestion of avoidance. Regardless of the merits of my logical reasoning the point still stands.

                There’s plenty of correlative data that links social media and behaviour trends and I’m not suggesting social media causes hate crimes or hate speech but it does facilitate it’s distribution and it does influence social attitudes. In this way, avoiding social media will not protect a person from suffering the potential harm of hate crimes by others influenced by social media.

                https://promarket.org/social-media-associated-real-world-violence-study-us-presidents-tweets/
                https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/09/facebook-violence-germany/569608/

                And this article suggests a causal link:
                “A pattern emerging from their work led them to conclude Facebook posts were causing the additional violence: when people in places that usually see more anti-refugee attacks have limited access to the platform, because of internet outages or service disruptions, the violence sharply decreases. “I’m quite confident our evidence indicates a causal link,” says Mr Schwarz.”
                https://www.ft.com/content/a3d4b800-9bf3-11e8-88de-49c908b1f264

                Colmar Brunton offer their services to businesses as leaders in social media research and say this:

                “The success of many government policies and priorities rests on attaining positive behaviour change. Through listening first-hand to New Zealanders, and drawing on disciplines such as social psychology and behavioural economics, Colmar Brunton’s Social Research Agency works with public sector clients to develop a deep understanding of human behaviour and how to change it.

                We provide behavioural understanding to shape the development of communications and social marketing programmes as well as evaluating the progress and success of these.

                We’ve been involved in helping government influence an array of behaviours from reducing child abuse, enrolling in KiwiSaver, and injury prevention to preparing for a disaster, taking up digital TV, and lowering the use of antibiotics.”
                https://www.colmarbrunton.co.nz/social-research/changing-behaviour-through-communications-and-social-marketing/

                I don’t think you can seriously say that the social media problem can be resolved by avoiding it, Milt.

                • Social scientists are always “quite confident our evidence indicates a causal link,” regardless of the agenda they’re promoting, which is the biggest problem in the social sciences. Before we had social media, people blamed porn, computer games or music for violence, equally without any evidential basis.

                  The bottom line is that there’s no compelling evidence that social media “causes” hate crime, therefore no basis for action to protect people from hate crimes against them “caused” by social media. My comment to Marty Mars re avoiding putting your data on Facebook was in response to his lamenting Facebook’s monetising of that data, not a suggestion that it would protect people from hate crimes. Clearly it can’t do that, because hate crime is unrelated to social media.

                  • maggieinnz

                    A causal link isn’t the same thing as saying A causes B, it simply means there’s a significant influence. Denying the influence of social media on hate crime is equivalent to denying the influence of advertising on consumer behaviour.

                    • “Causal link” is exactly the same thing as saying A causes B. It means that the link between the two is that one causes the other. One “influencing” the other is a much lower level of linkage, seriously lower.

                      In the case of social media and hate crime, spending lots of time having one’s prejudices reinforced by like-minded bigots can’t “cause” a person to go out and murder others, but it will surely influence them and not for the better. A person wanting to avoid the risk of that would be well advised to avoid social media, rather than continue participating while bleating that the government should do something about it.

                    • WeTheBleeple

                      There’s also the phenomenon of users being herded into ever more disparate groups. In the real world we voice our opinions and one would hope get feedback if we’re way off beam.

                      On Facebook if you say something crazy some other loon is going to agree. And if someone says you’re nuts you can block them. For black and white thinkers eventually only yes men would surround your delusions. Groups become more secluded and exclusive and, in some cases, highly anti-social.

                      Social media is a headquarters for hate and terror groups it filters and propagates many forms of them, and shelters them from law.

                  • maggieinnz

                    ““Causal link” is exactly the same thing as saying A causes B. It means that the link between the two is that one causes the other.”

                    You’re right. I was wrong to suggest it was anything less.

                    “A person wanting to avoid the risk of that would be well advised to avoid social media, rather than continue participating while bleating that the government should do something about it.”

                    Yes. I fully believe that a failure to self moderate is a key contributing factor. The problem, as I see it, is that people typically don’t self moderate and the consequences of that are often felt by others. Social media has to be held accountable at some level for deliberately manipulating consumer behaviour for profit. It goes beyond the types of influence that we see in advertising by using our biology against us. When people and companies fail to act responsibly then the government is obliged to step in.

                    WeTheBleeple makes good points about social media echo chambers that reinforce our beliefs and a lack of immediate social reaction for feedback and behaviour modification. I think these influences make it unreasonable for people to easily differentiate truth from fiction. As much as I believe in self responsibility I also know that a large portion of the information we assimilate is done so subconsciously.

    • maggieinnz 8.3

      I totally agree with you Marty.

      The question then becomes How do we force them to comply? Can you imagine what would happen if Google maps was banned because it didn’t remove hate speech from its search engine? How do we define hate speech in terms that effectively weed out the problem without it becoming a case of speech ‘bottom trawling’?

  9. Booker 9

    This is a bit harsh. Obviously the government are disgusted at the livestream and are well aware of needing to change the system. The Australian law has been described as law in paper only and unworkable in the real world. Passing something like that isn’t going to help and I’m glad the government hasn’t.

  10. cleangreen 10

    I feel that the internet is too open now.

    It is being abused and free to bully anyone now.

    So standards of ‘respect’ need to be given to all parties now.

    As the hate has been ramping up since the 2017 years, and is now reaching a disturbing pitch to me that I wonder if this is affecting all the youth that are attempting suicide now.

  11. Infused 11

    These post are stupid. The tech companies dont care about the nz govt. Were 5m people. We barely register.

    The internet should be open and free. There are so many gore sites out there that have been going for decades. Dont like it? Dont use it.

    • maggieinnz 11.1

      It’s not that simple and your “Dont like it? Dont use it.” solution is so flawed. If someone never uses social media will that stop them being a victim of hate crime? No.

  12. Sabine 12

    so how are you going to ‘police’ the people that use social media.

    Cause that is what you are talking about.

    A bit more surveillance, confiscation of computers, of phones?

    Seriously, what and how and how much will you charge people for in times of prison years and money?

    Fact is that one third of hte world population hates everyone not like them, another third is hated and does not count, and one third cant’ be fucked standing up for those hated and against those that would do evil things, cause why bother, its not my business and such.

    Fact is, social media is what people make it. Mine is full of puppies, kittens, cake, vegetable growing and friends.

    Lastly, if a government not too your liking is elected would you be one of those ‘policed’ and how would you protect yourself from government overreach?

    • maggieinnz 12.1

      Excellent comment Sabine. I agree with most of what you say with the exception of this “Fact is, social media is what people make it. Mine is full of puppies, kittens, cake, vegetable growing and friends.”

      Social media isn’t completely user controlled. Yes, you can block and hide things on facebook to a certain extent but the wider your circle of contacts the less control you have over what shows up in your feed. Add to this that not all platforms function the same way. Youtube is quite different than Facebook and has been proven to direct people’s attention toward fringe ideologies.
      https://datasociety.net/output/alternative-influence/
      https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/10/opinion/sunday/youtube-politics-radical.html
      https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/feb/02/how-youtubes-algorithm-distorts-truth
      https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/sep/18/report-youtubes-alternative-influence-network-breeds-rightwing-radicalisation

      • Sabine 12.1.1

        good grief.

        you.don’t.have.to.be.on.social.media.at.all.

        IT is a choice.

        You take the choice to be on or not.

        You take care of house keeping.

        Youtube is no different then Facebook, Twitter, Gap, Reddit etc.

        People post stuff they like, dislike and other people either like or dislike.

        How about people just grow up and stop asking for a tidy universe that never existed in the first place.

        • maggieinnz 12.1.1.1

          Sabine, this isn’t about people avoiding offensive material. Someone can avoid social media completely and still be the victim of hate crimes.

          You argued with me that using dehumanising language is dangerous and inappropriate. How can you claim to have a problem with my language over this social media yet say that people ought to just ignore problematic content on social media?

          • Sabine 12.1.1.1.1

            you called people that you have a distaste for Cockroaches. I pointed to examples in the past where people that called other humans cockroaches tended to start killing these other people in large numbers and that calling them cockroaches was used to dehumanize them. Firstly. Secondly, you pointed out that you would continue to do so cause apparently you could not find better vocabulary. Go censor that for a start.

            But just in case, the world is a dangerous place. Humans are dangerous – often to themselves by way of taking stupid risks – adrenaline junkies, fast drivers/riders etc, and then you have humans that are dangerous to others.

            Now what would you do? A few things, you can actively avoid these types of people. You can actively work against these people. You can out these people to the police if you fear that they are a danger to others or society at large. But you will never, ever prevent murder and mayhem.

            As for your use of language, i just think its a bit hypocritical to write a screed about humanity, dignity and respect for people locked up in prison, and then in the same screed go about and dehumanize the same people, and the word that you could have used instead ‘prisoners’ apparently did not convey your distaste. Again, as i said, to each their own, and for what its worth you are in good company as Donald Trump calls Mexicans animals, and some other NZ writer women just called Pacific Islanders leeches. See how quickly that goes? Maybe that ought to be censored.

            And i would point out that in all that hand wringing and cool make up names for the Christchurch shooter we have yet to discuss the media, tv, radio and all those highly paid stenographers that have hyped against Islam and Muslims and that warned us for years now that we would have a terrorist attack coming from them, and then it was a nice next door type well to do white boy from OZ with legal guns who killed. Cause that is what everyone is so upset about. It was not a Muslim that murdered. It was a white boy. A normal looking white boy with money, education and decent family.

            Go censor that before you tell people what they can and can not see.
            I don’t need you for that. Thanks very much, but no thanks.

            Social media is what people make it. And if i find something distasteful i can report it, block it, or comment on it if i so choose. And that is all the censoring i need.

            bye now.

            • maggieinnz 12.1.1.1.1.1

              Do you feel better for getting all that off your chest?

              “you called people that you have a distaste for Cockroaches.”
              No. I called Phillip Smith, child rapist, a cockroach.

              “Secondly, you pointed out that you would continue to do so cause apparently you could not find better vocabulary. ”

              No. I said I stood by my use of the word given the context. I also agreed that it was dehumanising and questioned whether it was appropriate of me to use the term publicly.

              ” But you will never, ever prevent murder and mayhem.”
              I agree.

              “we have yet to discuss the media, tv, radio and all those highly paid stenographers that have hyped against Islam and Muslims and that warned us for years now that we would have a terrorist attack coming from them, and then it was a nice next door type well to do white boy from OZ with legal guns who killed.”

              Sometimes I wonder if you even read what you write.

              Why even bother discussing media, tv, radio and their “hype”etc if you’re so against censorship? Free speech means they, and you, get to say whatever bullshit you feel like spewing whenever you like. Don’t like it? Don’t read it – at least that’s the advice you’re dishing out today. Tomorrow will probably be different.

              • reason

                Sabine may dish out more cold prickly posts than warm fuzzy ones …. probably because they are tired and exasperated of having to say the same things throughout the years.

                In my recollection Sabine s values and posts have remained consistent …. Its the james, alwyns, puckish etc who post contradicting views…. depending on ‘what side’ they are commenting / trolling on.

                Anyway Maggieinnz, I think you posting at Sabine ” – at least that’s the advice you’re dishing out today. Tomorrow will probably be different. “.. is both wrong ….. and misdirected.

                The Censoring I experienced in the week after Christchurch showed me how easily ‘more censorship’ is abused…. when bitchute was blocked

                https://www.bitchute.com/video/mwMlEqOUEFwh/?fbclid=IwAR2eKCx3n_pHGVot8ipF4CqobqBkPFUhmbZH4mZ4UNYnoZ4InZy7Cw5V9bM

                • maggieinnz

                  I’m not bothered by her approach, in fact I appreciate it. I’m blunt as fuck and have no taste for spun sugar rhetoric.

                  You’re welcome to your opinion but I found her comments regarding censorship contradictory. One comment on here has her saying yes we should censor war images then she above says censorship is wrong.

  13. A 13

    We need people to express themselves via social media so we know who to weed out. Easiest vetting tool ever.

    However, visual images need control over and any picture of someone involved in an accident, murder etc etc needs to be a criminal offense. Government should protect vulnerable people.

    • KJT 13.1

      So. Wiki leaks footage of a gunship shooting civilians, would never have seen the light of day.

      Is that really the sort of result we want?

      • Sabine 13.1.1

        yes.

        the girl running from the napalm bombing in Vietnam would never be printed cause

        a. nudity
        b. child nudity
        c. open wounds
        d. distraught children
        e. war victims aka collateral damage

        heck, if it were for some all of the footage / images from the death camps of Europe under german occupation would be deleted for exactly the same reason.

  14. Stuart Munro. 14

    As with any free speech regulation the rules need to be strong, but applied with discretion. One place to start would be to make hate speech participants accessories if they communicated with and incited the perpetrator of a violent act. The reasoning being that problematic hate speech is that which causes problems, not merely offense.

  15. maggieinnz 15

    Simon, what you’ve demonstrated here in your article is a perfect example of ‘Trojan rhetoric’ and it is this same type of rhetoric that makes policing hate speech so insanely complex.
    You said this of our government:
    “but is its failure to decisively call social media giants to order is[sic] as weak and unacceptable as was the failure to respond decisively to the Aramoana massacre back in 1990?”
    and
    “has failed to lead in this instance.”

    The first statement contains an opinion posed as a question, which is highly manipulative. It suggests that Labour’s failure is weak and unacceptable whilst pairing it with an emotionally charged event that’s completely irrelevant to the social media problem.

    The second statement, whilst factually true, provides no context, is vague in that it offers no example of what leading would look like in this instance, and assumes that leading is inherently good; and it isn’t.

    One of the many problems with social media and hate speech regulation is that we can only really police overt statements but as you’ve proven, you can say something that is factually true whilst insinuating something else. So to, hate speech can be presented as a factually true statement that contributes to and is intended to be hate speech. How do you police language that has both a definitive meaning and a connotative meaning without then preventing legitimate discussions on hot topics such as ethnicity, religion and gender?

    As an example, just the other day I had a discussion with a poster on here where it was posited that women have lower IQ’s than men; the inference being that women are intellectually inferior to men. These sorts of statements are incredibly loaded and fail to point out that the recorded differences in IQ are based on bias testing and that the differences are so minute as to be irrelevant. This same example, but with race being used instead of gender has been used as hate speech because the intention is to promote the supremacy of one ethnicity, gender, religion etc over another.

    Your article attacks the government for it’s perceived passivity yet fails to weigh up the very real complexities or even acknowledge that the problem is complex:
    “Funny how Google, Facebook and the like can solve complex algorithms when they want to but find it too difficult when they don’t want to.”

    Social media is a profit driven business that uses attention to derive an income. The reason that social media giants have failed to do anything meaningful is because it will kill their business. The truth is that hate sells, sex sells, controversy sells and whilst our society continues to support a profit driven culture that won’t change.

    It’s true that these companies have used algorithms to deliberately manipulated content feeds. Whilst the general public thinks algorithms are designed to serve up the most relevant content according to our tastes the truth is they are designed to promote watch-time, to keep you on their site in order to garner the maximum revenue.

    And it’s not just the big companies doing it. On an individual level, youtubers and social media commentators are crafting their narrative according to what gets attention because the platforms reward them financially for it. Our very own Mark Richardson is a great example with his polarising comments which he admits are designed to get attention.

    “No, I don’t regret it because personally I don’t think I’ve said anything that’s been harmful to anyone,” he says.

    “Plus, what I say isn’t going to change the law. I’m just some old white guy sounding off. You know, wanting people to hear. We’re in a gig where our job is to be heard and we’re all trying to do that a different way.”
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/105739647/family-pays-price-for-mark-richardsons-baby-spat-with-jacinda-ardern?rm=a

    Youtube can choose to take away an offensive Youtubers ability to monetise their channel but it’s worth noting that it keeps the money for itself.

    As yet, not government has come up with a way to effectively control social media without seriously impinging on freedom of speech and whilst I don’t believe in or support unfettered freedom of speech I do believe any restriction must be minimal and well reasoned or we’ll end up handing over our right to question authority. Singapore’s Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act effectively gives any Minister the power to decide what is fact and to demand corrections or removals of statements that he deems to be against the public interest.
    Section 7.1 states that “A person must not do any act in or outside Singapore in order to communicate in Singapore a statement knowing or having reason to believe that—(a) it is a false statement of fact; and (b) the communication of the statement in Singapore is likely to… (vi) diminish public confidence in… the exercise of any power by… a part of the Government, an Organ of State or a statutory board.”

    And, at what point do we take responsibility for our own actions? It’s too easy to point to the government and social media giants and demand they do something without first looking at ourselves. We were so busy gorging on facebook, youtube and twitter feeds having aborted critical thought as dissension’s bastard, that we failed to notice a molehill become the mountain we now stand in the shadow of.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    48 mins ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    4 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    5 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    6 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    9 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    10 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    12 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    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
    3 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
    4 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
    5 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 ...
    5 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
    3 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
    8 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
    10 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
    10 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
    24 hours 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
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T07:10:31+00:00