Trump Chicago rally cancelled amid protests

Written By: - Date published: 2:56 pm, March 12th, 2016 - 62 comments
Categories: us politics - Tags: ,

Seems like not everyone in America is going to roll over for Trump:

Trump rally in Chicago abruptly postponed over safety concerns

A Donald Trump rally in Chicago was postponed at the last minute on Friday, on the advice of law enforcement authorities over “safety concerns” as anti-Trump protesters met supporters of the billionaire in an unruly crowd.

Trump subsequently took to the airwaves to tell his side of the story, telling MSNBC: “It’s sad when you can’t have a rally. Whatever happened to freedom of speech?” …

The aftermath is still unfolding, check out The Guardian’s live blog.


62 comments on “Trump Chicago rally cancelled amid protests ”

  1. joe90 1

    The linked Guardian article –

    After the postponement was announced, a Trump campaign statement said: “Mr Trump just arrived in Chicago and after meeting with law enforcement has determined that for the safety of all of the tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena, tonight’s rally will be postponed to another date.

    Oh look, Trump lied, again.

    9:25 p.m.

    A spokesman for the Chicago Police Department says the agency never recommended that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump cancel his campaign rally in the city.

    CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tells The Associated Press that the department never told the Trump campaign there was a security threat at the University of Illinois at Chicago venue. He said the department had sufficient manpower on the scene to handle any situation.

    Guglielmi says the university’s police department also did not recommend that Trump call off the event. He says the decision was made “independently” by the campaign.

    Trump cancelled the rally in Chicago due to what organizers said were safety concerns after protesters packed into the arena where it was to take place.

    Trump afterward told MSNBC in a telephone interview that he canceled the event because he didn’t “want to see people hurt or worse.” He said he thinks he “did the right thing.”

    Guglielmi says Trump never arrived at the Chicago venue.

    http://bigstory.ap.org/article/3cdda4be66f74874adaaa31ba49488e1/latest-trump-says-generals-will-play-their-own-game

    • alwyn 1.1

      “Trump lied”.
      What is the “lie” you are talking about.
      The piece you quote says merely that Trump met with law enforcement people and that he decided to postpone the rally. It doesn’t claim that the Police recommended it.
      It is only the Guardian that says he cancelled on the advice of the Police. Trump can hardly be blamed by a false statement by a newspaper that dislikes him.
      Is there something else you are talking about because there is nothing here to justify your claim.

  2. Chooky 2

    ‘Chicago Trump rally cancelled amid protests, chaos’

    https://www.rt.com/usa/335316-trump-rally-cancel-violence/

    …whoever cancelled it made a wise decision

    • OneTrack 2.1

      Yeah, who knows what some twisted totalitarian leftist is likely to do when somebody says something they don’t approve of. Anything for the cause, Komrade, anything for the cause.

  3. Pasupial 4

    “Whatever happened to freedom of speech?”… You’re looking at it.

    There is a long history of violence at Trump events. In the past week alone, an attack on a non-violent protester led to criminal charges against a Trump supporter and Michelle Fields, a reporter for conservative website Breitbart News, was allegedly assaulted by Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign manager.

    Trump has played a role in encouraging this culture of violence. When the Republican frontrunner appeared in St. Louis earlier on Friday, an event that featured more than 30 arrests, he complained “part of the problem and part of the reason it takes so long [to kick protesters out] is nobody wants to hurt each other anymore.” Trump added “There used to be consequences. There are none anymore. These people are so bad for our country. You have no idea folks, you have no idea.”

    Consequences: Freedom to speak implies; freedom to respond, not; compulsion to listen.

    • OneTrack 4.1

      I know you lefties aren’t good at freedom of speech, but the freedom to respond means to respond with an alternative argument ie more speech, not a licence to cause mayhem trying to stop somebody saying something you don’t like. Just sayin.

      • Craig H 4.1.1

        Freedom of assembly is also an important right.

      • Gangnam Style 4.1.2

        Shit stirrer.

      • Ben 4.1.3

        So throwing dildos and brown muck is not OK when you lack the intelligence to come up with a coherent arguement then?

        • weka 4.1.3.1

          Throwing dildos and brown muck IS a coherent argument when you are talking to protofacists.

          • alwyn 4.1.3.1.1

            You are crazy.
            Joyce and Brownlee protofacists?
            Absolutely crazy.

            • AB 4.1.3.1.1.1

              If you take fascism to be a seamless alignment of state and corporate power and ‘proto’ to mean early (or very early), then he is not crazy at all. Certainly a lot less crazy than Key calling Working For Families “communism by stealth”.
              Notice he is not suggesting that it will inevitably move beyond ‘proto’. Nor is he suggesting that any of the surface trappings of early 20th century fascism such as mass rallies and strutting about in uniforms are present,(Though Brownlee might fancy the strutting bit).

              Think before you impugn the mental health of others.

            • weka 4.1.3.1.1.2

              It was a throwaway line in reponse to OneTrack above who was making stupid generalisations. But it’s also true at a less hyperbolic level as AB points out.

            • adam 4.1.3.1.1.3

              A play on words, and of course in this case a humorous response from weka, is not an opportunity to personally attack.

              If you had any civility, you would have responded in kind. But, as we see from you all to often, it’s abuse. An instant attack of a women for for being nuts, for expressing an opinion.

              I for one am sick of this type of response, have a look in the mirror and ask your self why you are such a misogynist.

              • alwyn

                Yes dear.
                Calling someone a fascist, or even a protofacist is not a humorous response to anyone.
                My views don’t depend in any way on whether someone is male or female. If they make sense I applaud. If they are silly I say so. Perhaps you should try it.
                By the way. I know of no rule that requires you to read anything I say. Why bother if it upsets you so much?

                • adam

                  Poor alwyn, not happy to be called out

                  Demeaning is cool for you – no point in forming an argument when you can just abuse a women ah?

                  Silly billy me, for thinking you could act like an adult.

                • Pasupial

                  Just Fuck Off with that Shit Alwyn!

                  If you reply to someone’s comment, then yes; your comment will be read and probably responded to by that person (at least if they’ve got time, I don’t always manage it myself). Saying; “I know of no rule that requires you to read anything I say”, is like claiming that when you phone someone to shout abuse down the line at them, they have no need to listen to you. By the time they realize that your words are empty noise, your bile has already coated them.

                  • weka

                    Let’s also note that I told him what I meant by the comment and he hasn’t replied to that. Because he’s not interested in what people mean, he just wants to be nasty to people he disagrees with politically. Can’t even be honest about it and tries to make out he’s just naming someone’s silly beliefs.

                    I just watched some video analysis of Trump that included quite a few clips of Trump’s nastiness. I though, that sounds like alwyn. The same slurring of the person in demeaning ways and pretending that its politics. It’s not.

                    The reason people are so alarmed by Trump isn’t his politics, it’s that he is deliberately inciting hatred. I don’t know what alwyn’s motivations are, but there is a similar kind of I would hurt you if I could. Trump is scarey because he has a huge amount of power and is actively wielding it to harm people. We’re relatively safe from alwyn but he reminds of the occassional person I’ve known who I wouldn’t trust if I lived in a state with no law and order. They have no inherent morals.

                    • alwyn

                      @weka
                      I suppose I should simply say that, although you occasionally say something sensible, many of your comments can only be regarded as something that is expressed by a bird-brain.
                      I wonder if Adam would regard this as merely a play on words and a humorous comment? He seems to have a very low standard with respect to foolish statements by his friends.

                  • alwyn

                    “If you reply to someone’s comment”.
                    That, as written is quite sensible. However if I reply to a comment by someone called “weka” it doesn’t require that “adam” needs to read it, does it?.
                    Unless they were the same person of course.
                    As for weka’s “It was just a throwaway line”.
                    I don’t regard calling anyone a facist, unless they are Mussolini or Hitler and their cohorts as being in any way humorous. Brownlee and Joyce aren’t and shouldn’t be described as such.

                    • adam

                      Fascism is not just a historical occurrence.

                      Are you really that ignorant alwyn?

                      Do you understand what the definition of fascism is in a political sense?

                      Do you know the differences between ideologies?

                    • alwyn

                      Yes you stupid idiot, I do no what I am talking about.
                      You clearly don’t have the faintest idea.
                      There is no conceivable way in which Joyce or Brownlee can be classed as a facist..
                      Now piss off you imbecile.

      • adam 4.1.4

        OneTrack knows no history, and it shows. Read a book, look at the past, have an well rounded opinion formed from expanding your mind. You might just learn what you said is utter dribble.

        May I point out Emma Goldman, and her campaign for women’s control of their own reproduction.

        Mother Jones, and her campaigns with miners.

        The whole anti-war movement – is engaged in free speech.

        Free speech means I get to say what you don’t like. Like your hate speech will destroy society. That if you say racist and demeaning things, I get to say you are a low life. And If what you says provokes violence and mayhem – then I get to call you on it.

        So OneTrack you have displayed you are an ignorant fool. Which is your right under the freedom of speech. I’m just using my freedom to encourage you to put your brain into gear a bit more, or failing that, let me offer you a napkin.

        • Colonial Viper 4.1.4.1

          The people who attacked the Trump event are not some modern day equivalent of Emma Goldman or Mother Jones.

          Attacking Trump supports the GOP establishment and the leadership prospects of that extreme Tea Partier known as Cruz.

          • adam 4.1.4.1.1

            In context I was pointing out the left have a longer history on freespeech.

            And If the GOP put up Cruz they are toast.

            Their own supporter base won’t vote in the general election. Look at the polls. Their own internal polling shows it.

            the average republican is a supporter of social security, and many basic provisions like Medicaid.

            Cruz, is a lame duck.

            • Pasupial 4.1.4.1.1.1

              This is an interesting piece from one of the protestors inside the building (without their words being refracted through the prism of the MSM):

              1. I am safe.

              2. Trump’s supporters are racist, nativist, bigoted thugs. Some of them are just profoundly ignorant and contrarian malcontents. Others are more dangerous.

              3. Don’t believe the Fox News lie. Almost all of the “fights” were started by Trump supporters. I was pretty close to several of them.

              4. There are lots of very angry and racially resentful white conservatives in this country. I know this to be true as an empirical fact. Seeing it first hand and listening to them behind me in line is another matter.

              5. The Chicago police exercised great restraint. They were professionals.

              6. Black conservative shuck and buck artists are everywhere. Several of them tried to earn points for their white masters by fighting Black Lives Matter and other protesters.

              7. I can be hard on America’s young people. Based on what I saw with the black, brown, white, yellow, and red brothers and sisters at the Chicago rally I think we may somehow be okay.

              8. When it was announced that the Trump rally was canceled some of his supporters looked like they were going to cry. Santa Claus ain’t coming to their house this year.

              9. I am unsure if Donald Trump ever intended to show up. He is a manager of optics and he may have just wanted to try to gain sympathy and win over more of the Reagan Democrats “law and order” types.

              10. There was lots of hippie-punching rhetoric and behavior to be had at the Chicago Trump rally.

              http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/3/12/1500117/-My-Experience-at-Donald-Trump-s-No-Show-Rally-In-Chicago-With-Video

              I mainly go to Daily Kos for the comics; Tom Tomorrow, K Chronicles etc. But it’s been fascinating reading while the candidate campaign has been going on. Another piece there quotes this Mario Savio speech:

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJKbDz4EZio

              Trump rallies are modern day cross burnings. They are modern day Nuremberg rallies. Seeing these young people going right into the belly of the beast has made me feel something in my middle-aged gut. These young people, they’re right. They’re amazing. They are taking the blows for the rest of us. I’m glad to see young liberals are joining them. I have tremendous respect for what they are doing. They are showing amazing courage and idealism. I couldn’t imagine attending any political rally for any reason, much less a Trump rally. Even to peacefully protest it.

              http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/03/12/1499600/-They-are-throwing-their-bodies-on-the-gears

          • weka 4.1.4.1.2

            “Attacking Trump supports the GOP establishment and the leadership prospects of that extreme Tea Partier known as Cruz.”

            I suspect that some of the protestors don’t actually care about that as much as they care about the incitement of hatred that is going on that already directly affects them.

  4. Colonial Viper 5

    Wouldn’t be surprised if the Republican establishment helped set up this protest action against Trump. There will be more dirty tricks against him to come.

  5. millsy 6

    Trump is a godsend to the GOP — they can portray him as an extremist and make themselves more moderate when they are nothing of the sort.

    Us lefties can pat ourselves on the backs for keeping Trump out of power, then President Cruz can then sell off the Post Office, Amtrak and the TVA, launch a progrom against homosexuals in the teaching profession and the public service, ban any mention of evolution whatsoever and launch a constitutional amendment banning abortion.

    Cool.

    • Andre 6.1

      Well yes, that was the plan for Rubio. To make it happen the Republican establishment were falling all over themselves telling everybody what a nasty oily PoS Cruz was too. Gonna be interesting watching them walk that back.

  6. joe90 7

    Rachel Maddow on violence at Trump rallies.

    (my bold)

    This is a classic strong man political tactic that we are used to seeing in other countries but not our own. Certainly not in the last 50 years or so, in which political events are generated to bring violence at the edges into the center. So that violence at these events, which may start organically, is in effect spot lit and encouraged to the point where it becomes something that is legitimately out of control of anyone. And then the spectacle of political violence is itself seen as something that is a problem that needs to be solved by this strongman character who incited the initial event in the first place.

    It’s political science in way. It’s not something that we’re used to seeing in American politics. But trying to gin up political violence for its electoral utility is inarguably what we are seeing here. I know the Trump campaign will not say that is what they’re doing. But when you look at the way that Mr. Trump has been talking about the organic existence of both protesters against him and violence toward those protesters at his event, when you look at the way that he has encouraged it in an escalating way leading to this inevitable event tonight in Chicago, I think that it is impossible to say that this is an accident.

    http://mediamatters.org/video/2016/03/11/rachel-maddow-it-is-impossible-to-call-violence/209204

    • emergency mike 7.1

      Nailed it. Such a sickening sense of deja vu from all this.

    • miravox 7.2

      “So that violence at these events, which may start organically”,

      The thing is – it doesn’t start organically. It’s sitting in people’s heads waiting for someone to say it’s ok to release it.

      Cruz and Rubio are very scary because you know exactly were they stand – and they stand at the worst end of Drumpf’s rhetoric. But they express it differently, which is why they don’t have the similar violence at their rallies (imo).

      He doesn’t approve after the fact, Drumpf gives permission for people to act out on that they already have festering in their heads.

      It’s leadership that allows this to be expressed openly. This is leadership of the worst kind.

      We’ve seen it happen in less violent forms all around the world when the dog whistlers strike a chord.

  7. Steve Wrathall 8

    Indulging in brownshirt tactics and showing they are opposed to free speech. These numpties are playing right into Trump’s hands.

    • joe90 8.1

      Of course they did, Stevie.

      A message from UIC Police Chief Kevin Booker:

      The University of Illinois at Chicago worked with all appropriate agencies to address the security concerns associated with an event of this nature including the Secret Service, Chicago Police Department and Illinois State Police as well as campaign and protest organizers.

      The vast majority of attendees at today’s events exercised their Constitutional rights of free speech and free assembly peacefully.

      The abrupt announcement of the cancellation of the event created challenges in managing an orderly exit from the Pavilion, which nonetheless, was accomplished with no injuries or arrests.

      https://www.facebook.com/uic.edu/?fref=ts

    • emergency mike 8.2

      How about the people who repeat Trump’s spin lines on blogs? Are they playing into Trumps’s hands Steve?

      • North 8.2.1

        Brilliant how seamlessly Wrathall (ACT) aligns with Trump. Pathological though. Like we always suspected re ACT.

  8. Going out to fight your political opponents in the streets isn’t standing up for democracy, it’s just getting into fights in the street. Nett result is most likely extra votes for a politician perceived as a strong man who’ll put a stop to that sort of carry-on. In this contest, that’s Trump. These idiots would have been better off staying home.

    • miravox 9.1

      ” Nett result is most likely extra votes for a politician perceived as a strong man “

      Sometimes it works out that way, sometimes it doesn’t. Immediate thought is the anti-apartheid demos in NZ. The news at the time was vile, but in the end the people who didn’t like disruption could see the hardliners had got out of hand. Short story is that wasn’t good for the political establishment’s longevity.

      • Pasupial 9.1.1

        Psychomilt
        I see your and Joe90’s (quoting Rachael Maddow at comment 7 above) point about this conflict being engineered to serve Trump’s purposes. But there is no evidence (beyond the serial liar Trump’s word) that the protesters were there to; “[go] out to fight your political opponents in the streets”. Perhaps the protesters should have exercised Ghandi-esque passive resistance when confronted by the violence from Trump’s goons, but they didn’t seem to have the practice or discipline (yet).

        It is very easy to take a detached perspective from the other side of the world and talk about ideal actions. On the ground, if you were in Chicago and thought that; “Trump rallies are modern day cross burnings. They are modern day Nuremberg rallies”, then you might be driven to action no matter how flawed:

        There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part! You can’t even passively take part! And you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels…upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop! And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!

        http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/03/12/1499600/-They-are-throwing-their-bodies-on-the-gears

  9. ropata 10

    Trump is scaring the shit out of a lot of people, and enjoying it. The colossal fool is lighting a fire that he won’t be able to control.

    Violence and vulgarity: Admit it. You saw those two words in the title and knew this post was going to be about… https://t.co/ha167VmVJw— PZ Myers (@pzmyers) March 12, 2016

    • weka 10.1

      I’m guessing he doesn’t care.

    • Colonial Viper 10.2

      Just remember that this is a world that the Lefty liberals and the warmongering corporate loving Democrats have also played their part in creating.

      Where Trump has access to a massive undercurrent of anger and cultural alienation consisting of millions of Americans who have been ignored and left behind by the power elite.

      • weka 10.2.1

        Where do you fit into that CV?

        • Colonial Viper 10.2.1.1

          Just a nobody commentator on the other side of the world from the US. Where do you fit into it, weka?

          • weka 10.2.1.1.1

            I think you are using false binaries in your analysis in an attempt to undermine the left. You also have a more grounded and nuanced analysis of class, but I haven’t heard it in a while, or it’s getting drowned out by the divide and damn sloganeering.

            As for where I stand, let’s just say that unlike some Labour critics I’ve never voted Labour.

            (edited)

            • Colonial Viper 10.2.1.1.1.1

              Stating that the Left is stuck in the 19th/20th century, and that the establishment Left is now an integral part of the power elite, is hardly undermining it.

              It’s just pointing out the obvious.

              Plenty of Sanders and Trump supporters get it, for instance.

              • Chooky

                +100 CV

                The fact that Trump is hated by the Republican establishment and he is anti TPPA should give one pause for thought… and imo means he deserves some consideration, despite his other drawbacks

                “Donald Trump said today he would not ratify the TPPA if he become President later this year, as he said (quote) “12 countries are lining up to destroy themselves signing TPPA ” according to RNZ this morning.
                We don’t like Trump but he is right there on TPPA.”

                – See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/03/12/what-bernie-sanders-and-donald-trump-have-in-common/#sthash.I2fy5e3C.dpuf

                Trump is also against what USA has been doing in the Middle East

                ‘World would be a better place with Saddam, Gaddafi still in power – Trump’

                https://www.rt.com/usa/319681-trump-saddam-gaddafi-better/

                • Kiwiri

                  Sanders has also just said he won’t send TPP to Congress and will fight any effort to pass TPP:

                  http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/03/12/sanders-accepts-challenge-kill-tpp-if-elected-nothing-clinton-so-far

                  • Sanders is also the only other candidate to touch on the subject of China and how the states is losing jobs because they can’t compete with the slave labour rates of China. He does not talk about it very much but he is the only other one apart from Trump to actually speak about it. All the rest just ignore it and yet it’s not only a huge issue for the states but for the whole western world that are loosing millions of jobs because of countries that will work their people in similar conditions to those of Victorian England.
                    Isn’t it funny that the only candidates that speak of China are the only two with no backing from the rich corporations?

                • Colonial Viper

                  Thanks for the updates, Chooky and Kiwiri.

              • weka

                It’s how you are saying it and that you don’t say anything else that’s the problem. The false binary plays into the hands of people like Trump.

                I’m not sure if I would believe you if you are saying you don’t want to undermine the left.

                • ropata

                  Does that mean we should all support Hillary? Vomit.

                  Honestly, she’s probably just as bad as Trump, at least he hasn’t actually committed any war crimes (yet)

                  • weka

                    I don’t buy the war crimes argument. The guy is trying to incite a civil war at home. Probably better for the world than fucking over another country, but he’s not less damaging, his targets are just different.

  10. Sorry, but I am suspicious, although to many people Trump may be a racist insane bigot you do have to wonder why the rich in the states hate him so much and don’t want him to be the nominee. I can guarantee that their motives will be to do more with money than the safety of people or worrying that the republicans will loose to Hilliary with Trump.
    I think they are shit scared because he is going to do something about China and its about to cost the corporations billions which by the way, I think would be a good thing. Anyone here who disputes that then must support the slave labour laws that the Chinese force on their peasents that makes their economy so powerful and steals the jobs from ours. Trump has a lot of faults but his views on China are not one of them.
    I am suspicious of these sudden attacks at his rallies as they were not occurring four weeks ago. Don’t put it past the corporations to set this up by winding people up with Trumps racists slogans and the fact that he is doing so well in the primaries. I think people need to think further about Trump and ask themselves why is it that the 1 percent rich in America are starting to panic about his popularity. I bet my bottom dollar it has something to do with all the billions they will loose if they loose their acces to the chap slave labour of China.

  11. I just wonder who the first one to throw the stone. I mean, the supporters of Trump’s ideas can sometimes lose their temper very quickly but it might have been the opposition’s fault as well. It must have been really tough there though, since safety concerns usually means something big

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
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    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
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    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
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    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
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    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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