Trump’s tax returns and the Mueller investigation

Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, April 5th, 2019 - 53 comments
Categories: democracy under attack, Donald Trump, International, Politics, us politics - Tags:

The phrase “no collusion” has been resonating loudly in the USA during the past fortnight.  And liberals are upset.  We had hoped that following the release of the Mueller Report tall men in dark suits wearing sun glasses and having FBI badges would turn up at the White House and lead the orange one out in handcuffs.

Well it did not happen.  Or has not happened so far at least.

But it may not be time for Trump and his supporters to celebrate.

According to current Attorney General William Barr who was allowed to summarise Mueller’s 300 page report into 4 pages there was no evidence of collusion with the Russian Government during the 2016 election. Barr could not however whitewash Mueller’s finding that he could not conclude that Trump had obstructed justice but that the report did not exonerate him.

There you go, celebration at a finding that you could not be exonerated from a finding that you had obstructed justice.

And for someone who has so much to say about so many things Trump was never interviewed by Mueller, despite many, many attempts to do so.

Amanda Marcotte at Salon thinks that even this was too generous a finding.  She says this:

We know Trump obstructed justice: He did it in public, starting with the Comey firing. We know he literally asked the Russians to steal emails from Hillary Clinton, because he did that live on TV. We have good reason to believe that Russian intelligence took the request seriously, because within 24 hours, they were doing exactly as Trump asked. We know that Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner took a meeting with Russians promising “dirt” in exchange for sanctions relief, and we know that Trump has tried to use his power to dial down sanctions on Russia. We know that Donald Trump stood by Vladimir Putin in public, arguing that Putin’s denials should be believed and that the FBI’s findings that Russian agents orchestrated the 2016 election interference were false.

What we don’t know is the extent of the obstruction and collusion behind closed doors, because there’s been such a massive and, so far, successful effort at a cover-up. Barr’s sleazy move of putting out a brief letter full of weasel words and letting people assume that’s the “Mueller report” needs to be understood in that context.

In the end, this is yet another reminder that the entire Republican Party has been consumed by the corruption of the Trump administration. That’s why it’s not enough to talk of ousting Trump, either through impeachment or the likelier option of defeating him at the ballot box in November of next year. The reason Trump got so far in Republican politics in the first place is because the party is irredeemably corrupt, and he owes his continued safety entirely to that corruption.

It’s easy to get into the weeds on the various scandals and engage in line-by-line debates over the evidence, but that’s not the important part. The bigger picture is clear: Republicans are corrupt and will go to great lengths to cover up criminality. They are taking down the country with their greed and depravity. Bill Barr’s fake version of the Mueller report is just the latest example.

And it appears that individuals involved in the investigation think the same. From the New York Times:

Some of Robert S. Mueller III’s investigators have told associates that Attorney General William P. Barr failed to adequately portray the findings of their inquiry and that they were more troubling for President Trump than Mr. Barr indicated, according to government officials and others familiar with their simmering frustrations.

At stake in the dispute — the first evidence of tension between Mr. Barr and the special counsel’s office — is who shapes the public’s initial understanding of one of the most consequential government investigations in American history. Some members of Mr. Mueller’s team are concerned that, because Mr. Barr created the first narrative of the special counsel’s findings, Americans’ views will have hardened before the investigation’s conclusions become public.

Mr. Barr has said he will move quickly to release the nearly 400-page report but needs time to scrub out confidential information. The special counsel’s investigators had already written multiple summaries of the report, and some team members believe that Mr. Barr should have included more of their material in the four-page letter he wrote on March 24 laying out their main conclusions, according to government officials familiar with the investigation.

Robert Reich, also in Salon, clearly explains why Trump’s trumpeting of the Barr finding misses the point.  After detailing far too many misdeeds he says this:

This is the essence of Trump’s failure — not that he has chosen one set of policies over another, or has divided rather than united Americans, or even that he has behaved in childish and vindictive ways unbecoming a president.

It is that he has sacrificed the processes and institutions of American democracy to achieve his goals.

By saying and doing whatever it takes to win, he has abused the trust we place in a president to preserve and protect the nation’s capacity for self-government.

Controversy over the Mueller report must not obscure this basic reality.

All eyes will now be on whether or not the Mueller Report will be published.  If it is not there is something deeply wrong with America’s system of government.

And in related news the House of Representatives has formally requested the release of Trump’s tax records from the IRS.

From Chris Cillizza at CNN:

After months of promises and amid growing frustration from even some of his Democratic colleagues, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal formally requested six years of Donald Trump’s tax returns on Wednesday — a move that will likely trigger one of the biggest political and legal showdowns of the President’s first term.

The request from the Massachusetts Democrat, which came in the form of a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig and was first reported by CNN’s Lauren Fox, was long expected. Under a little-known (until recently) 1924 provision in the IRS code, the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which is charged with setting tax policy, is allowed to request anyone’s tax return — including the President of the United States — as long as they can show that it is part of either an investigation or fulfilling Congress’ oversight role.

Trump does not want to comply.

Asked about Neal’s move on Wednesday, Trump seemed disinclined to instruct the IRS and the broader Treasury Department to comply with the request.

“Now, we’re under audit, despite what people said,” Trump said. “We’re working that out as — I’m always under audit it seems. But I’ve been under audit because the numbers are big and I guess when you have a name you’re audited. But until such time as I’m not under audit I would not be inclined to do that.”

Of course he does not want to have his tax details published.  There may be all sorts of information contradicting his claims that he had no business interests there and no loans from Russia, not to mention a great balance sheet.

Trump’s days of respite may be short lived. And publication of either the full Mueller report or release of his tax records to Congress could result in this particular film again being a reality.

53 comments on “Trump’s tax returns and the Mueller investigation ”

  1. fustercluck 1

    “Some of Robert S. Mueller III’s investigators have told associates that Attorney General William P. Barr failed to adequately portray the findings of their inquiry and that they were more troubling for President Trump than Mr. Barr indicated, according to government officials and others familiar with their simmering frustrations.”

    So, two and perhaps as many as four layers of hearsay. Ha.

    You may not like Trump’s personality. Fine. You may be offended by him pointing out that groupies for rich guys would happily allow their genitals to be grabbed. Fine. You may even disagree with his policies. Fine again.

    But hanging your hat on this kind of tenuous BS is farcical.

    If Barr misrepresented the Mueller report, either Mueller or his investigators would be baying from the rooftops. Their silence is deafening.

    Think harder, Homer.

    • mickysavage 1.1

      Mueller has been exemplary in his handling of his investigation.

      I’m sure that the White House will reply by fast tracking the release of his report and of Trump’s tax records.

      • fustercluck 1.1.1

        What does releasing the Mueller report (minus redactions for classified info) have to do with Trump’s tax returns? Why is the left now conflating the two?

        Barr has committed to releasing the report minus redactions to protect classified info next month. The White House has said they will assert no executive privilege over any part of the report. Thus the whole thing is going to be out there. This whole kerfuffle about the report is a giant nothingburger.

        As for Trump’s tax returns, he has been audited over and over and over again. The IRS has gone over his finances with a fine tooth comb many times. He has no obligation to release his private information. This too is a nothingburger.

        I can fully understand why the left is not in love with Trump and I can fully understand why his policies would meet with opposition. But the whole orange man bad thing is just silly now. He is not an agent of Russia. Firing Comey was recommended by DAG Rosenstein, thus no obstruction there. That’s it. This part o the story is over.

        If you want to debate policy, sweet as. If you are going to continue with infantile personality politics, well that is just stupid.

        • crashcart 1.1.1.1

          It’s funny that the right tried to start the Meme that the left are a bunch of NPCs just regurgitating the same lines. You then get to read a post like the above and see the same lines you see from everyone who defends Trump. “Orange man bad” and “Nothing Burger”.

          I am inclined to agree with you that when the report makes its way to congress that they will find there is nothing they can hang collusion on. I honestly think Trump would have colluded if he was capable but the bumbling mess that the campaign was couldn’t manage it. I doubt there is a charge for attempted collusion. Barr may have jumped the gun on obstruction. We will need to see where that goes.

          As to Trump claiming he is being audited, he has never provided any evidence that it is the case. The IRS have also state that if it was the case it would not prevent him releasing his returns. He should just come out and say he doesn’t want to. His supporters won’t care and those who don’t support him will still be angry. Its as dumb as Bernie doing the same thing.

        • Macro 1.1.1.2

          Well if you had been following the narrative wrt to the orange one you would know by now, that over the past decade or so, he has had loans granted him by Deutsche Bank* worth around $2Billion dollars. There is some evidence to suggest that the underwriting of this massive sum of money comes from Russia. Mueller did indeed try to follow this line of investigation, by just how far he got we have no idea until the Report is released.
          The Corrupter in Chief keep saying that his tax returns are in audit so he’s not releasing them. They have been in audit for at least 6 years now, which might indicate that he does indeed have something to hide! Furthermore, just because his tax returns are in audit doesn’t mean that he can’t . Even tricky Dicky released his tax returns whilst they were in audit.
          So yes! The two House investigations are related. But you missed the third. The investigation into his inaugural event which somehow chewed through around $100+ million (much of it going to Trump hotels) and seemingly involved much money from foreign interests including the Saudi’s.

          *No American bank will touch him with a barge pole, he is such a liability risk, and has declared bankruptcy several times to avoid paying moneys owed.

    • Nick 1.2

      Trumps only policy is himself mate.

    • Lettuce 1.3

      “If Barr misrepresented the Mueller report, either Mueller or his investigators would be baying from the rooftops. Their silence is deafening.”

      Nah. If Barr had given an accurate representation of the Mueller report, either Trump or his supporters would be baying from the rooftops for whole thing to be released so it could exonerate him even more. Their silence is deafening.

    • Gabby 1.4

      I dunno bout that fuddacuck, possibly some arcane bit of yankistani law means you go to jail if you allege a liar is lying.

    • North 1.5

      It’s a cheap refuge Fustercluck….this hearsay you talk about.

      It’s taking cheaper refuge to remark – “You may be offended by him pointing out that groupies for rich guys would happily allow their genitals to be grabbed.” Cheaper because you lie Fustercluck. Trump reported his own historical behaviour. Everyone knows that and so do you. Still, you choose to lie and claim a mere reporting of groupies’ habits.

      You might as well stop pissing into the wind Fustercluck…..there’ll be more and more leaks…..particularly in respect of matters where Trump has hidden in the thickets, or where a stacked Supreme Court decides to protect him.

      Eventually enough will be known to have Trump routinely written in history as the most pathologically corrupt US president ever. Screech all you want baby…..take the cultist oath in blood if you wish…..but it’s that or America implodes. I cannot see the latter.

    • Charlie V 1.6

      “If Barr misrepresented the Mueller report, either Mueller or his investigators would be baying from the rooftops. Their silence is deafening.” When has Mueller or anyone associated with him ever acted like that?

  2. D'Esterre 2

    Fustercluck: “But hanging your hat on this kind of tenuous BS is farcical.”

    I couldn’t agree more. The usual suspects are screeching predictably about the Mueller report. Do the rest of us a favour, MS, and give this story a rest.

  3. Andre 3

    I’m just fascinated by all the convergence lefties that shout ‘there’s no evidence’ even when confronted by items like the Trump Tower meetings or Manafort sharing polling data, yet now seem to treat Barr’s cherry picked 101 words from a 300+ page report as the definitive last word on the matter.

    • fustercluck 3.1

      So, Andre, you are asserting that a USA AG has elected to deceive the entire nation with his summary, even though doing so would certainly be revealed by leaks, protestation from Mueller or his investigators, etc., and would be revealed as a falsehood by the subsequent and pending release of the full report?

      The ” Trump Tower meetings or Manafort sharing polling data” were fully known by the Mueller team and they found NOTHING.

      Let me state that again: NOTHING.

      There are important policy decisions being made daily and they have nothing to do with the Mueller nothingburger. Why is the left perseverating on nothing when there is plenty of important stuff that they could be fairly and honestly debating?

      • Andre 3.1.1

        Thanks for that glorious illustration of my point.

      • crashcart 3.1.2

        Bit early to say he found NOTHING. He found that the state would not be able to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the Trump Campaign colluded with Russia. This does not equal NOTHING no matter how many times people say it. It means they don’t think they could get a conviction in a court. We will see how much actual evidence there is when the report is eventually released.

    • Macro 3.2

      Yeah – I wonder about the naivety of some of the commentators on here. The current US administration, and the Republican’s hypocritical response to all of the corruption, (that occurs on a daily basis over there) is a direct attack on what remained of democratic process. This is a huge threat, not only to the US, but to all of the western world.

      • marty mars 3.2.1

        + 1 yep very easy for these people to continue to put their heads in the sand. T.rump has trained them to listen to his majesty’s voice only and it works.

      • Andre 3.2.2

        Naivety doesn’t seem to be quite the right word. Seems to me it’s a massively exaggerated selectivity around what to accept or reject as valid parts of the big picture. Coupled with an intense need to try to divert the conversation to whatever spiny bug up their ass is wriggling the most at the moment.

        On reflection, maybe naivety is a big enough word to all that too.

        • fustercluck 3.2.2.1

          I think it is groupthink and sticking to the talking points of the day.

          • McFlock 3.2.2.1.1

            Possibly, although some people might simply be reading information through a heavy confirmation bias and not realise that they’re doing it.

    • mauī 3.3

      So we should read Muellers statement of “no evidence” as meaning “no evidence…, but, but, but! there is always a chance of there being some evidence…”

      https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/24/us/politics/mueller-report-summary.html

      Ha, love it!

      • joe90 3.3.1

        Muellers statement of “no evidence” as meaning

        Mueller made a statement?

        • mauī 3.3.1.1

          Near enough to it.

          • joe90 3.3.1.1.1

            So, you made shit up.

            • mauī 3.3.1.1.1.1

              Well yeah.. as much as every other media outlet who reported Mueller found no collusion. Are you going to do them on a technicality as well?

              • joe90

                Where can I find these reports citing Mueller?

                Oh, thats’s right, there are none. Because citing a partisan AF summary of a report isn’t citing Mueller, is it?

                • Macro

                  Well Barr did cherry pick 101 words from the 300+ page report, and somewhere in those 300+ pages Mueller apparently said “….. no collusion…” Just what the context was though, we are still to find out.
                  Anyway I have it on good authority that the orange one is gonna replace MAGA on his pink hat with “NC!!!!”
                  Besides we still need to find the orange of this report.

                  • Dukeofurl

                    No collusion with ‘official Russian government representatives’

                    Doesnt say ‘no collusion with any russians’. hell a whole heap of Trumps campaign people were indicted for lying about their russian contacts.

                    • Macro

                      Exactly!

                    • mauī

                      That would be a hell of a thing to leave out of the report summary. No collusion with the Russian government, but hey we forgot to tell you there was collusion with russian citizens!

                      Maybe they will do another 2 year report to see if regular russians were involved…

                    • Macro

                      Oh FFS maui! I suggest that you get your facts straight before making any more stupid comments.
                      Barr says: “The Special Counsel’s investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.” He quotes Mueller as saying: “The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”
                      Hell of a difference between “did not find” and “did not establish”.
                      However we all know as a matter of fact that members of Trumps campaign met with Russian individuals – some of who have connections to the government on a number of occasions, and indeed some have already been indicted. We also know that the backer of Maria Butina, is an an NGO partly funded by the Kremlin. The founder of the NGO, which is called Anti-Globalization Movement, is a 30 year old Russian lobbyist named Alexander Ionov with ties to the Kremlin. The NGO has ties to Russia’s far-right party and is funded in part by the Russian government. It’s aim is to, essentially, divide the West. Butina is expected to be sentenced and given credit for time served, then deported to Russia.

                    • mauī

                      Are you sure there’s much difference between those two words? I refer you to the dictionary : https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/establish

                      Synonyms:

                      demonstrate, prove, show, substantiate

                    • Macro

                      So we are left with the question – what did Mueller find? Obviously not enough in his opinion sufficient to establish legal proceedings. But that does not mean the Trump could not be impeached on whatever it was that Mueller did find even if he could not be indicted on that matter.
                      But leaving aside the matter of possible wilful cooperation with an outside government to influence the election, there is still the matter of obstruction of justice. It seems that Mueller was not willing to make the call on this matter, preferring to leave it up to others. He obviously presented the evidence as he saw it in his report. Barr was never going to indict Trump – he has written an legal opinion which essentially says a sitting President cannot be indicted. He then conveniently washes his hands of the matter. Barr says he and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein “have concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsel’s investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.” Barr does say however that the evidence presented does not exonerate Trump in this regard.
                      Furthermore, as I have noted below, Mueller and his team apparently wrote summaries specifically for publication. Why has Barr chosen to ignore these and write a whitewash instead?

  4. tony 4

    As the open minded people said .. “It’s a nothing burger” then we have Micky and friends looking for another haystack to find a needle in ..

    https://youtu.be/kgBxfHdb4OU

  5. Andre 5

    Just a reminder, the exact bit from Barr’s letter reads “The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”

    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/24/politics/read-mueller-key-findings-doj/index.html

    “did not establish” is different to “no evidence of”.

    • crashcart 5.1

      Exactly Andre. This “nothing Burger” may have lettuce, tomato, onions, and an egg but just be missing the patty.

    • Dukeofurl 5.2

      Dont forget all those people from Trumps team, who were convicted/pleaded guilty to lying to FBI . And what were they lying about ? , it often was about their contacts with Russians . Coincidence.

      • Andre 5.2.1

        But, but, all those rooskies having pleasant wee chats with Chump campaign staff weren’t the Russian government. No sir, just random private Russian citizens.

        • Dukeofurl 5.2.1.1

          Even Sessions had to step aside because …he was caught out having undisclosed chats with the Russian ambassador – who lest was formally a government representative. Yes Clinton did too but with cameras recording the evnt.

    • mauī 5.3

      Yeah, didn’t Mueller say there is no evidence though. lol

      Spose there’s always a chance he might overturn his whole report… yeah right.

  6. Macro 6

    Hmmm seems like Mueller and his team anticipated that there would need to be a summary of the full report, and so drafted and included summaries for release as appropriate.
    Nalder is not only asking the DOJ for the Report, but all other communications betwen Mueller and Barr, over this matter.
    Here is part of Nalder’s letter:

    Dear Attorney General Barr,

    I write to you regarding troubling press reports relating to your handling of Special Counsel Mueller’s report, and to urge that you immediately release to the public any “summaries” contained in the report that may have been prepared by the Special Counsel.

    The New York Times and the Washington Post both report that some in the Special Counsel’s office have raised concerns about your March 24 letter summarizing the results of the Special Counsel’s investigation. The Post wrote that “members of [Special Counsel] Mueller’s team have complained to close associates that the evidence they gathered on obstruction was alarming and significant.”

    These reports suggest that the Special Counsel prepared his own summaries, intended for public consumption, which you chose to withhold in favor of your own: “Some members of the office were particularly disappointed that Barr did not release summary information the special counsel team had … prepared for different sections of the report, with a view that they could [be] made public.” In fact, one unnamed U.S. official is quoted as saying that “Mueller’s team assumed the information was going to be made available to the public … ‘and so they prepared their summaries to be shared in their own words-and not in the attorney general’s summary of their work, as turned out to be the case.”’

  7. Andre 7

    Another one of those plot twists that would get rejected as too implausible if this all were a TV show: Barr and Mueller are (were?) apparently good friends.

    https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/15/trump-russia-mueller-barr-friends-1102244

    • Macro 7.1

      Yeah that was always ironic – I gather Trump had a bit of a bad moment when he found out after Barr’s appointment.
      However, after his legal opinion piece that got him the job of AG – where he essentially said that the President could not be indicted – he could hardly have written anything other than the summary he did.

  8. adam 8

    You still not accepting that h.r.c was a utterly crap candidate…

    *sigh*

  9. Hah haha … the ongoing saga never ends .

    – ” And while Ena and Elsie still fume from their latest spat , – Ken Barlow discovers he has run out of tea and his cat was run over , – and that he also discovers he was overpaid by the govt in his tax returns by threepence” ,..

    Find out what decision Ken makes tomorrow in this weeks edition of …

    Coronation Street – Original Theme Tune – YouTube
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNV_Hh5ZWaE

  10. joe90 12

    Must be something damning in those tax records when you need insert your own point man to obstruct inquiries.

    Something here stinks.

    The New York Times reported late Thursday night that Trump urged Senate Republicans to confirm a new top lawyer at the IRS who would oversee a legal battle over his tax returns — just as Democrats began their quest to obtain the tax documents Trump has been hiding since announcing his candidacy.

    The nominee — Michael J. Desmond — has worked with Trump’s company in the past, advising the Trump Organization on tax-related matters prior to Trump’s presidency, Bloomberg News reported.

    https://shareblue.com/trump-irs-lawyer-protect-trump-taxes/

  11. Macro 13

    Bloody Hell! Everyday there is more intrigue and damning evidence pointing towards a massive obstruction of justice by Trump and the White House gang.
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/05/william-barr-memo-meeting-justice-department-steve-engel

    Justice department officials were told William Barr had been invited to meet them last summer on the same day he submitted an “unsolicited” memo that heavily criticized special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into obstruction of justice by Donald Trump.

    Barr, who was a private attorney at the time, met the officials for lunch three weeks later and was then nominated to serve as Trump’s attorney general about six months later.

    The revelation about the meeting, which was arranged by Steve Engel, the head of the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice, and which has not previously been publicly disclosed, raises new questions about whether the White House’s decision to hire Barr was influenced by private discussions he had about his legal views on Mueller’s investigation.

    Out of the blue, Barr delivers his infamous memo to the DoJ. On that same day the DoJ invites him to a lunch which occurred 19 days later. And we are to believe that the “memo was not discussed” at that lunch? If the memo was discussed at that lunch, then Barr did indeed lie to Congress when he testified that after writing the memo: “There was no follow-up from any of these Department officials.”

    Another damning piece of the puzzle: The DoJ official who invited Barr to lunch was Steve Engel. His job is to liaise with the White House on legal matters. Engel is a die hard Trump supporter. He wrote the memo justifying Trump’s appointment of Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General despite the fact that Whitaker was never confirmed by the Senate. It’s just beyond belief that Engel wasn’t coordinating in some way between Trump and Barr to ensure that the next AG’s allegiance would be to Trump and not the rule of law.

    It’s high time that Barr be hauled into Congress to testify again. The House Judiciary Committee must ask him: Are you pursuing the truth, as is your sworn duty, or are you actually part of a conspiracy to obstruct justice?

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    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
    13 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
    15 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
    15 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
    18 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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
    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
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 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
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 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
    11 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
    13 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
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
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