TV3 – The Hui – Special report on poverty

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, May 15th, 2016 - 43 comments
Categories: benefits, class war, poverty, tv, welfare - Tags: , , , ,

Sunday 9:30 an on TV3, Mihingarangi Forbes fronts an excellent current affairs show, The Hui. This morning was a special report on poverty. From the Facebook page:

Coming up on ‪#‎TheHui‬..
Doing it tough..

We come face to face with some of Aotearoa’s most desperately in need, forced to rely on welfare and not getting the help they’re entitled to.

We look at why are so many are being locked out of the gates of our rock star economy.

A special 2 part report on poverty..

9:25am Sunday’s on TV3.

We’ve missed it live but it will appear at The Hui archive for streaming.

For a while now I’ve been asking a quick question – what happens to people forced out the benefit? Some of them are telling their story on Twitter #TheHui.

43 comments on “TV3 – The Hui – Special report on poverty ”

  1. save nz 1

    There is something wrong when the government is more interested in protecting cronies in offshore tax havens than actually caring for people living in cars or being forced out of their communities by an insane policies and low and insecure wages…

    • mauÄ« 1.1

      It’s an effective ponzi scheme. The people at the bottom aren’t ever going to get anywhere near the top. The people running the scheme ignore that the bottom dwellers continually fight it out (gangs, violence, crime, suicide) and the thing rolls on.

      • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1

        The people running the scheme realise that it’s better that the poor people fight each other rather than fight them.

    • Draco T Bastard 1.2

      Yes, the government is corrupt.

    • johnm 2.1

      It’s disgusting this dehumanising treatment of beneficiaries reducing them to destitution. These are our fellow New Zealanders for God’s sake! We’re making them into home grown Syrian Refugees on our streets begging! 🙁 Meanwhile Shonkey keeps giving tax cuts to those who already have more than enough.

      When people have lost everything and have nothing else to lose they lose it!

      Re the shootings down south in a WINZ office. Most though would just suicide it’s easier. What if you need money for medication and seeing a doctor? You, just die!?

      Shame on this heartless tyranny.

  2. The Chairman 3

    Here’s the Noam Chomsky film that was mentioned.

    https://youtu.be/mmpWtjVUtRs

    • Draco T Bastard 3.1

      +1

      Must watch. Chomsky details what I said to Wayne that the rich tried to prevent democracy in the US and still try to prevent it today.

      You cannot have democracy in a capitalist society.

      • Ch-ch Chiquita 3.1.1

        I’m not sure that what Chomsky is saying is you can not have a democracy in a capitalist society, mainly because he claims we do not actually have a capitalist society.

    • Bill 3.2

      Thankyou for putting up the link. Precise. Informative…and not visually tedious 😉

  3. jcuknz 4

    After supporting the Nats in two elections the stopping of a neighbour’s benefit is what makes it highly unlikely there will be a third time.
    I can see some argument for it if the person is anti-social et al… but just for being pretty clueless … no way … However annoying for their case manager.

  4. Jack Ramaka 5

    The Auckland Housing Market is effectively a Ponzi Scheme driven by offshore money being fed into the marketplace via an Investment Category Immigration Scheme, whereby offshore citizens can gain residency by floating $$$’s into the Auckland Housing Market.

    There are virtually guaranteed capital gains as there is a limited supply of housing stock and ever increasing demand from offshore investors for houses.

    Also NZ is seen as a safe haven for parking $$$’s.

    • jcuknz 5.1

      “Also NZ is seen as a safe haven for parking $$$’s.”
      Until the bubble bursts ? Then the miss-management will arrive to bite all of us.

      • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1

        And then the government will bail out the rich with money from the poor.

    • Keith 5.2

      By an investment house, claim a tax rebate on a percentage of the interest paid, claim on “depreciation” or loss and the coup d etat, score the housing suppliment from your tenant. At least 3 ways of paying less tax whilst bludging off the taxpayer, distorting the housing market and denying those who want to buy a house to live in the ability to do so, much less an affordable one. National not only love it, they encourage it!

      Who is a beneficiary again and are they going to crack down on these parasites?

  5. adam 6

    Thank goodness that the wonderful Mihingarangi Forbes hosts this.

    The problem is this is just to uncommon, actually let me rephrase that to rear – that we speak about the hell that the bottom rug of labour have to deal with. And that the bottom rung of labour is disproportionately made up of Maori and Pacific.

    The divide between working and non-working poor is almost non-existent. Again with Maori and Pacific being disproportionately working poor.

    If the standard is a reflection of society, and I think it is much of the time. Then we are poor in recognising, that the poor, working or other wise, are labour.

    That labour, people who now essentially wages slaves in one form or another – are in this country, going backwards.

    • weka 6.1

      Sorry do you mean Labour the political party? Didn’t quite follow that.

      • Bill 6.1.1

        I believe he’s referring to labour as working class people or/and the precariat.

  6. Richardrawshark 7

    I had my invalids benefit under the new rules, but they had sewn the seeds of doubt and I went and got a job at an engineering company.
    \
    Because it was full time I quickly ran out of sick days, ended up getting paid 2-3 days sometimes. went two weeks no pay once. Never got paid at xmas, apparently bosses don’t have to pay you, the bank does and if it’;s a bank holiday well, tough.

    Got told to work through my smoko’s about 30 times and when I asked for remuneration for loss of my break he told me he already pays me for smoko and to basically fuck off.

    I ended up spinning out over a bird in the loft grabbing a fellow work mate and telling him if he didn’t stop trying to kill the bird I would kill him, I meant it literally and at that moment had lost reality I am bi-polar and wasn’t taking medication as I could not and work at same time. I realized after why i can’t work, at all, but had never experienced lossd of reality and impulsive reaction before, I will not be returning to work as I am now aware of what the issues really are with my illness.

    I am back on stable meds and stable, but working and bi-polar, is not going to happen for safety reasons.

    So I went to winz, dec 15, it’s May now I had to see a psychologist in Hams and they lady said since you went back to work you can work. LOL

    I have had to go into details with them of the issues which are many and far more than I wrote above. Still waiting an answer.

    Slow, refuse to listen, think they know you better, a nurse,(told she wasn’t a nurse by the tokoroa winz manager I know really well) that I was fit to work.. a nurse..not a nurse.

    WTF?

    • Rosemary McDonald 7.1

      That’s a terrible thing to have had to endure.

      You may have read about this….http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11457938

      …with the pilot scheme aimed at getting those with mental health issues back to work. It all sounds oh so happy clappy…with the person going to their GP, expresses a desire to work and there is a facillitator right there at the doctors surgery ready and waiting to guide the person into supported employment.

      It is quite likely to be trialed in the Waikato, through the Wise Group….http://www.wisegroup.co.nz/

      This is not something I would EVER advise people to have any faith in.

      On the other hand, there is this….The Revision of the NZ Disability Strategy….mental health comes under this…

      http://www.odi.govt.nz/nzds/2016-revision/index.html

      They are calling for submissions….probably a waste of time…but…you might want to give it a go.

      Mt partner, who has lived with a significant disability for most of his life, says that he has never felt so worthless and undervalued as he does now. Forty six years ago…things were tough, but folk gave you a go. Over the past 20 years….there is more being spent by the government to “providers” of disability supports and way less confidence in the supports offered.
      He is working on his submission as I type.

      Kia kaha.

    • Nikki T. 7.2

      Hi Richard,

      I’m in Tokoroa too on the Job Seekers. I’m schizophrenic but I’m not in the mental health community. I usually just go to the doctor for medications. I used to live in Auckland and saw a great doctor there. I was able to talk to her and at that time I used to be on the medical certificate. I lost my job in 2007 and have been on the benefit since.

      Ever since coming to Tokoroa two years ago I have had a myriad of doctors and they never get to know you. One doctor asked if I was looking for work. I’ve always hoped to get back to work but with my illness and lack of skills I can only do so much. I said yes. He immediately took me off the medical certificate. At that time, I was made available for full time work and not the 15 hours I was used to. I went away quite uneasy and I should have spoken up.

      Next minute WINZ required me to go to meetings. And have cut me off when I was ill. In the last two years I have been under pressure personally and I have had a lot of stress. I ‘talked’ about suicide (not an intention to do it but I was so damn low) with my friend (who was a darling) but I was concerned how low I was getting.

      Trouble with mental health is that you get put away if you talk to a counselor. Therefore I don’t want to be locked into this situation. It’s ok the feeling has gone but I don’t like what happened to me. When I’m ill, I hear voices and I get confused as to where I am. I literally get lost. I’m planning to go back to my doctor to get on the medical certificate. What I would like is Supported Living but they have made it so impossible. With a history of never going to the doctor for help (whinging) it doesn’t look like I can get on. But as it stands, I finally understand and accept I will never be normal and will just about need this assistance to live.

      I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. But yes, I’m going to get the help soon. Living on such a low income would be easier if I didn’t have the pressure of attending interviews. If there were jobs in Tokoroa I’d probably have applied.

      • Richardrawshark 7.2.1

        Nikki I can certainly relate, I have for years been swapped Dr’s and never found the right medications, I don’t think you ever do now, all you can hope for is one that keeps you stable with the least annoying side effects.

        I too was offered counceling there is not a lot more mental health could do, i’;m not doing counceling cannot afford it.

        As for Winz, they new me well and know of the reasons I will not be returning to work. I tried and I gave it a bloody good honest try. Lack of sleep, unable to take criticism led me to massive reactions and suicidal thought, impulsiveness was dangerous especially with rotating lathes, Missing meds because of rushing off to work. Sick periods and running out of sick days left me nearly penniless and losing my house. That I fixate upon things , I say strange things that offend people and caused friction. All those things I didn’t know and more, they never mentioned the issues I might face, just work will make me better..ahh no it didn’t I have been more stable off work than on, I was fully more suicidal and more often down cyclked whilst working due to increased pressures and more negative critisim.

        Those were the realities I faced.

        Now I am trying to explain this to winz.. wish me luck i’ll need it.

        My suggestion is to try and see Hilary Wilson at the medicentre she’s good and replaced Wiles, she’s much better and working weith us instead of brushing people off.

        I had a heart to heart with lisa and she got me sorted at winz. I just told the truth and the issues I had, at Tokoroa they were actually good about it. It’s this visiting lady and Hamiltons board that make the decisions and they are not well. Not well at all.

      • Bill 7.2.2

        Your doctor should have issued the medical certificate even though you were looking for or undertaking some type of preparation for work…WINZ would have sought a renewal after three months. (Maybe it’s one month initially and then every three months) That’s the whole point behind the … damn, I can’t keep up with the bloody name changes…sickness benefit (someone will have to provide the current name). Invalids benefit (again, that’s the old name) means you neither have to look for or prepare for work.

        And for anyone reading this, I think I just made a point I wasn’t setting out to make. The system has to be approached by ridiculously convoluted routes and the signposts along the way are as confusing as hell. Once you’re ‘in’ and doing it ‘by the numbers’, is easier. But finding the door in the first place and supplying the right password or set of passwords…it’s an arse even if you’re ‘on to it’, articulate and assertive. And if, for any number of reasons, you’re a wee bit vulnerable or uncertain, well…

        • weka 7.2.2.1

          Jobseeker, with medical exemption? is the new SB.

          Supported Living Payment is the new IB.

          • Bill 7.2.2.1.1

            Thanks.

            So there is only ‘jobseeker’ and ‘supported living payment’, but ‘jobseekers’ are split into two categories – those with a medical exemption and those without one.

            Just finished watching the Hui episode (after watching the rather excellent Chomsky film linked above) . Wish there’d been more of a systemic investigation going on rather than just a series of multiple ‘human interest’ stories. The idea that knowledge of the WINZ system and simply asking for help will go anywhere is wrong. The idea that a couple of extra bucks a week will make everything okay is wrong. The notion that most people will find work and stay in work and be reasonably secure as a result is also wrong.

            New Zealand needs to get honest with what has been going on these past 30 years and re-orientate its priorities – hugely.

            • Rosemary McDonald 7.2.2.1.1.1

              “Wish there’d been more of a systemic investigation going on rather than just a series of multiple ‘human interest’ stories. ”

              Funny you should say that Bill. Just the other day a friend (who also daily battles within the disability arena) was saying that the only way to get it through to the voting public about how shit it has become for so many individuals, is to find a forum in which those individual stories can be told.

              The day before, at a disability meeting, my disabled partner and my voices where silenced when we tried to do just that…tell our story as an example of how current policies are failing those with high and very high needs. In that environment, with other disabled people, one would think it would have been safe for us. No, we were told that they were looking for ‘big sky’ ideas….not detailed examples of system failures.

              Then we realised that the majority of those in the room were in the pay of the government to provide some form of disability support or ‘advocacy’. Government $$$ buy the narrative.

              One of those “human interest stories”, the mother unable to work because of her commitment to her son with Down Syndrome typifies how compromised the system is…how dangerous.

              The ‘story’ said how she had not been paid the Child Disability Allowance, and I imagine this had continued not to be paid to the son when he turned 18. Up $40 bucks per week….

              Just last year…it was reported that some 11,000…that’s eleven thousand parents of sick and disabled children had lost their CDA.

              http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?
              c_id=1&objectid=11419782

              “More than 11,000 disabled children have lost access to a welfare benefit that is supposed to support them, as officials try to rein in previously-ballooning costs.

              A Child Poverty Action Group report on disabled children, launched in Auckland today, said children supported by the child disability allowance almost trebled from 17,600 in 1998 to 45,800 in 2009, but were then cut back to just 34,500 last June.

              The cut has been achieved both by tightening criteria and by simply not publicising the allowance.

              Zach’s asthma has got better as he has got older. In his early years he often had to go to hospital, but last year he went only once.

              But he still needs two puffs a day on Ventolin, which costs $18 a month, and two adult doses of asthma preventer Serevent, at $5 a month.

              In winter, he gets wheezy two or three times a month. He then needs to take steroid medication Redipred, at $10 a month, and a daily tablet, Singulair, costing $96 a month.
              “He’s supposed to take Singulair every day but I don’t give it to him every day because I can’t afford it,” Ms Reid said.

              Doctor’s visits cost another $10 a visit about three times a month in winter.

              Ms Reid said the steroids Zach takes when he is wheezy makes him “hyper” and she is afraid to send him to school on those days after she found him with blood all over his face when he ran into a wall.

              “He takes probably a good 10 weeks off school a year,” she said.

              For that reason Ms Reid can’t get a job and survives on a sole parent benefit. She also receives a $60 a week disability allowance for her own asthma, which covers medical, heating and lawnmowing costs.”

              The mistake Zach’s mum made was to be a New Zealander…a country with one of the highest incidents of asthma in the developed world.

              • Bill

                Just to be clear Rosemary, I’ve no interest in silencing people. Hell, I’ve even used this forum to highlight my own WINZ situation in the past. More than once actually.

                But I’d rather see documentary or current affairs programmes tell those stories against a backdrop of rigorous, no holds barred breakdowns of the larger policy framework – the politics – that unfortunately, or for the most part, just seem to float on by quietly and unseen in the shadows.

                • Rosemary McDonald

                  My ‘tell the stories’ friend is, like many of us, rather desperate to see a change of government.

                  Was in a state of desperation before the last election.

                  Stunned, when so many were doing it tough, that National won.

                  How many know National voters who would not have voted National again had they only known how badly some people have been treated. So many hide the fact that times are hard….shame is a powerful silencer.

                  “Hui” could have dispensed with the panel session at the end and put up some solid graphics showing policies and legislation that have brought us to this.

                  All in all though an excellent program.

                  • weka

                    I was thinking about the need for a forum too, and then I thought about how many ill and disabled people aren’t safe to speak out. I’m not sure how many people realise just how far down that track we are.

                • Rosemary McDonald

                  “But I’d rather see documentary or current affairs programmes tell those stories against a backdrop of rigorous, no holds barred breakdowns of the larger policy framework – the politics – that unfortunately, or for the most part, just seem to float on by quietly and unseen in the shadows.”

                  Remember this guy….http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10768107

                  “Investigative journalist Bryan Bruce fronted the hour-long insight, and focused on how child health had deteriorated over the last century. He painted a picture of hungry kids, mouldy damp rooms in slum-worthy houses, and rising medical and electricity bills.

                  The documentary claimed 150 children who died in New Zealand last year would have lived had they been born in Japan, Sweden or the Czech Republic.”

                  One of a number of docos that not only told the stories, but how we did in the past, how other countries manage to do it better and how we could do it better….y’all remember the shitstorm?

            • weka 7.2.2.1.1.2

              Thanks for the synopsis, I don’t think I can bring myself to watch it. Does Tolley say that they have no idea what happens to people that get kicked off a benefit?

  7. Sabine 8

    just came a accros this

    http://www.theestablishment.co/2016/05/12/poor-people-deserve-to-taste-something-other-than-shame/

    quote:Kids!” she announced excitedly, “I’ve got a treat for you!”

    My brother and I gathered around the table as she produced a cake from the grocery bag. “Ever have a Boston cream pie?” she asked.

    I was furious with her.

    By 6th grade I had already figured out that we were poor and that it was a moral failure on our part. We were defective, and therefore unable to afford the things that normal families could afford. My friends had snack cabinets full of treats that they could just reach into whenever they felt like it. We had no phone, often no electricity, and if there was a package of ramen in our cupboard, it was a very good day. I wasn’t quite sure why, but I knew that this was all my mom’s fault. She had married the wrong man, she had gotten the wrong job, she hadn’t saved enough or scraped enough or worked hard enough. But we had no food in our fridge and I was pretty sure this Boston cream pie was why.

    …………………………………………………………………….

    I didn’t want any part of it. I didn’t want my mom to enjoy any part of our poor existence. I wanted her to be ashamed and sorry.

    I didn’t understand that my mom already was ashamed and sorry. I didn’t know that she walked around ashamed and sorry every day. I didn’t see that she stood in food bank and church lines ashamed and sorry. I didn’t see that she went to holiday collection services ashamed and sorry. I didn’t see that she took us to our free dental appointments ashamed and sorry. I didn’t see that every time she passed over those food stamps to try to feed us she was ashamed and sorry. I didn’t realize that every message that had surrounded me and told me that we were poor because my mom was a bad mom who couldn’t take care of us had not only surrounded my mom, but had filled her lungs and rested in her heart. I understood only what the pundits had wanted me to see—that she was a poor woman who was squandering what she already didn’t deserve. ” Quote end.

    as for the poor in NZ that don’t get help from Winz, they move in with their families, their friends, into a garage, a shack under a bridge. They beg, they steal, they try to live of cashies, they sell themselves, anything to make a buck and make it another day.

    NZ does not care.

  8. slumbergod 9

    I’ve had enough of life at the bottom. It is just too hard dealing with WINZ; they do everything they can to deny you entitlements and threaten you with fraud. It just isn’t worth it. You ask for help and they just refuse to help you so its like waiting for things to get increasingly worse as each new set of welfare reforms is shunted through.

    That Labour and NZ First supported the lastest welfare reforms absolutely DISGUSTS me. They are are such hypocrites. I expect BS from the Natzis but from Labour too 🙁

    • Richardrawshark 9.1

      If your having trouble with Winz getting things you have a right to, seek a Winz advisor to assist your claim. You will get it straight away if you need it, they work well keeping the winz service agents following the letter of law and not denying things based on attitudes.

    • Jenny Kirk 9.2

      These are dreadful stories, and absolutely awful for the people targetted by WINZ. But don’t blame Labour and NZFirst Slumbergod – they didn’t support the Natzi’ social welfare reforms – not at all.

      • weka 9.2.1

        They do and they don’t. They have voted for some of the legislation. And everytime National bash benes and Labour doesn’t stand up for them, it’s another affirmation that bludger culture rules and that beneficiaries are third class citizens. There are those of us who also believe that Shearer’s painter on the roof story was unforgivable. Until Labour make some kind of ammends for that, it’s hard not to see them as part of the problem.

        When the time comes I don’t feel confident that Labour will do right by beneficiaries. That unfortunately is based on experience.

  9. weka 10

    Listening to the stories of people here and on twitter (and having heard many in my own life), this is why we should be working for the wellbeing of all people. I understand the big push to address child poverty, but I also think that underlying that is the abandonment of beneficiaries. The left and the people of conscience deciding to go for the gains they can get for one group that necessitates the sacrifice of others, because at least some gains can be made that way.

    That Labour have abandoned beneficiaries is clear*. The best I have heard is that Little, when prompted, will state that Labour work for all NZers. So at least he is aware of the issue and still has some conscience. But in action Labour are actively following the path that says don’t mention the welfare. And that is hurting people. Real, live people.

    I’m not sure where the Greens are on this. Their focus on child poverty is understanablde and still problematic. They have at least voted against National’s welfare reforms. But still there is very little voice from them in standing up for what is now an intentionally created sub class of NZers.

    This happened on our watch. The thing that really gets me listening to the stories above is that we knew that people with mental health issues were already at risk. We knew that in the 90s, when the health reforms were happening. It’s hard for me not to see us as having thrown those people under the bus. I’m talking about the left here.

    • Rosemary McDonald 10.1

      “It’s hard for me not to see us as having thrown those people under the bus. I’m talking about the left here.”

      Finally.

      An acknowledgement that Labour could have done better.

      Much, much better.

      For some of us, its as if Labour paved the way.

      • weka 10.1.1

        Is that ‘finally’ aimed at me? If so, please have a look at my many years on TS of criticising Labour over benefit issues (and many other issues).

        (sorry if it’s not aimed at me, still cautious after all the Labour bashing for the sake of it stuff).

        btw, that last sentence of mine wasn’t about Labour. It was about the left in general, including here on ts. You and I know what’s been happening to people with disabilities all this time. It doesn’t get much attention in the cut and thrust world of macho politics.

  10. weka 11

    As an aside to that, for the lefties who think that data sharing is a good thing because it will provide better health care, I want you to go and reread the stories above and think about the serious breaches of humans rights that are already happening. That people can have their income removed completely by the stroke of a pen from a prejudicial doctor (god knows why people think that doctors are better humans than the rest of society. There are just as many neoliberals within medicine as without). At the moment it still takes effort for the system to do that.

    If Bill English gets his super data system, it will be very very easy for the system to pull out whatever data it wants and use that to punish people or simply just push them away. In the UK, mass data is now being shared with non-govt organisations, and this is starting to happen in NZ. English wants to include NGOs. The upshot of all that is that people like the beneficiaries in this thread and on twitter will have yet another level of disempowerment laid upon them. Some will be able to fight back to protect themselves, most won’t. Please bear in mind that ones posting on the internet are the ones still doing relatively well despite the sometimes huge harm they are describing. We need to remember the ones who have no voice at all as well.

  11. Rosemary McDonald 12

    Someone really, really needs to superglue his arse to a chair and make him watch this “Hui” program.

    Seriously.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/80013933/prime-minister-john-key-says-homeless-families-should-contact-work-and-income

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  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    18 hours ago
  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    20 hours ago
  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    21 hours ago
  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    1 day ago
  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 day ago
  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    2 days ago
  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Old habits
    Media awareness about global warming and climate change has grown fairly steadily since 2004. My impression is that journalists today tend to possess a higher climate literacy than before. This increasing awareness and improved knowledge is encouraging, but there are also some common interpretations which could be more nuanced. ...
    Real ClimateBy rasmus
    2 days ago
  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    2 days ago
  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    3 days ago
  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    3 days ago
  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago
  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    3 days ago
  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    3 days ago
  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    3 days ago
  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    4 days ago
  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaos
    Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
    Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Letter To Luxon.
    Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.   Brian Easton writes –  Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • CRL Progress – Sep-23
    It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
    4 days ago
  • Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enough
    We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Game on; Hipkins comes out punching
    Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
    The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • MIKE GRIMSHAW:  It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 17, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 23, 2023. Story of the Week  Opinion: Let’s free ourselves from the story of economic growth A relentless focus on economic growth has ushered in ...
    5 days ago
  • The End Of The World.
    Have you been looking out of your window for signs of the apocalypse? Don’t worry, you haven’t been door knocked by a representative of the Brian Tamaki party. They’re probably a bit busy this morning spruiking salvation, or getting ready to march on our parliament, which is closed. No, I’ve ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Climate Town: The Brainwashing Of America's Children
    Climate Town is the YouTube channel of Rollie Williams and a ragtag team of climate communicators, creatives and comedians. They examine climate change in a way that doesn’t make you want to eat a cyanide pill. Get informed about the climate crisis before the weather does it for you. The latest ...
    7 days ago
  • Has There Been External Structural Change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was similar to the May Budget BEFU, ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago
  • Another Labour bully
    Back in June, we learned that Kiri Allan was a Parliamentary bully. And now there's another one: Labour MP Shanan Halbert: The Labour Party was alerted to concerns about [Halbert's] alleged behaviour a year ago but because staffers wanted to remain anonymous, no formal process was undertaken [...] The ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • Climate Change: Ignoring our biggest problem
    Its that time in the election season where the status quo parties are busy accusing each other of having fiscal holes in a desperate effort to appear more "responsible" (but not, you understand, by promising to tax wealth or land to give the government the revenue it needs to do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • JERRY COYNE: A good summary of the mess that is science education in New Zealand
    JERRY COYNE writes –  If you want to see what the government of New Zealand is up to with respect to science education, you can’t do better than listening to this video/slideshow by two exponents of the “we-need-two-knowledge-systems” view. I’ve gotten a lot of scary stuff from Kiwi ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • Good news on the GDP front is accompanied by news of a $5m govt boost for Supercars (but what about ...
    Buzz from the Beehive First, we were treated to the news (from Finance Minister Grant Robertson) that the economy has turned a corner and New Zealand never was in recession.  This was triggered by statistics which showed the economy expanded 0.9 per cent in the June quarter, twice as much as ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • The Scafetta Saga
    It has taken 17 months to get a comment published pointing out the obvious errors in the Scafetta (2022) paper in GRL. Back in March 2022, Nicola Scafetta published a short paper in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) purporting to show through ‘advanced’ means that ‘all models with ECS > ...
    Real ClimateBy Gavin
    7 days ago
  • Friday's Chorus: Penny wise and pound foolish
    TL;DR: In the middle of a climate emergency and in a city prone to earthquakes, Victoria University of Wellington announced yesterday it would stop teaching geophysics, geographic information science and physical geography to save $22 million a year and repay debt. Climate change damage in Aotearoa this year is already ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: Calling the big dog’s bluff
      For nearly thirty years the pundits have been telling the minor parties that they must be good little puppies and let the big dogs decide. The parties with a plurality of the votes cast must be allowed to govern – even if that means ignoring the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • The electorate swing, Labour limbo and Luxon-Hipkins two-step
     Another poll, another 27 for Labour. It was July the last time one of the reputable TV company polls had Labour's poll percentage starting with a three, so the limbo question is now being asked: how low can you go?It seems such an unlikely question because this doesn't feel like the kind ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    7 days ago
  • A Womance, and a Nomance.
    After the trench warfare of Tuesday night, when the two major parties went head to head, last night was the turn of the minor parties. Hosts Newshub termed it “the Powerbrokers' Debate”.Based on the latest polls the four parties taking part - ACT, the Greens, New Zealand First, and Te ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • When The Internet Rushes To Your Defense
    Hi,You can’t make this stuff up.People involved with Sound of Freedom, the QAnon-infused movie about anti-child trafficker Tim Ballard, are dropping like flies. I won’t ruin your day by describing it here, but Vice reports that footage has emerged of executive producer Paul Hutchinson being inappropriate with a 16-year-old trafficking ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • Doubts about Robertson’s good news day
    The trading banks yesterday concluded that though GDP figures released yesterday show the economy is not in recession, it may well soon be. Nevertheless, the fact that GDP has gone up 0.8 per cent in the latest quarter and that StatsNZ revised the previous quarter’s figure to show a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • The Votes That Media Dare Not Speak Its Name
    .Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..A recent political opinion poll (20 September) on TV1 presented what could only be called bleak news for the Left Bloc:National: 37%, down two points equating to 46 seatsLabour: 27%, down one point (34 ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #38 2023
    Open access notables At our roots Skeptical Science is about cognition of the results of climate science research in the minds of the entire human population. Ideally we'd be perfectly communicating understanding of Earth's climate, and perfectly understood. We can only approximate that, but hopefully converging closer to perfection. With ...
    1 week ago
  • Failing To Hold Back The Flood: The Edgy Politics of the Twenty-First Century.
    Coming Over The Top: Rory Stewart's memoir, Politics On The Edge, lays bare the dangerous inadequacies of the Western World's current political model.VERY FEW NEW ZEALANDERS will have heard of Rory Stewart. Those with a keen eye for the absurdities of politics may recognise the name as that of the ...
    1 week ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
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    1 week ago
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