US warns: don’t cling to carbon

Written By: - Date published: 6:59 pm, April 1st, 2009 - 43 comments
Categories: climate change - Tags: , ,

Take heed, for the Superpower has spoken. At Round One of this year’s international climate change negotiations (in Bonn, Germany) the US has stolen the spotlight with a rousing opening address. President Barack Obama’s envoy Todd Stern stressed the need for action and warned countries like New Zealand that they’re set to become losers in the race to low carbon economies.

‘By transforming to a low-carbon economy, we can stimulate global economic growth and put ourselves on a path of sustainable development for the 21st century. I would go so far as to say that those who hang back and cling to a high-carbon path will be economic losers in the end because with the scientific facts of global warming getting worse and worse, high-carbon products and production methods will not be viable for long.’

‘High carbon’ ring any bells? New gas fired power stations? New highways? A watered down ETS? An industrial agriculture sector dressed up as a golden goose?

I wonder if members of the New Zealand delegation take note, or simply keep their noses buried in their ‘how to plead special treatment and win’ manual. Rumour has it New Zealand is one of only three countries which have refused to put forward a proposed emission reduction target. The other two? Russia and the Ukraine. Nice bed pals. (and here we thought John was seeking to emulate Barack not Vladimir).

Stern was unequivocal about the need to take climate change seriously.

‘You will not get one member of my delegation questioning the science of climate change, nor the urgency. The science is clear, the threat is real, and the facts on the ground are outstripping the worst-case scenarios. The costs of inaction or inadequate action are unacceptable.’

This constitutes a complete 180 from the world’s biggest economy (and second biggest emitter). In the regretful days of the Bush administration, lead negotiator Harlan Watson did his consistent best to train-wreck the talks. (‘A targets and timetables approach will not work for us .We’re going to resist it, obviously ..The United States is opposed to any such discussions’ and so on and so forth.)

Now Watson (in Bonn on the coat-tails of a sceptic senator) sits in the corner with his head down, shamed by the strength of Stern’s conviction. Stern got a round of rapturous applause for his efforts, a stark contrast to the silence that used to befall the room after America’s contributions.

So there is indeed hope in the crisp spring air of Bonn. But you’ve got to wonder, what’s the point of bold new leaders if countries like New Zealand refuse to respond to the call?

43 comments on “US warns: don’t cling to carbon ”

  1. Johnty Rhodes 1

    Utter Bullshit from the Kenyan dickhead. There is not consensus on AGW. The last 8 years has shown no warming according to GISTEMP, NASA’s data. And before I get shot down this is run by James Hanses, Al ‘Fatmam’ Gore’s GW adviser.

    The Green New Deal is a croc of shit. We are close to a depression, increasing costs of power and Cap & Trade will prolong the new Depression.

    [lprent: this dickhead later got banned for thread jacking]

    • Chris S 1.1

      Calm down, Johnty…

      There is not consensus on AGW

      Unfortunately, that’s not true. See, the people who have been refuted time and time again both in peer reviewed scientific literature, and the media don’t actually count when it comes to judging a consensus.

      The Green New Deal is a croc of shit. We are close to a depression, increasing costs of power and Cap & Trade will prolong the new Depression.

      Well, I guess we’ll see. These things must happen, whether you like them or not. Personally, I think moving towards removing dependence on a limited resource, oil, will only strengthen our economies. Lucky it’s a side-effect of “going green”

      • Johnty Rhodes 1.1.1

        Peer reviewed articles like the dis credited MBH98 Hockey Stick. That is/was the standard of ‘the consensus,’ well that hockey stick was shattered in 2005.

        [lprent: this dickhead later got banned for thread jacking]

    • Chris S 1.2

      And about GISTEMP, How about looking at the trends and tell me what you see?

      http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs/

      • Johnty Rhodes 1.2.1

        I used the data at http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/tabledata/GLB.Ts.txt

        Do the graph yourself, a straight line reg. analysis has a zero baseline over the past 8 years. The rate of warming has dramatically slowed in the past 10 years, even though CO2 has increased 5%, a rather poor correlation. Even over the past 15 years the straight line trend is only 1.2 deg per century. A lot of hot air over nothing in reality. Remember, this is from GISTEMP, one of the Kenyan’s tools to con us into sacrificing our taxes in the name of saving the world.

        [lprent: this dickhead later got banned for thread jacking]

        • ripp0 1.2.1.1

          JR,

          sacrificing our taxes

          the money is YOURS..? How so..?

          Further, why don’t you keep what you’ve gotten ? take it from circulation.? rely upon the keepsakes..? Avoid such taxation thereon altogether..?

          would beat moaning, groaning and gringing here.. most efficiently..

          • Johnty Rhodes 1.2.1.1.1

            Yep RIPP0, part of those taxes were mine, I earned a salary and the govt. takes some to waste on UN feelgood programs, WFF.
            I do not mind paying for hospitals, schools etc but if I was offered 0% tax, but user pays + GST and you needed private insurance I would be happy with that. Sure would have a lot less un productives like the useless beauracrats we have.
            I like have a moan here, gives me a pleasure that K Rd couldn’t.

          • mickysavage 1.2.1.1.2

            Johnty

            There are more climate change scientists named Johnty that believe in climate change than there are scientists who believe that it is a load of crock.

            I and my children share this world with you. Please stop trying to undermine action that may just save it.

            Besides you should act as if it may be true. The possibility of future planetary devastation is more than enough reason to change your behaviour even though it may not happen.

            Do you really want to take the risk that you may be wrong?

  2. Bill 2

    Having read Stern’s address two things strike me.

    First is the unshaken belief that ‘sustainable growth’, ie Capitalism will not only be salvageable but will also serve as the means by which climate change will be averted or mitigated. That’s insane.

    Second thing is that taken as a whole, although the speech is a turnaround, it has no real substance. Some $ sums are thrown around, some % thrown around and the sum total amounts to nothing more than nice sounding greenwash.

    But I guess that’s all you’ll ever get from people who cannot recognise that Capitalism is the principle problem.

    • Johnty Rhodes 2.1

      More like too much socialism being allowed into the capatilist system. Capatalism is not helped by Kenyan’s demanding anyone can own a house, even if you are a bum in Chicago. Sub Prime started when the Kenyan Community Organiser got bolshy when Clinton was in power. Funny how members of Fanny Mac & Freddy May are now advisers to the Kenyan. Same voo doo economics as well, throw money at waste.

      I admit Bush stuffed things up as well, but that will be nothing after the Kenyan has finished with the USA & Western world.

      [lprent: this dickhead later got banned for thread jacking]

      • Bill 2.1.1

        You’re obviously suffering chronic oxygen deprivation. I’d get my head out of there if I was you son.

        • Johnty Rhodes 2.1.1.1

          Sorry Bill, I did not realise it was your arse I had my head up, hope your eyes are not too watery………

          [lprent: this dickhead later got banned for thread jacking]

          • Bill 2.1.1.1.1

            That would be disorientation kicking in. It’s not my arse your head is up. But at least you do realise and accept where your head is… even if the specifics are wrong.

      • ripp0 2.1.2

        JR,

        open invitation.. keep clicking me for a real education in the real world.. you’ll need balls for this.. and a lotta hair to lose.. if you dare

  3. Macro 3

    Why do you always keep on dropping the ball Johnty! The Bullshit is from you! Your – “its getting colder!” cry has been shown to be false time and again. You are getting a bit boring.

  4. Schwule 4

    Frost tomorrow and my log burner is on full blast at present and that’s no April fools joke..

  5. getstuffed 5

    Fucking lies, lies, lies!

    Build more highways. Burn more fuel. Reduce the welfare spend. Cut the top tax rates. Kill all blue eyed babies.

    Do i sound like a national party person yet?

    The way your blog makes it sound that’s exactly how they think and ACT.

    You guys are pathetic, just like global warming is. I deliberately turned on all the appliances in my house to counter act the morons who turned there’s off. I will be dead long before my waste catches up with me.

    Chill out, stop caring about the bigger picture and turn this into a porn blog!

    • Johnty Rhodes 5.1

      Getstuffed – here here. They are all left wing zombies here, Clark Good, Key bad.

      Having fun, just presenting facts from NASA data and I get shouted down, I have no agenda, just want to show that AGW is a load of hot air.

      [lprent: this dickhead later got banned for thread jacking]

  6. Johnty Rhodes 6

    Macro – I can only go by the data i have from the site http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/tabledata/GLB.Ts.txt

    Instead of shouting down my comment why not download the data and do a spreadsheet and see for yourself. It has actually shown a 2.2 deg per century cooling over the past 5 years. But, just to make you happy the trend from the past year shows a 59 degree warming per century.

    Remenber, this is from NASA, James Hansen’s baby not some right wing thinktank funded by dirty oil.

    [lprent: this dickhead later got banned for thread jacking]

    • r0b 6.1

      Macro – I can only go by the data i have from the site http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/tabledata/GLB.Ts.txt

      And here are the graphs derived from that and other data:
      http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/graphs/
      Occasional periods of cooling are just natural variation, look at the trends, all of the trends, over decades…

      Remenber, this is from NASA, James Hansen’s baby not some right wing thinktank funded by dirty oil.

      Yes, and this is what NASA say about their data:
      http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/rosenzweig_02/

      A vast array of physical and biological systems across the Earth are being affected by warming temperatures caused by human activity. These impacts include earlier leafing of trees and plants over many regions; movements of species to higher latitudes and altitudes in the Northern Hemisphere; changes in bird migrations in Europe, North America and Australia; and shifting of the oceans’ plankton and fish from cold- to warm-adapted communities. Based on an analysis of aggregated data, we recently published a study which is the first to link observed global changes in diverse systems to human-caused, or anthropogenic, climate change.

      The study found that humans are influencing climate through increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and that the warming world is causing impacts on physical and biological systems attributable at the global scale.

      Remenber, this is from NASA, not some deluded right wing blog troll.

  7. justthefacts 7

    Wow, I guess old the Mickey Moused eared POTUS must be serious about climate change.

    Perhaps that is why he has taken 500 people, three helicopters, twelve vehicles and two jets all the way to the G20 summit.

    • Johnty Rhodes 7.1

      JTF – do as I say, not as I do. This is typical leftwing dogma.
      And hey, leave Micky Mouse out of it, at least he was American.

      [lprent: this dickhead later got banned for thread jacking]

      • ripp0 7.1.1

        JR,

        little learning.. round and round to the right is terribly boring.. this is the result of a bird, for instance, having no left wing.. would be the same for a rowboat.. but not an airborne power plane..

        yet you choose – not the same as prefer – you choose round and round in circles.. circles growing smaller with the effort until—collapse—falling… the higher you are the worse it is..

        time for another choice.. the livable choice.. do you have the guts to take it..?

        • Johnty Rhodes 7.1.1.1

          RIPP0 – I do not deny your right to do things different, but I am happy with how things are going in fact, the circle of my influence is now increasing. In fact it is so large I do a round trip to the USA every 6-8 weeks. Thankfully the planes i fly have 2 wings so I fly straight and do not do circles until we are getting ready to land at the airport.

          The system we have has it’s faults but we will come out of it and we don’t need to alter things too dramatically.

          [lprent: this dickhead later got banned for thread jacking]

  8. Schwule 8

    It is raining bullshit at the G20 summit.
    I hope Nobama has his wet suit on?

    • Johnty Rhodes 8.1

      Nearly had it right Schwule – could be raining bullets. Kenya could be in mourning tomorrow………..
      So many nutters there in Londanistan, and that is just the locals before all of the left wingers decend on the city.


      [lprent: this dickhead later got banned for thread jacking]

  9. Johnty Rhodes 9

    Appropriate site to open on 1 April.

    [lprent: this dickhead later got banned for thread jacking]

  10. Johnty Rhodes 10

    Bill – I think I won that bout, first to score a blow wins, second best I am afraid for you.

    [lprent: Nope what you’ve won is a right to leave us for a while.

    At least you read something for a change. However your comments here do not constitute a ‘discussion’. It is clear from this comment that you simply wanted to thread jack, and ensure that there was no discussion. That is a clear violation of policy. I suggest you read it.

    Go away for a month and don’t come back. I’ll tag all of your comments in this thread to point out your threadjacking just to enhance the lesson.]

  11. JR seek professional help.

    Occasionally blogland can be good. You get a diversity of views where opinions are exchanged and arguments developed. At other times you get wingnuts invading and posting without thinking or reading. There is no development of ideas, just the exchange of slogans. IMHO the wingnuts are not able to develop arguments because they have this mindset that they are right and the left is wrong and nothing will change that view. Then the debate gets rather turgid.

    This is one of those debates …

  12. Ianmac 12

    Well I still think that even if Global Warming was not an issue, it would still be great to reform clean air/water, destruction of biosphere and so on. Before long the conflicts will be over clean water. Fix it before it is too late Johnty. Please?

  13. Demeter 13

    i wouldn’t’ want anyone to miss the point here. Climate change is not about “believing” anymore. It’s about whether you’re a going to be a winner or a loser in the new world order. Or, in NZ’s case, even a player

  14. Schwule 14

    You mean the new world disorder.
    When is Jesus coming back?

  15. John Dalley 15

    Earth to John Key, how long are you going to be a chump about Greenhouse Gases and still do nothing.
    For those Right Wing “Dunderheads” it’s not about “if” any more but the damage to New Zealand’s overseas trade and barriers that will be put up by our competitors.

  16. infused 16

    Porn blog, awesome. First lol I’ve had here in awhile.

    This is a load of shit. US is full of hot air. They are going to do nothing.Key is right for not putting anything forward.

    And shut the hell up about highways. Electric cars will become mainstream over the next 5 years. What are we going to drive them on, railroads?

    • Draco T Bastard 16.1

      What power source are we going to use to make them and power them on the road?

  17. lprent 17

    infused: Electric cars will become mainstream over the next 5 years.

    They have been saying that as long as I can remember. It is like fusion energy – always 20 years away. Sounds like you’d prefer to live in faith rather than reality.

    Tell you what, lets test your hypothesis. Put up the price of petrol to say triple the current values and see what happens. Perhaps they can magically get around their fundamental issues in electricity storage technology, like rarity of the types of rare earths required for the best storage systems.

    In the meantime, there are well known efficient public transport systems that available now – like rail. All you have to do is to start putting in infrastructure early enough.

    But wait, you elected a moronic government. They can be compared to Russia and the Ukraine for their touching inability to understand basic science

    • infused 17.1

      Live in faith rather than reality? That’s for people that cling to Global Warming, you have me confused.

      People don’t use our shitty public transport system, because it is just that. The way New Zealand is, the public transport system doesn’t work for most people. You are going to have to accept that. Unless you want to start pouring billions in to the redesign of cities. Yeah, how long is that going to take?

      It’s about being realistic. Public Transport, on the scale you guys have been talking, is not realistic in the time it’s going to take to build, the money that would have to be spent nor would it be realistic for most people to use. It’s really self evident.

      Please look in to the electric car movement. Funny how GM is about to start pushing their electric cars in to mainstream production this year eh?

      Where would the power come from? Could divert that money from public transport in to building more power infrastructure 😉

  18. Joshua 18

    It is very heartening to hear this change in opinion from the USA. Almost good enough for me to be able to live with the result of last year’s two November elections (would we have preferred a Labour/McCain result…. hmmmmm) as getting the USA on-side with climate change talks means that something will finally happen.

    If New Zealand wants to stand around burying its head in the sand we’re going to get totally hammered in terms of our international reputation. Even if right-wingers don’t believe in climate change surely they are worried about our international reputation. 100% Pure, Clean & Green New Zealand doesn’t cut it if we’re one of the handful of international countries pulling back on climate change talks. Just look at the hit Australia and the USA’s reputations took when they weren’t involved in the Kyoto Protocol.

    Infused….. tell me what’s the average age of a car in New Zealand? How much more expensive are electric cars than normal cars? What does one do about issues relating to the scarcity of battery components? By the time electric cars become affordable for the majority of us it’ll be decades into the future. In winter last year when petrol was $2.20 a litre traffic volumes across Auckland were down by 5-10% while public transport was bursting at the seams…. why wouldn’t that happen again?

    • infused 18.1

      People didn’t want to use public transport Joshua, that’s the thing. They were forced.

      Hence now it’s returned to normal.

      It probably will happen again, but it’s besides the point.

  19. TomSe 19

    Just my views on the car aspect of this discussion.

    One of the biggest obstacles to developing a coherent response to global warming is the refusal of Green change advocates to grasp that our current car-centric culture exists because in a market economy CONSUMERS LOVE THEIR CARS. Note love – not a mild flirtation, or a dilatory dalliance – a full blown ongoing love affair exists between the consumer and the motorcar. The implications for developing public policy in a democracy are obvious, yet the Green’s just don’t want to get it. But in black and white, here it is. In a democracy, you will never win substantial power on an anti-car platform. All the high minded commitment to a Green new deal will count for nothing if you are not on the treasury benches because your policies are for ideological reasons permanently in diametric opposition to something very close to most voters’ hearts.

    So firstly it seems to me the correct approach for a Green new deal, at least in the medium term, is to give up the demonisation of the motorcar as a symbol of western consumer excess and accept the car is here to stay and seek technological alternatives not to the car in general but the internal combustion engine in particular.

    Secondly, accepting the public love affair with the car should lead to a more realistic approach to developing a public transport infrastructure. Accepting that you will only force people out of their cars by prising their cold, dead hands from the steering wheel means you can make the obvious case for things like draconian congestion charging at peak flows, and accept that public transport can’t be simply an inconvenient and time consuming option that you really should do because it is good for the planet and all, but it has to be frequent, swift, reliable and CHEAPER than the car to attract sufficient ongoing and willing patronage.

    Anyway, that is my little comment for the day.

  20. Joshua 20

    If people just “love their cars” then how come car ownership rates in other cities are so much lower than Auckland’s, for example? How come places like Toronto and Calgary have 8 to 10 times the public transport usage per capita of Auckland? Are they being “forced” onto public transport, or it is because they actually have the “choice” of a decent public transport system instead of using their cars?

    One could very much argue that people are forced into driving here, as decades of under-spending on public transport (coupled with huge spending on roads) means that we have an incredibly unbalanced transport system. For example, the best option suggested by the Maxx Journey Planner for me to get from my home to my work at peak hour is a 1 hour and 55 minute walk!

    Are Aucklanders just a weird form of humanity that loves their cars more than other places around the world? The huge increases in public transport patronage over the past 6-8 years might suggest otherwise… where we’re given a decent alternative to the car we will use it.

Links to post

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Let Them Eat Sausage Rolls: Hipkins Tries to Kill Labour Again
    Sometimes you despair. You really do. Fresh off leading Labour to its ugliest election result since 1990,* Chris Hipkins has decided to misdiagnose matters, because the Government he led cannot possibly have been wrong about anything. *In 2011 and 2014, people were willing to save Labour’s electorate ...
    5 hours ago
  • Clued Up: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    “But, that’s the thing, mate, isn’t it? We showed ourselves to be nothing more useful than a bunch of angry old men, shaking our fists at the sky. Were we really that angry at Labour and the Greens? Or was it just the inescapable fact of our own growing irrelevancy ...
    10 hours ago
  • JERRY COYNE: A powerful University dean in New Zealand touts merging higher education with indigeno...
    Jerry Coyne writes –  This article from New Zealand’s Newsroom site was written by Julie Rowland,  the deputy dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Auckland as well as a geologist and the Director of the Ngā Ara Whetū | Centre for Climate, Biodiversity & Society. In other ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    14 hours ago
  • Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away.
    Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away.For the last couple of weeks its felt as though all the good things in our beautiful land are under attack.These isles in the southern Pacific. The home of the Māori people. A land of easy going friendliness, openness, and she’ll be right. A ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    18 hours ago
  • Speaking for the future
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.MondayYou cannot be seriousOne might think, god, people who are seeing all this must be regretting their vote.But one might be mistaken.There are people whose chief priority is not wanting to be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    19 hours ago
  • How Should We Organise a Modern Economy?
    Alan Bollard, formerly Treasury Secretary, Reserve Bank Governor and Chairman of APEC, has written an insightful book exploring command vs demand approaches to the economy. The Cold War included a conflict about ideas; many were economic. Alan Bollard’s latest book Economists in the Cold War focuses on the contribution of ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 day ago
  • Willis fails a taxing app-titude test but govt supporters will cheer moves on Te Pukenga and the Hum...
    Buzz from the Beehive The Minister of Defence has returned from Noumea to announce New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting and (wearing another ministerial hat) to condemn malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government. A bigger cheer from people who voted for the Luxon ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • ELIZABETH RATA: In defence of the liberal university and against indigenisation
    The suppression of individual thought in our universities spills over into society, threatening free speech everywhere. Elizabeth Rata writes –  Indigenising New Zealand’s universities is well underway, presumably with the agreement of University Councils and despite the absence of public discussion. Indigenising, under the broader umbrella of decolonisation, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the skewed media coverage of Gaza
    Now that he’s back as Foreign Minister, maybe Winston Peters should start reading the MFAT website. If he did, Peters would find MFAT celebrating the 25th anniversary of how New Zealand alerted the rest of the world to the genocide developing in Rwanda. Quote: New Zealand played an important role ...
    2 days ago
  • “Your Circus, Your Clowns.”
    It must have been a hard first couple of weeks for National voters, since the coalition was announced. Seeing their party make so many concessions to New Zealand First and ACT that there seems little remains of their own policies, other than the dwindling dream of tax cuts and the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 8-December-2023
    It’s Friday again and Christmas is fast approaching. Here’s some of the stories that caught our attention. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered some of the recent talk around the costs, benefits and challenges with the City Rail Link. On Thursday Matt looked at how ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • End-of-week escapism
    Amsterdam to Hong Kong William McCartney16,000 kilometres41 days18 trains13 countries11 currencies6 long-distance taxis4 taxi apps4 buses3 sim cards2 ferries1 tram0 medical events (surprisingly)Episode 4Whether the Sofia-Istanbul Express really qualifies to be called an express is debatable, but it’s another one of those likeably old and slow trains tha… ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 8
    Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro arrives for the State Opening of Parliament (Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)TL;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:New Finance Minister Nicola Willis set herself a ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand’s Witchcraft Laws: 1840/1858-1961/1962
    Sometimes one gets morbidly curious about the oddities of one’s own legal system. Sometimes one writes entire essays on New Zealand’s experience with Blasphemous Libel: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/blasphemous-libel-new-zealand-politics/ And sometimes one follows up the exact historical status of witchcraft law in New Zealand. As one does, of course. ...
    2 days ago
  • No surprises
    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    2 days ago
  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    3 days ago
  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    3 days ago
  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    4 days ago
  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    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 ...
    4 days ago
  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    5 days ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    5 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    5 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    5 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    6 days ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    7 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    7 days ago
  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    1 week ago
  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-12-09T12:43:46+00:00