Wailing and Nashing of teeth

Written By: - Date published: 12:46 pm, March 16th, 2023 - 66 comments
Categories: boycott, chris hipkins, david seymour, politicans, stuart nash - Tags:

It is pretty clear to me that leaders acting tough and beating up on members of their team leads to political advantage.

I realised this back in 2010 when my mate Chris Carter succumbed to intense personal pressure and did a couple of silly things.

Then leader Phil Goff went to town on Carter who was quickly expelled from Caucus and then from the Party.  Thankfully more recently saner heads have prevailed and Chris is again a productive member of the party.

Immediately after Carter’s expulsion from caucus Goff’s and Labour’s polling support improved.  Beating up on your fellow politicians never seems to hurt.

Yesterday Chris Hipkins moved quickly to strip Stuart Nash of the Police portfolio.  It was frankly a spectacular own goal.  Nash mentioned on Newstalk ZB how he had rang his mate the Police Commissioner to ask if the police were going to appeal a decision but then it quickly became apparent that he should not have.

The case in point was pretty grim.  From Stuff:

In the June 2021 decision, a Southland man was sentenced to four months’ community detention after he was found with an AR-15, a 12 gauge shotgun, two AR-15 magazines, two Ruger magazines and thousands of rounds of ammunition at his house.

Police’s gun seizure and criminalisation of the man came after the Government banned military style, semi-automatic guns, assault rifles and high-capacity magazines following the Christchurch Terror Attack on March 15, 2019.

A buyback scheme was launched in the wake of the attack and ran until December that year, but the man hid the AR-15 under his mattress until it was found in March 2021.

It’s understood Nash called Coster about a week after the sentencing and expressed his concern about the sentence.

Nash was a government minister when the phone call was made, but he was not Minister of Police at that time.

His call appears to have had no effect.  Again from Stuff:

On Wednesday afternoon, Coster said in a statement: “I regarded the phone call as a venting of that frustration, and nothing more. I felt this was a rhetorical question, not a request, and I did not take any action following the phone call.”

Having said all of this the sentence was well within the Judge’s discretion and Ministers should tread very carefully before commenting on cases.

There has been an attempt to rewrite history and claim that what Nash did is worse than what Maurice Williamson did in 2014.  For instance David Seymour has said this:

“Former Minister Maurice Williamson resigned in 2014 for allegedly interfering in a police investigation into businessman Donghua Liu, but Stuart Nash this morning boasted of calling the Police Commissioner to influence prosecution decisions,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Speaking on Newstalk ZB this morning, Police Minister Stuart Nash boasted that he’d called the Police Commissioner about a case where an accused person was found innocent. “I’ve seen a couple of judgements, and actually one I phoned up the Police Commissioner and said surely you’re going to appeal this?”

“The Police Minister of all people should know that police independence is paramount. We do not want to live in a country where politicians get involved in police prosecution decisions. It wouldn’t be the first time if a Minister in this Government distanced themselves from an issue saying ‘of course we have to respect the independence of police operations.’

I thought this was a stretch.  Williamson was fired for contacting a senior police officer about a prosecution involving Donghua Liu, before Mr Liu pleaded guilty to charges of assault with intent.  From Jared Savage at the Herald:

Maurice Williamson has resigned as a Minister.

It follows Herald revelations he contacted a top ranking police officer after a wealthy businessman with close ties to him was arrested on domestic violence charges.

The Prime Minister’s office is understood to have also questioned Mr Williamson over his involvement with Donghua Liu’s criminal case.

In a statement, Prime Minister John Key says he’s accepted Mr Williamson’s resignation.

“I have been made aware that Mr Williamson contacted Police some time ago regarding their investigation of Mr Donghua Liu,” Mr Key said.

“Mr Williamson has assured me that he did not in any way intend to influence the Police investigation.

“However, Mr Williamson’s decision to discuss the investigation with Police was a significant error of judgement.

“The independence of Police investigations is a fundamental part of our country’s legal framework.

Of course this is not the end of the story.  Donghua Liu had been a significant donor to the National Party.  He had been awarded residency status despite official advice not to do so and Maurice Williamson had made representations on his behalf.

And the party went to extraordinary lengths to hide a second donation that Liu made to the party.  The day before Williamson was sacked National should have declared this donation.  That they avoided doing so had a major bearing on the election.  Labour was blasted for receiving donations from Donghua Liu that did not actually happen whereas there was pristine evidence that National had received donations from him and that a senior Minister went into bat with the police for him.  As I said previously New Zealand you were played.

In my view the two cases are not comparable.  Nash has paid a price for his inappropriate comment.  But a question about if an appeal will be lodged is not the same as making representations to the police about an active case involving a party donor.

66 comments on “Wailing and Nashing of teeth ”

  1. Gosman 1

    The rules do not make distinctions based on the nature of the case that a Minister is discussing with the Police. ANY contact is deemed inappropriate.

    • James Simpson 1.1

      Agreed.

      The whataboutism with Williamson doesn't change the fact of what Nash did.

      It is either right or wrong.

      • Anne 1.1.1

        Yeah… and black is white and white is black.

      • gsays 1.1.2

        Too right James, it seems it's whataboutism when 'they' do it.

        I have been awaiting the spin and hear what defending the indefensible sounds like. Point out a very low bar and intimate it isn't as bad as that.

        Like a lot of these sort of issues, action occurs when we, the hoi polloi, find out about it. I can't help but feel Nash's actions aren't a surprise to the main players.

        Labour, just like National but. …..

    • Then Gosman, how do you find Judith Collin's interference in the Bain case. Boy oh Boy. Rules get bent out of shape "when it serves."

      Plus your friend who would not accept the court’s ruling regarding her son.
      Both these women are still “serving” Nats.
      They should be discarded ahead of Nash.imo

    • bwaghorn 1.3

      Maybe , but usually the sentence is adjusted to reflect how bad the we offending was.

    • adam 1.4

      So your saying your house boy got it wrong?

  2. Ad 2

    PM Hipkins is racing his ship marginally faster than National by chopping everything above the waterline into his campaign furnace.

    Policy, funding or personnel are being burnt.

    Caucus now realize every one of them are simply flammable risk.

    • tsmithfield 2.1

      I don't know if being burnt is the correct analogy. I think it is more of a case of putting all the unpopular stuff into the fridge for later. A point the Nats need to drive home. A vote for Labour means a vote for every hated policy being resurrected after the election.

      • AB 2.1.1

        Nah – Hipkins will never do anything that is genuinely and reasonably hated by a lot of people. Things that are necessary and where the hate is manufactured by disinformation, anti-Ardern lunacy, or the ZB/NewsHub/Herald/RW Thinktank nexus, he might just wait a bit until people calm down. What he should absolutely do however, is find things that the majority of people love and National hate, then do as many of them as he can.

      • Robert Guyton 2.1.2

        "A point the Nats need to drive home."

        Why?

        • tsmithfield 2.1.2.1

          All the stuff he is dumping because he thinks it is unpopular.

          That can be a double edged sword because it suggests he doesn't really believe in anything, and anything is expendable for votes.

          • Robert Guyton 2.1.2.1.1

            Your reply doesn't make sense in light of your claim that he's not really dumping anything – just consigning it "into the fridge for later".

            What do you really mean?

    • SPC 2.2

      Really … a lot of them are dependent on his strategy working to keep their place in the caucus.

    • Look at the culprit. The PM had no room to hedge as Nash burnt his credibility publicly.

  3. tsmithfield 3

    Nashy could be gone.

    Sounds like it wasn't his first offence. Barry Soper will be talking about it on ZB at 4.45.

    • Robert Guyton 3.1

      Well, if Barry's got the scent…Nash'll be fine 🙂

      • tsmithfield 3.1.1

        If it is fact it doesn't matter who said it. Apparently the Attorney General had seriously considered prosecuting for a similar thing previously. Anyway, we will find out soon enough I expect.

        If it is true it probably doesn’t put Hipkins in a very good light if he was aware of the previous offence.

        If he sacks Nash completely now, and it turns out he already knew about the first offence, questions will be raised about why he didn’t do the full Monty on the first take.

        • tsmithfield 3.1.1.1

          Yep. On the Herald as well now.

          Apparently, the comments were made prior to the trial, and hence could have potentially caused a mistrial.

          From the article:

          Cabinet minister Stuart Nash is set to come under further pressure amind revelations the Solicitor General had considered prosecuting him for contempt over public comments he had made after the arrest of Eli Epiha in the case of the killing of police constable Matthew Hunt.

          “amind” Don’t they run a spell check??

          • SPC 3.1.1.1.1

            It's an interesting timeline.

            17 June the Southland farmer gets HomeD.

            19 June a policemen is shot.

            An arrest date .. hard to find.*

            To Nash the point of the arms legislation was to prevent killings.+

            He makes a public comment on ZB radio in 2020*+ after the arrest and via the SG and AG gets a warning. By that time he had already talked by phone to police about the Southland sentence.

            Then in 2022 makes a public comment about that phone call. As Police Minister, asking for trouble …

            Obviously using the ZB platform to reassure the public of his personal concern about (gun) violence and public safety, but doing so in that way when already having been warned … .

            I once peered into a Minister's office one evening, it was awhile ago now (parliament buildings era, couch by desk) and I suspect I saw evidence of the location of one of Matiu Rata's comics – one just hope it was returned without fish 'n' chip stains.

        • Robert Guyton 3.1.1.2

          "Apparently the Attorney General had seriously considered prosecuting.."

          And did the Attorney General prosecute..?

        • Incognito 3.1.1.3

          … questions will be raised about why he didn’t do the full Monty on the first take.

          Because Hipkins wasn’t PM at the time [June 2020]?

          • tsmithfield 3.1.1.3.1

            By first take I was meaning when he stood him down from the Police role the other day. The second take hasn't happened yet…

    • AB 3.2

      Nashy saying the sorts of things that one would expect from Mark Mitchell is not a good look. Seems that when Nashy goes on ZB he overdoes the regular bloke keen to take it to the crims persona – and forgets to hedge it all with clear statements about the operational independence of the police and courts. It's understandable on that swamp of knee-jerk, right-wing idiocy – anything less would get lambasted as soft on crime. But when he adopts that persona, he needs to be a whole lot smarter and more cynical about the ZB morons interviewing him, and where their loyalties lie.

      Though I do wonder how National's laura norder base will enjoy seeing their party being all woke and politically correct by going after Nashy – just because he had the guts to tell it like it is? '

      Edit: though it’s entirely possible that after having got Nash sacked, the Nats will turn on a dime and say “Nash was the only one in Labour not soft on crime, and they sacked him.” (Never make the mistake of thinking Nats have principles.)

      • Robert Guyton 3.2.1

        "Though I do wonder how National's laura norder base will enjoy seeing their party being all woke and politically correct by going after Nashy – just because he had the guts to tell it like it is? "

        Yes. They will. Get some guts!!!

        • Sanctuary 3.2.1.1

          I agree – while the MSM/press gallery love this sort of thing – they get to be consulted as savvy "analysts", they get the thrill of getting a scalp, and they flatter their egos by being seen as important. The press gallery culture in particular seems to acclimatise its members to this sort of pack behaviour, and it spreads like an infectious disease through their ranks. it relieves them of the need to think, or of the labours of investigation into real stories.

          what is going to save Nash though is the general public will be broadly supportive of his intentions. As far as a majority of voters are concerned his crime is one of over-enthusiasm in pursuit of getting the crims. That means the opposition can only chase the story so far before falling victim to triangulation. It would be quite different if he were Nahia Mahuta ringing the police commissioner to suggest they not bother appealing the lenient sentence of a gang member. That would be a scandal that would have the Pakeha majority outraged. Such is the structural racism of our land.

          And just BTW – I think Nash is a complete nob.

      • tsmithfield 3.2.2

        There is a principle at stake though. As I pointed out below, the easiest way to see how wrong it is is to imagine what it would be like if Nash was calling for protesting teachers to be arrested or given a harsh sentence.

        There is a big problem if politicians start trying to direct police or judiciary against people they don't like. That is why it is such a big issue.

        • Judith Collins, Barbara Kruriger, both interfered in court decisions. Why are they still there?
          I don’t support what Nash has done, but accountability is not high in the National Party at times.
          Whataboutism I know, but they are still there!!

  4. Stuart Munro 4

    I have no sympathy for Nash, whose performance in the fisheries portfolio brings a miasma of putrefaction to everything he touches even without name-dropping Dennis the Menace's dog.

    But, is this not the second time in recent memory that Labour is taking advice from David Seymour? Of the many advisors available to the PM, Seymour is not the one best attuned with the public good, much less those issues of concern to, and preferences of, Labour supporters.

    That police ministers must be scrupulous in their communications is fair, but it is important not to wantonly extend such strictures beyond their natural range. Nash did not break the convention because he was not then minister, and punishing him merely to gratify Seymour is simply weak.

    • bwaghorn 4.1

      Oh common if the crim Nash wanted the book thrown at had of been a ram raider instead of a gun nutter with an assault rifle under the mattress seymours fringe loon party would have been right behind it.

      • tsmithfield 4.1.1

        The point is he fired his mouth off before the trial. Doing that had the potential to cause a mistrial.

        It is not right for politicians to be telling the police or judges what to do. In another setting, that sort of behaviour could be downright sinister. Nash ranting on a populist issue doesn't make it right.

        • Stuart Munro 4.1.1.1

          His ranting (if that characterisation were appropriate) was in his capacity as an acquaintance of the police commissioner. And that's how much weight it carried.

          But Hipkins has chosen to lend gravitas to Seymour's whining, which it lacked on its merits. An own goal so egregious I find myself on the same side as the normally unspeakable Mr Nash.

          • tsmithfield 4.1.1.1.1

            But that was the second offence, having being warned by Parker on a previous occasion. So there is form.

            And trying to minimise it a mate talking to a mate actually makes it worse if you think about it.

            Imagine how upset those on the left would be if Nash had been calling over the radio for the police to start arresting say… protesting teachers or something like that. There would be howls of outrage from the left, and hopefully the right as well. Because it is the thin edge of the wedge.

            • Stuart Munro 4.1.1.1.1.1

              Pfft – right wing censorship and faux outrage must be firmly opposed.

              The right to personal political expression is muted, not lost, in office.

              Hipkins may believe there was the appearance of intellectual rigor in his action, but, outside ACT's circle of slavering gun nuts, the public are not especially supportive of gun nut jobbery, and many likely agree with Nash.

              • tsmithfield

                and many likely agree with Nash.

                I agree with you on that. And that is why he may keep his job. I probably agree with the sentiments he expressed as well. And I actually quite like Nash. But, I think we all need to be concerned about the precedent this sort of behaviour sets, and what future ramifications there could be if that behaviour is not sanctioned sufficiently.

                The right to personal political expression is muted, not lost, in office.

                Sure. The right to personal expression still exists in politics. But in a general, but not specific sense. So:

                "I think criminals who commit horrendous crimes should be locked up for longer" is OK so far as political expression is concerned.

                But saying before a trial:

                "What Joe Bloggs did is horrendous and he needs to be locked up for a long time" definitely is not. Because it could be seen as an attempt to influence the process and may have unforseen consequences in terms of a possible mistrial.

                While the public may well agree with the sentiment, they may be a lot less forgiving if expressing that sentiment allowed a nasty criminal back on the streets.

              • tsmithfield

                Pfft – right wing censorship and faux outrage must be firmly opposed.

                So, do you think that left wing censorship and faux outrage is good and should be encouraged?

                • Stuart Munro

                  So, do you think that left wing censorship and faux outrage is good and should be encouraged?

                  Why would you think that? We have had several successive instances of this phenomenon, Campbell, Lineker, and now Nash.

                  Once is happenstance – twice coincidence – thrice enemy action.

                  If you have comparable Left instances I am sure we are all ears.

            • SPC 4.1.1.1.1.2

              No it was not, the timeline would indicate that the phone talk with a policeman was prior to the public comment at the arrest of the person who shot the police officer – that led to the SG and AG warning.

  5. Phillip ure 5

    Hipkins doesn't want to fire nash because centre/right voters like him…end of story..

    One gets the feeling hipkins would clasp cleopatra's asp to his bosom..if it would help him get over the line..

    But nash is looking untenable..

    • Phillip ure 5.1

      And…re nash in fisheries..my boy has just done his master's thesis..and it includes some pretty sharp comments on how nash was/is owned by those he is meant to regulate..

      And it does bear remembering how nash won his seat..

      Remember how local righties supported him to the extent they got that piece of work from the sensible sentencing trust to stand and split the right vote in what had been a safe tory seat..

      It pays to remember history. .and I won't be sad to see him go…

      I can't think of any labour politician that is more right-wing than him…

      No loss…

    • Robert Guyton 5.2

      Cleo had an asp?

      Nice to see you back in the commentary box, Phillip.

      • Phillip ure 5.2.1

        Yes..she committed suicide by clasping one to her bosom..

        Hello Robert..thank you for your welcome..

        It's election year..a time when arguments can matter..

        I am also contemplating wading back into the kiwiblog swamp..

        To bait and harrass them..in a general sort of way..

        • devil Oh yes.. bother them.

          • Phillip ure 5.2.1.1.1

            I don't know if I have the stomach for it…

            I went and had a look..and good grief!… it's even worse than it used to be….there is some deeply delusional crap going on there…real table-leg chewing stuff..

            I blame trump…

        • Incognito 5.2.1.2

          I am also contemplating wading back into the kiwiblog swamp..

          To bait and harrass [sic] them..in a general sort of way..

          groan

          And RWNJs will come over here and return the favour, which is just what we need in Election Year or any year for that matter. Why don’t you use Social Media for baiting & harassing each other? It is perfect for that!

  6. Darien Fenton 6

    A couple of points : firstly, the Chris Carter situation was completely different. He undermined the leadership and his caucus colleagues by distributing a letter to the media. I remember it well. He hurt a lot of us by this action because we liked Chris. I am glad he is back, and would also say he did a lot of productive work in Afghanistan. Secondly, there is a game in Parliament, where the opposition tries to score by taking down a Minister to undermine the government. They are like wolverines who smell blood often aided and abetted by the media. Stu hasn't helped, but be careful you don't get too caught up in the game, which is not only to destabilise the government, but in Stu's case, take the seat of Napier from Labour.

    • Anne 6.1

      I can picture the scenario:

      Nash was extraordinarily stupid to have mentioned that Coster phone-call to Hosking of all people. The moment he got a chance Hosking would have been on the phone to Luxon's office and spreading it around among his National Parry mates. I have the impression they had all their ducks in a row before they went public.

      Nash can be his own worst enemy sometimes. He appears to have some difficulty judging some individuals for what they are. Never ever trust a Nat no matter how jolly they may seem to be. It is not in their bones to be straight up and honest about anything unless it is to their advantage.

      • tsmithfield 6.1.1

        “Nash can be his own worst enemy sometimes. He appears to have some difficulty judging some individuals for what they are.”

        Doesn't that indicate a big problem though. Because it sounds to me that he is a loose cannon with a motor-mouth. So, what is to say he won't do this sort of thing again? It may not have had any negative consequences to date. But next time it might.

        • Anne 6.1.1.1

          Yes, it does indicate he has a problem. He opens his mouth sometimes before engaging his brain. It should be the other way round. He's not alone. We've all done it, but most of us learn over time when to keep our mouth shut. Poor old Stuart hasn't quite got the hang of it yet.

          It wasn't a serious case of misjudgment and Coster himself has said so, but he did need to be taught a lesson.

          As for NAct calling for his head on a chopping block… that is very much a pot/kettle response and should be treated as such.

          • tsmithfield 6.1.1.1.1

            In many respects, Nash is one of the likeable and effective MPs in the Labour ranks. So, I don't wish him ill-will.

            One of the key considerations is whether he is likely to offend again in the future. As the saying goes, previous behaviour is the best indicator of future behaviour. And there has been previous behaviour on two occasions now that we are aware of.

            As I said, such mis-speaks could potentially have drastic consequences. That is what worries me about Nash. Because I am not sure if he can help himself.

            • tc 6.1.1.1.1.1

              Effective for who ? Fisheries industry aside.

              You're onto it, he can't help himself and did the right thing resigning.

              Underperforming is something he's got plenty of form in and the police need a shake his matey approach isn't suitable for. Never rated him.

      • Lukas 6.1.2

        Anne, you do realise that Nash made these comments on a live interview? Hosking did not need to “jump on the phone to Luxon’s office” because the comments were broadcast live on the highest rating morning radio show in the country. There is no vast right wing conspiracy involved in this!

        • Anne 6.1.2.1

          "There is no vast right wing conspiracy involved in this!"

          Who said there was. surprise

          Go back to Kiwiblog. Its more your level.

    • Phillip ure 6.2

      @ ms. Fenton ..

      Maybe labour could ask that toe-rag from the sensible sentencing trust to stand again..?

      To split that right-wing vote…?

      It worked a treat that other time..

  7. Incognito 7

    The worst outcome of all this is that it emboldens Newstalk ZB and its MO.

    • Maurice 7.1

      Even worse is the perception that much of Parliament (not just the Government!) is full of gaffes and gotchas which makes them ALL look tired and past their use by date.

      Perhaps we the voters need to do a clean sweep and replace them with a new bunch … who will inevitably become the same?

    • Sanctuary 7.2

      Yeah – they'd taken a Fox/Dominion text messages credibility hit due to their irresponsible culture war angles on Gabrielle, now Nash has put the likes of Hosking and Soper back on the news agenda.

    • Craig H 7.3

      Annoyingly so. On the other hand, it's now the perfect example to add to any answer by ministers to questions about particular sentences/crimes/policing in general. "Sorry, can't answer that as operational independence of the Police must be maintained." Followed by "see Minister Nash's example for why I won't be commenting further" and an unspoken 'especially not to the likes of you'…

  8. Ad 8

    Prime Minister Hipkins needs to figure that it's not enough to stop things or fire people.

    This mode of smashing everything and anyone that tilts his rudder away from winning the election has to stop at some point.

    Pure political management just isn't enough.

    We will vote for people and parties that give us a reason.

    In the words of the Prophet Springsteen, "At the end of every hard earned day people find some reason to believe."

    Hey Hipkins: give us a reason to vote for you.

  9. Corey 9

    Stuart is extremely popular in his region and brings in votes.

    He was beyond stupid to say he tried to interfere in a case like that and on zb of all places and if the allegations about his relationship with the forestry industry are true then he is even more foolish.

    Hes a proud descendant of Walter Nash, that ruthless bastard who demanded Nordmeyer make the black budget as painful as possible while running around showing everyone his gold watches and pendents and somehow was shocked when kiwis through him out after one term for inflicting so much hardship on them.

    • Phillip ure 9.1

      @corey..

      My understanding is that nash was lange..and nordmyer was his douglas…

      And that like lange nash can be criticised for not standing up to him..

      And nash had a bit of the ardern about him..

      Both seeming more comfortable with big ideas on the international stage..

  10. Maurice 10

    This may only be the start – another one gone

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/486186/labour-mp-for-whangarei-announces-retirement

    Labour MP Emily Henderson will retire from politics at the upcoming election after three years representing Whangārei.

    Henderson made history as the first woman electorate MP to represent Whangārei and the first Labour MP for Whangārei in over 45 years.

    She was first elected in 2020, narrowly beating National MP Dr Shane Reti.

    • Craig H 10.1

      A few MPs have already announced retirements, so she isn't exactly the start of that trend, but agree that there could be a few more yet.

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  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
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