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Warnings on Auckland Housing

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, March 31st, 2017 - 60 comments
Categories: housing - Tags: , ,

Warnings on the state of the Auckland housing market are coming thick and fast now. People who bought recently (at the peak of prices and low interest rates) are likely to get burned. From Stuff:

Warning to Auckland home buyers: ‘The game’s over’

ANZ’s chief economist says “the game’s over” for Auckland’s housing boom, and warned New Zealand’s largest city is now heavily exposed to the risk of rising interest rates.

While Auckland has a major shortage of new houses being built at a time of record migration, Cameron Bagrie said the real driver of house prices were low interest rates. With mortgage rates already climbing, Bagrie said higher borrowing costs would trump the supply shortage.

So still no good news for first home buyers.

“House prices have risen to such an extent that we estimate that for the average Auckland household to purchase the average house… debt servicing costs (principle and interest) would now represent 51 per cent of average disposable incomes,” Bagrie said.

“A 1 percentage point increase in mortgage rates would see this jump to nearly 56 per cent, which is far higher than in 2007, when the minimum mortgage rate was closer to 9 per cent.”

Here’s the usual excellent analysis from interest.co.nz:

The Auckland housing market is on the verge of losing all the capital gains it made in the last 12 months

The Auckland housing market is on the verge of having all of the capital gains it made in the last 12 months wiped out. Prices of Auckland properties have fallen so much in the last few months that median prices are within a hair’s breadth of going into negative territory on an annual basis. They may already be there.

In February the average price of Auckland homes sold by Harcourts, the country’s largest real estate agency, was $934,428, down 1.1% compared to where it was in February last year.
…
According to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand, Auckland’s median selling price peaked at $868,000 in October last year and has declined every month since. In February it hit $800,000, down 7.8% from October’s peak.
…
The interesting thing about those numbers is that the downward trend they show is occurring at a time when Auckland’s migration-driven population growth is increasing at record levels and construction of new housing continues to fall miserably below the numbers that are required, exacerbating the region’s growing housing shortage.

How can this be? As you might expect, the market is being influenced by forces converging from several different directions.

One of the biggest changes to affect the Auckland market over the last few months has been the relative absence of local ethnic Chinese buyers. It would be hard to underestimate the impact they were having on Auckland’s residential property market up until about the end of the third quarter of last year. … Auctions that were packed with Chinese buyers this time last year are now much quieter and Chinese faces are often more notable by their absence rather than their presence. … With the odd exception, the days of the bidding frenzy are over.

This change in buyer behaviour corresponded with new restrictions the Chinese government introduced on the amount of money people could take out of China, cutting off one of the main sources of funding for property purchases by Chinese buyers in this country.

Around the same time, interest rates started rising and tougher loan-to-value ratio (LVR) restrictions on investment properties introduced by the Reserve Bank began to bite.

All of these factors began to weigh on market sentiment, which could potentially have a bigger impact on the market than actual drivers like interest rates.

Here’s a view from the outside, the (Australian) Macrobusiness blog (lots of useful graphs, go read the original):

Add a third huge bubble city to your Aussie bank risk list

CoreLogic has released its latest New Zealand Property Market & Economic Update, which paints a disturbing picture of Auckland’s housing market.

First, population growth into Auckland has been extreme – driven by immigration – with the city’s population growing by 44,500 over the past year, accounting for nearly half of New Zealand’s total population growth of 97,000 … At the same time as Auckland’s population is surging, dwelling consents remain weak…Which has led to a worsening shortage of homes across New Zealand, concentrated in Auckland.
…
Yet, despite the exorbitant cost, investor participation in the Auckland housing market is at a record high 44%, whereas first home buyers have crashed to 19%
…
In short, Auckland’s housing market is an immigration and investor-led bubble like few others.

Any government is between a rock and a hard place here. Prices need to fall for first time buyers, but if they do fall (especially with rising interest rates) some recent buyers are going to be hit hard.

English said at the end of 2015 that low interest rates could be locked in “for years”, they started going up in 2016. With similar grasp of the issues English reckons the high cost of housing is due to environmental protection measures, and his helpful advice to first home buyers is be patient. In short, National have no answers.

Labour wants to help first time buyers by building affordable houses. If they have a solution for at risk buyers who bought at the peak I’m not aware of it. Markets rise, they also fall, Auckland might fall further.

60 comments on “Warnings on Auckland Housing ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Andre 1
    31 March 2017 at 7:54 am

    nnggh…must not be irritating pedant…nnnnggh…arrrgh

    “People who brought recently (at the peak of prices and low interest rates)…”

    brought is the past tense and past participle of bring

    bought is the past tense and past participle of buy

    I feel better now.

  2. Andre 2
    31 March 2017 at 8:00 am

    As for the substance of the post: the interest.co.nz piece points a finger at Chinese money getting tighter leading to a fall in activity from Chinese investors. But there is still the possibility of that being balanced in the near future by Trump refugees from the US as they work their way through the paperwork.

    • Fustercluck 2.1
      31 March 2017 at 9:41 am

      Migrants of any extraction are only capable of temporary distortion of the market. ANY residential real estate market that disconnects itself from first time home buyers and instead relies on speculators is doomed. The drop in prices is on its way, the only question is exactly when. Interest rates shifting from historically low levels will be a violently effective catalyst for this change in the market.

  3. BM 3
    31 March 2017 at 8:03 am

    Labour wants to help first time buyers by building affordable houses

    That’s the problem with Labours plan right there.

    Facts are only a very small fraction of first home buyers can afford a new house, what needs to happen is for the older house market to drop in value, this is what first home buyers should be aiming at

    Labour would do so much better to target this sector by providing more state housing and introduce a rental WOF, this will help free up more properties and make the rental market less attractive to speculators/investors.

    Kiwi build will do nothing but cripple first home buyers with a mountain of debt for the next 30 years.

    • r0b 3.1
      31 March 2017 at 8:11 am

      what needs to happen is for the older house market to drop in value, this is what first home buyers should be aiming at

      I agree with you (for a change). But I don’t see any political party ever being willing to say that.

      • Sacha 3.1.1
        31 March 2017 at 8:41 am

        Except the Greens already did: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/309530/auckland-house-prices-need-to-drop-50-percent-greens

        Never happen in a coalition govt with Labour. Homeowners vote.

      • BM 3.1.2
        31 March 2017 at 8:41 am

        Kiwi build is nothing more than an expensive political gimmick which will achieve nothing, Labour needs to flag this Kiwibuild nonsense and concentrate on the rental sector, that’s what will help people the most.

        Labour needs to be proposing or will do.

        – Rental WOF
        – State Housing with rent to buy options
        – Stop foreign speculation in the residential property market
        – Take steps to free up as much land as possible over the next 10 years

        One of the worst thing that’s happened to NZ in the past 10-15 years is having so people up to their eyeballs in debt, all that money removed from the economy and heading offshore instead of staying in the local economy creating jobs.

        • Jenny Kirk 3.1.2.1
          31 March 2017 at 10:00 am

          BM – Labour’s housing policy includes state housing – building 1000 a year rentals until the need is satisfied.
          This is why they (Labour) have said its a COMPREHENSIV housing package – it covers all needs.

          • Enough is Enough 3.1.2.1.1
            31 March 2017 at 12:06 pm

            And in the short where are these builders coming from to build these additional 100 rental a year.

            Do we have a surplus of builders waiting for Labour to be elected, or are we at full capacity now?

            I

        • ropata 3.1.2.2
          31 March 2017 at 10:21 am

          hahahahaha “expensive political gimmick”

          who was it that
          . wasted millions on a flag referendum?
          . built the white elephant Kapiti Expressway?
          . wanted to build 2x white elephant Conference centres?
          . built a goddamn SHEEP FARM in the DESERT!?!?
          . raised GST and cut income taxes?!

          The rest of your comment is less silly… but you forgot to add Capital Gains Tax and a Land Value Tax to your list

          • aerobubble 3.1.2.2.1
            31 March 2017 at 3:02 pm

            Dont forget inviting tourists here and leaving them to shit on everything coz Minster of Tourism Key think its okay for cows to. Infrastructure. Where is it!

    • AsleepWhileWalking 3.2
      31 March 2017 at 2:41 pm

      Yep.

  4. Keith 4
    31 March 2017 at 8:17 am

    So rather than Nationals fiddle while Rome burns tinkering it is likely that the Chinese Government had a bigger influence. That must have pissed the Nat’s right off, busily looking like they were doing something but inbuilt full of loop holes until another government did the right thing!

    And despite the immigration flood with the large component of non resident migrants being a particular aggravator of National Party making, consents are weak which speaks of what a directionless cluster fuck this “housing boom/crisis” has been. No planning both migrant or housing wise, just Nick Smith and co running around with their hair on fire when the polling starts to hurt.

    But for now the investors are still selling houses to each other like nothing has changed or so it seems.

    However I think plenty are going to have to be burnt badly by their greed if there is ever any chance of this insanity being cured, just like the 1987 stock market crash burnt greedy mum and dad investors. Tough love I think conservatives call it!

    • Once ........... etc. 4.1
      31 March 2017 at 2:13 pm

      +1 – especially the last two paragraphs.
      And the thing that peeves me is that we’ll all be expected to feel sorry for those (speculators) driven by greed.
      But since the Natzis have been bought (and indeed bRought), they’re now being given a gentle reminder of just who exektery is in control.

      And whilst we’re all talking about property – there’s more shit in the wings gradually eeking its way out: that ‘tertiary education export sector’, with academia now blowing whistles on the pressure being put upon them. All designed to inflate yet another bubble.

      Has anyone else noticed though that the agencies involved in all of this – whether its Building and Housing, Immigration, Labour Inspectorate and various other bits – all fall under that bugger’s muddle of a Joyce creation (MoBIE)? The ‘I’ bit certainly is – its just applied in a way no one saw coming.

  5. Ad 5
    31 March 2017 at 8:24 am

    If it kept like this until September, it’s almost the election the Opposition might want to lose.

  6. Carolyn_nth 6
    31 March 2017 at 8:25 am

    And what will happen to the situation for those of us who rent in Auckland?

    • Andre 6.1
      31 March 2017 at 8:42 am

      Well, there’s frequent assertions by some that any increase in costs to landlords will cause them to raise rents. But as far as I can tell, there seems to be two fairly broad groups of landlords: those that actively try to maximise the return from their investments and raise rents as high as they can to what the market will bear as frequently they can, and those that are satisfied with an adequate return and are happy enough with lower than market rents especially for good stable tenants.

      So the rental market will continue to be set by “what the market will bear”. Immigration will continue to be a push upwards on that. If there is in fact a large number of empty houses purchased in expectation of capital gain, and the market turns down, then those might start getting offloaded increasing the supply of rentals and pushing down rental rates.

      • Carolyn_nth 6.1.1
        31 March 2017 at 8:46 am

        OK. Thanks. So, it’s just wait and see. Feels like being at the mercy of other people’s behaviour (often based in greed), on which I have no influence.

        • Andre 6.1.1.1
          31 March 2017 at 8:55 am

          Sadly yeah. Culturally the way renting in New Zealand (and Australia and most of the US) has been viewed as a brief step on the way to owning has meant tenancy protection laws have been left very lax. Which feeds back into the emotional appeal of owning simply for the security.

          • Carolyn_nth 6.1.1.1.1
            31 March 2017 at 8:58 am

            Yes. That’s how I see the NZ situation – talking up NZ housing as the Kiwi dream becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy – except, the last buyers into a property-buying frenzy get burned, and the dream turns to a nightmare.

            Renting has been fine for me for most of my adult life (except the last 9 years), and it probably will be again.

  7. Sacha 7
    31 March 2017 at 8:44 am

    Great to see a bank economist acknowledging financial factors are a big part of the problem, rather than land supply.

  8. ianmac 8
    31 March 2017 at 8:51 am

    If the Auckland Market is to loose the last 12 months of Capital Gains, could Key have seen it coming and walked away?

    • ian 8.1
      31 March 2017 at 9:58 am

      He probably would have seen it coming. If our house price difficulties are caused by capital flight, an expert currency trader (like Key) would have seen it a mile off. Not sure if that’s why he left though. Remember, he was the one who pushed the button on Operation Burnham.

    • Mordecai 8.2
      31 March 2017 at 12:49 pm

      Well that’s the latest theory that will end up in the dustbin of history with all the others.

  9. saveNZ 9
    31 March 2017 at 10:27 am

    We have heard all these comments for 20 years. I have no idea what will happen with property, but I do know that most property ‘experts’ always get it wrong.

    Until the last few years experts refused to even consider immigration as a factor and openly discounted it.

    In Auckland there is record rents, short supply and still more people coming. The banks have changed their investment criteria and are being tight with lending and that is effecting the prices more. Chinese often have large cash deposits and can get much lower interest rates but their domestic policy has tightened up.

    I’ve had many friends who listened to these so called experts and did not buy. One friend was told by ‘experts’ not to buy because it was ‘the peak of the market’ at $500k sold for $1.4 million a few years later and now they can’t afford to buy anymore.

    In general property will double every 7 years and has done so since the year dot.

    Yep, there are ups and downs but the eye watering costs of construction, the poor productivity level of construction (yep apparently with all the ‘skills’ shortages the government policy of importing people instead of training people in this industry has mean’t that our construction productivity has dropped), the amount of natural disasters and remedial work needed on current supply stock…

    Anyway too early to call it. But I would not be dancing a jig and thinking the sky’s about to fall in on property any time soon and if it does fall in, that local people will benefit from that.

  10. Wensleydale 10
    31 March 2017 at 11:22 am

    There’s a storm coming. I’m waiting for the howls of anguish to start any day now. “You mean, behaving like a rapacious brigand at the rest of society’s expense might have some negative consequences?! Noooooo!”

    Note to self: Must refrain from smirking.

  11. ropata 11
    31 March 2017 at 11:30 am

    Sure theres a shortage of more than 50k homes but the most important thing is rich people dont have things near them https://t.co/s1lMeu9hQU— Francis McRae (@FrankMcRae) March 29, 2017

    Herald article: “Nine-level apartment blocks rejected”

    A Todd Property company has been denied consent to build apartment blocks up to nine levels high at a big Auckland residential community.

    Auckland Council rejected the application from Stonefields Development to build three apartment blocks and 11 terrace houses at 80 Korere Tce at Stonefields in the Mt Wellington/St Johns area.

    “The bulk and scale of the apartment buildings would result in a character which is not in-keeping with the neighbouring development and not envisaged in the planned urban character for the site and area,” the council decision said.

    • Molly 11.1
      31 March 2017 at 2:49 pm

      Stonefields has the look of 1960’s East Europe as you come down from St Johns.

      A particularly ugly, unwelcoming development at the moment.

      Also, looks like a place that would be sweltering hot in the summer. Unless there is a way to catch the breeze in what is essentially a stone crater. And given the thermal mass of the stone around the development, that ambient heat is going to be fairly high.

      The place needs more planned “cooling” areas to start before adding more thermal mass in the form of bigger buildings.

  12. ropata 12
    31 March 2017 at 11:33 am

    Here's the 5 feedback loops that are making the Auckland housing crisis worse, and 5 ways to fix it. https://t.co/otp8gAZ0O7— Bernard Hickey (@bernardchickey) March 30, 2017

    Auckland housing in a crisis loop

    Auckland’s housing supply and affordability crisis is proving devilishly hard to fix, partly because the high prices that should help solve the problem have found at least five ways to make the problem worse.

    These feedback loops could be broken with the help of least five interventions proposed in recent months, but that is only possible with the political will to overcome the objections of those who benefit from sky-high prices.

    • Mordecai 12.1
      31 March 2017 at 12:48 pm

      “That’s what happens in normal markets where land supply for housing is plentiful ”

      From the piece you referred to. That’s precisely what the government is addressing.

    • Brendon 12.2
      31 March 2017 at 2:16 pm

      Excellent report by Bernard Hickey. I was pondering over the following facts earlier today.

      “Building consents stagnating in Auckland.
      https://www.interest.co.nz/property/86807/number-new-dwelling-consents-issued-has-trended-down-every-month-august-last-year

      This is a different path to Canterbury -we had a series of one off demand shocks -earthquake damaged housing in 2010 to 2012 when aftershocks finally abated. Canterbury’s response was for building consents increased to 12 per 1000, with much higher rates in Waimak and Selwyn districts. Canterbury hit a residential build peak by the end of 2014 through to the beginning of 2016 and a gradual decline to more usual consenting rates -which are still the second highest in the country.

      Auckland has had a continued (right up to current day) ramp up in demand from rising immigration yet building consents have only increased to 6 per 1000 and this has stagnated for last year.”

      Bernard filled in the back story of how Canterbury as an emergency response to the earthquakes increased supply but Auckland has not.

      • Brendon 12.2.1
        31 March 2017 at 2:41 pm

        Probably the difference was Christchurch was an obvious crisis. Problems like a lack of housing could not be ignored -there was a political will to act.

        While in Auckland the housing crisis has been denied and there has been a lack of political will to act. The National party are one of the main deniers. Refusing to act for years. Whereas Labour could see the growing housing crisis way back in 2012 and started to announce policy -including the still relevant KiwiBuild policy.

        Here is a NZ Herald from November 2012
        http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10848869

        What a waste this policy wasn’t acted on…….

    • saveNZ 12.3
      31 March 2017 at 7:06 pm

      Isn’t Hickey the guy who has predicted the property crash for the last 15 years… only he’s always wrong. So wrong that a lot of local people were advised by him in his articles not to buy, did not and now can’t afford to buy.

      Usual right wing advice disguised as left wing advice.

      Maybe people should ask the Christchurch people how happy they are as he seems to think the government did an amazing job with the earthquake rebuilding…. he’s the only guy I’ve ever seen who write’s that.

      Now we don’t have John Campbell anymore to actually go to Christchurch and find out did the government interference and reduction of all building and resource consent standards a good idea (I guess like leaky building, time will tell),

      Nope, no John Campbell, but we still have the same tired old commentators giving the same advice, no matter how incorrect their advice has been in the past.

      (I guess if you say the same thing for 15 years, maybe eventually you may finally be right… or maybe not)…

  13. Jeremy 13
    31 March 2017 at 11:53 am

    “[ANZ’s latest Property Focus publication says] 51% of household income is getting sucked up by the interest payments on an average new purchase in Auckland”

    https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/86789/david-hargreaves-hopes-best-auckland-home-buyers-making-high-stakes-gamble-auckland

  14. Mordecai 14
    31 March 2017 at 12:45 pm

    1. The main drivers of house price inflation in Auckland have been a) lack of supply caused by successive govt’s inaction and local government planning incompetence, and b) uncontrolled flow of foreign capital being invested in the property market.
    2. b) has slowed, but, in my view, only temporarily. a) is being aggressively addressed, as just about anyone involved in property in Auckland will attest.

    I think it is unlikely there will be a collapse in prices, but a levelling out is already here, and a correction of some degree is inevitable.

  15. Ad 15
    31 March 2017 at 2:16 pm

    If this government hadn’t dumped the cartel legislation, we could have seen a good grilling of Fletcher Building et al.

    Cost of construction is still going through the roof.

    • saveNZ 15.1
      31 March 2017 at 7:09 pm

      Cost of construction is still going through the roof…. but funny enough the building materials seem to have huge amounts of problems… bad steel, bad pipes, bad concrete…

      You have to wonder how can a government fuck everything up and manage to both increase prices but decrease quality…

      • BM 15.1.1
        31 March 2017 at 7:16 pm

        Building materials aren’t that much different in price to what they were 15 years ago.

        • NewsFlash 15.1.1.1
          1 April 2017 at 12:17 am

          BM

          Crap, your talking crap! they’re now twice the price they were five years ago and twice that of the price in Australia for the very same product, it now costs $2000 NZ per square metre to build in NZ and $1000 NZ per square metre to build in Australia, and the reasons are: mismanagement by an incompetent government that achieved absolutely nothing of value in eight long years.

          Your advice for what “Labour should be doing” is advise you should be offering “Bill”, lets face it, he doesn’t seem to have clue, I can’t recall NZ ever having such an inarticulate leader, ever, he’s an absolute embarrassment.

          • Antoine 15.1.1.1.1
            1 April 2017 at 2:24 am

            Why have the prices of building materials risen (if they have)?

            (Genuinely interested)

          • BM 15.1.1.1.2
            1 April 2017 at 7:05 pm

            I’d say builders are adding quite a bit of margin to the materials, the customers certainly aren’t getting materials at trade.

            Which is hardly surprising, they’re in demand, there’s a shortage of qualified builders so they can ream the customer as much as they want, the customer has no choice they just have to bend over and take it.

  16. Sabine 16
    1 April 2017 at 1:07 am

    has anyone got any data on commercial properties? Empty offices, shops, workshops etc etc etc .

    I would find this sort of data very interesting.

    • saveNZ 16.1
      1 April 2017 at 9:15 am

      I don’t have data but I assume the real estate agents/institute would – but looking around there seems to be a hell of a lot of empty retail spaces in prime locations in Auckland in particular places like Ponsonby that you would think should not be vacant.

      • Sabine 16.1.1
        2 April 2017 at 1:26 am

        not just there, go on the country side same thing.

        I would assume that the commercial market has the same issues then the commercial. Rents to high. So they stay empty, and businesses are not created or don’t upgrade.

  17. Arthur 17
    28 April 2017 at 12:25 am

    So, let me understand: just 19% percent of buyers are first house buyers, however you claim that the housing market is driven by immigration? How’s that even possible when most immigrants come to look for a better life, meaning they don’t have the money to buy a house and of course the vast majority of them just rent?

    To be clear, housing market and its bubble has been driven JUST BY GREED. Greed that has come from local and foreign speculators (a.k.a. investors), as well as our own banks which will be the first ones to be hit, as already happened in so many places like the US, Ireland, Spain, etc. over the last few years.

    Keep blaming the wrong ones and you’ll never solve the problem, immigration numbers are high, but the issue is being caused by politicians and the powerful who are making big money out of this.

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    Photo by Josh Mills on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:The runs on Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank on the west coast of the United States that forced the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 24-March-2023
    Roundup is back! We skipped last week’s Friday post due to a shortage of person-power – did you notice? Lots going on out there… Our header image this week shows a green street that just happens to be Queen St, by @chamfy from Twitter. This week (and last) in ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the Keen-Minshull visit
    After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will enable her to hold rallies in Auckland and Wellington this weekend, and spread her messages of hostility against an already marginalised trans community. Neo-Nazis may, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nucl...
    * Bryce Edwards writes – The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Wayne Brown's #Auxit moment
    Boomers voted him in, but Brown’s Trumpish moments might spook Aucklanders worried about what a change to National nationally might mean. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has become our version of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, except without any of the insatiable appetite for media appearances. He ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nuclear submarines
    The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as part of its Aukus pact with the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • Posie Parker vs Transgender Rights.
    Recently you might have heard of a person called Posie Parker and her visit to Aotearoa. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. So let’s start with who this person is, why their visit is controversial, and what on earth a TERF is.Posie Parker is the super villain ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Select Committee told slow down; you’re moving too fast
    The chair of Parliament’s Select Committee looking at the Government’s resource management legislation wants the bills sent back for more public consultation. The proposal would effectively kill any chance of the bills making it into law before the election. Green MP, Eugenie Sage, stressing that she was speaking as ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2023
    Open access notables  The United States experienced some historical low temperature records during the just-concluded winter. It's a reminder that climate and weather are quite noisy; with regard to our warming climate,, as with a road ascending a mountain range we may steadily change our conditions but with lots of ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • What becomes of the broken hearted? Nanny State will step in to comfort them
    Buzz from the Beehive The Nanny State has scored some wins (or claimed them) in the past day or two but it faltered when it came to protecting Kiwi citizens from being savaged by one woman armed with a sharp tongue. The wins are recorded by triumphant ministers on the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Acceptance, decency, road food.
    Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour sabotage
    Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Is bundling restricting electricity competition?
    Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Westland Milk puts heat on competitors as global dairy demand  remains softer for longer
    Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products  has  put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with  a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago

  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    * Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • A miracle pill for our transport ills
    This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here.   A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    4 days ago

  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
    The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
    Bowalley Road
    4 days ago

  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
    Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    6 days ago

  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago

  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 week ago

  • Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua
    Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little has delivered the Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua for its historic breaches of Te Tiriti of Waitangi today. The ceremony was held at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton, hosted by Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, with several hundred ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Minister of Foreign Affairs meets with Chinese counterpart
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta has concluded her visit to China, the first by a New Zealand Foreign Minister since 2018. The Minister met her counterpart, newly appointed State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, who also hosted a working dinner. This was the first engagement between the two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government delivering world-class satellite positioning services
    World-class satellite positioning services that will support much safer search and rescue, boost precision farming, and help safety on construction sites through greater accuracy are a significant step closer today, says Land Information Minister Damien O’Connor. Damien O’Connor marked the start of construction on New Zealand’s first uplink centre for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
    People aged over 50 with innovative business ideas will now be able to receive support to advance their ideas to the next stage of development, Minister for Seniors Ginny Andersen said today. “Seniors have some great entrepreneurial ideas, and this programme will give them the support to take that next ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government target increased to keep powering up the Māori economy
    A cross government target for relevant government procurement contracts for goods and services to be awarded to Māori businesses annually will increase to 8%, after the initial 5% target was exceeded. The progressive procurement policy was introduced in 2020 to increase supplier diversity, starting with Māori businesses, for the estimated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
    77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech at Fiji Investment and Trade Business Forum
    Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tēnā koutou katoa, ni sa bula vinaka saka, namaste. Deputy Prime Minister, a very warm welcome to Aotearoa. I trust you have been enjoying your time here and thank you for joining us here today. To all delegates who have travelled to be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island
    $2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government future-proofs EV charging
    Transport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • World-leading family harm prevention campaign supports young NZers
    Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • First Chief Clinical Advisor welcomed into Coroners Court
    Hon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Next steps for affected properties post Cyclone and floods
    The Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • New appointment to Māori Land Court bench
    E te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Government focus on jobs sees record number of New Zealanders move from Benefits into work
    113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Vertical farming partnership has upward momentum
    The Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Conference of Pacific Education Ministers – Keynote Address
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