We are stuck

Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, August 12th, 2021 - 45 comments
Categories: capitalism, Deep stuff, economy, uncategorized - Tags:

New Zealand has one of the most concentrated and oligopolistic economies in the world, and also one of the least commercially protected societies. Will we ever be able to break out of it?

If you look across our society, it is the relationships of less than 20 main companies with our government that form a dominant nexus of power. This isn’t a new observation, with Bruce Jesson commenting on it throughout the 1980s.

Check out the top 2 or at best 3 companies in all of these fields: banking, supermarkets, fishing, dairy, meat, apples pears and kiwifruit, ports and airports, building materials, water, electricity generators: many of their controlling organisations were formed by legislation and get regularly reviewed. Some have public majority ownership. Some have stronger regulation than others. Few are ever held to account. Even fewer answer squarely to their customers. Their power over us is near-total. Even North and South magazine did a recent cover feature: “The Real Reason New Zealand Is So Expensive”.

What we are feeling across all these industries is a system of interdependence between the state and corporations that is very, very hard to disentangle.

It’s part of a system of liberal trade that the United States began over 75 years ago to help integrate the world around a vision of peaceful economic cooperation, and evolved as we shifted from a British corporation dominated postcolonial economy to an over-managed one and now to a very odd hybrid.

But many of the vital international systems that used to hold this together are failing.

Nothing has underscored this breakdown in the ‘system’ more than COVID19, with nations now fighting over how to secure vaccines. New Zealand’s much-vaunted national drug buyer Pharmac has to get in the queue like everyone else: so much for monopsonistic power when it counted. We are also seeing real tensions in the production of semiconductors worldwide. United States-formed corporates like Facebook and Google are continuing to stave off multilateral regulation at all. Not even climate change can unify our world.

Small signs of multilateral hope like a global corporate tax floor remain few and far between.

There are many countries that are going through tests like ours is, but in a really small state with a really small economy in a really isolated little place with a really tiny number of people who could fix things, we’re not engaging with each other very well at all.

One result of these problems has been a surge in calls for governments across the world to introduce protectionist measures, closely manage domestic industries, and pursue new visions of autarky. But these clashes and government officials’ responses to them threaten far more than the world’s fragile international industrial and financial systems. They have led citizens to start to lose faith in the rule of law and in the intentions of longtime state allies. Worse, they have played a role in the disruption of democratic debates and norms in the United States and Europe.

It is going to take a very different set of relationships between China, the United States and Europe to unwind some of the dangers. That’s unlikely. Nor are there useful international models for us to track against.

New Zealand itself is in the worst of all worlds: neither fully privatised enough to have hefty regulators with a big sticks that take some of the impact of political reputation when things really go wrong, nor having corporates integrated enough with policy to get much public good done.

And as long as our own semi-public and semi-private corporates can keep this balance-of-no-power up, the easier it will be for their balance sheets, for their stock options and retirements, and for our collective slide into the same low-productivity economy and low ambition society that we now have. That’s the balance of power right now.

Worse, I don’t see any answers from either our major market players or from government that might build something anew.

We are stuck.

45 comments on “We are stuck ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. RedLogix 1
    12 August 2021 at 8:39 am

    This OP deserves repeated careful reading. It diagnoses NZ's geopolitical dilemma very well. We've been one of the many fortunate nations who have benefitted enormously from the global trade order of the past 70 years – yet most of us have failed to appreciate this. As a result we've been more than a little careless. As a nation we've acted like teenagers, deriding and sneering their parents, yet obliviously living under a roof provided for them and eating the food that others have worked for. Well the free ride is coming to an end, NZ now has to face a disrupted world and an uncertain future.

    Riffing on Ad's main theme, the reason why NZ is so expensive is that – regardless of what economic dogma we organise ourselves around – we're too small, vulnerable and lack the critical mass of competent people who can drive the changes necessary for NZ to obtain a future on it's own terms.

    The only alternative to 'stuck on our own', drifting toward dysfunction in the South Pacific, is to look outward to the wider world, forming fresh alliances and becoming a team player on the world stage again. The only future NZ has is part of a rules-based trade and economic bloc based around an alliance of SE Asian and Pacific nations. We need to act sincerely toward our smaller Pacific nations, offering them a partnership in the same project (they after all have the same problems we have only more acute) – and crucially work toward repairing our broken political relationship with Canberra.

    Events are moving fast in this region – and within years we're going to need some friends and colleagues to work with.

    • Ad 1.1
      12 August 2021 at 8:57 am

      Cheers Red. I know it doesn't make for cheery reading. I'll probably have to do a book on it to get it out of my hair.

      I suspect I'm also documenting that feeling of Australia accelerating up and away from New Zealand in all respects.

      • RedLogix 1.1.1
        12 August 2021 at 9:55 am

        Yup. I've found myself working in Perth longer than expected and contemplating a more permanent living arrangement. How about these house and land packages – brand new for less than the cost of renting:

        https://www.aussielivinghomes.com.au/

        https://www.aussielivinghomes.com.au/house-and-land-packages/lot-514-butterleaf-road-baldivis-9130417/

        OK so there will be some bait and switch up going on here but look at the headline price – $291k for a brand new 129m2 3 bdrm home.

      • Tiger Mountain 1.1.2
        12 August 2021 at 11:13 am

        Much of Australia is a burnt out sand pit already. The ANZAC spirit departed years ago, but the Australians still try to play their US “deputy dog” regional enforcer role.

        The ANZAC thing lives on in sport only really, at least Shane Van Gisbergen is driving so well this year in Supercars.

        • RedLogix 1.1.2.1
          12 August 2021 at 11:20 am

          Much of Australia is a burnt out sand pit already.

          Have you ever left your mother's basement? I live there and that statement is just beyond silly. We've just had the wettest winter in ages and the place is thriving.

          Although if you really want someone to blame for the appearance of modern Australia – look to the Aboriginals who started burning the place to the ground when they first arrived 50,000 years ago.

          Prior to that it was mostly covered in forest.

          • Tiger Mountain 1.1.2.1.1
            12 August 2021 at 11:27 am

            Nice. Colonisers blame the colonised.
            https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/management/fire/fire-and-the-environment/41-traditional-aboriginal-burning

            There are some large holdings, dry as dust with not an indigenous person around–it is called Climate Change.

            • RedLogix 1.1.2.1.1.1
              12 August 2021 at 11:35 am

              The point is that if you want a pristine forested 'eco nation' free of all human modification – then that ship sailed a very long time ago.

            • WeTheBleeple 1.1.2.1.1.2
              12 August 2021 at 1:36 pm

              There are also some (fringe?) people turning that (desertification) around. Australia is the birthplace of permaculture, and the site of the proliferation of aquaponics. Both of these are going to be hugely significant as we move forward.

          • arkie 1.1.2.1.2
            12 August 2021 at 11:32 am

            Aboriginals who started burning the place to the ground when they first arrived 50,000 years ago.

            Prior to that it was mostly covered in forest.

            Do you have evidence for this claim?

            It runs counter to the evidence and studies by experts:

            "Aboriginal use of fire had little impact on the environment and… the patterns of distribution of plants and animals which obtained 200 years ago would have been essentially the same whether or not Aborigines had previously been living here".

            A 2010 study of charcoal records from more than 220 sites in Australasia dating back 70,000 years found that the arrival of the first inhabitants about 50,000 years ago did not result in significantly greater fire activity across the continent (although this date is in question, with sources pointing to much earlier migrations). The study reported higher bushfire activity from about 70,000 to 28,000 years ago. It decreased until about 18,000 years ago, around the time of the last glacial maximum, and then increased again, a pattern consistent with shifts between warm and cool climatic conditions. This suggests that fire in Australasia predominantly reflects climate, with colder periods characterised by less and warmer intervals by more biomass burning.

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire-stick_farming

            • Ad 1.1.2.1.2.1
              12 August 2021 at 11:37 am

              Controversial this topic. Aboriginal forest burning and climate change:

              https://theconversation.com/how-aboriginal-burning-changed-australias-climate-4454

              … but not necessarily much impact on erosion;

              https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2016-02-04/aboriginal-land-clearance-bush-fire-environment/7107980

              … then the back-and-forth of studies begins in earnest:

              https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/174336ec-4920-379d-a81d-d96d0c037305/

            • RedLogix 1.1.2.1.2.2
              12 August 2021 at 11:44 am

              Prior to human starting to use fire to modify the landscape, the highly fire adapted eucaplyts were confined to a few dry areas – now they dominate pretty much everywhere and lock the landscape into routine fire events.

              Only in the wettest pockets do other species survive.

              Prior to humans arriving the landscape was forested in a diverse range of species and supported a large megafauna population. And while some of it survived human arrival for a long period – most dissappeared very promptly after humans.

              Again another science topic that can't be rationally discussed because woke ideology has to portray Aboriginal people as eco-saints beyond all scrutiny. Yes they created a stable fire modified landscape that well suited their life style – but it was very different to the one that existed prior to their arrival. About that there is no debate.

              • arkie …
                12 August 2021 at 11:48 am

                Again another science topic that can't be rationally discussed because woke ideology has to portray Aboriginal people as eco-saints beyond all scrutiny.

                WTF are you talking about?

                I asked for a link to some evidence to support your claims. As Ad has stated this is a controversial topic, and therefore when discussing it we should back up our positions with some evidence.

                • RedLogix …
                  12 August 2021 at 11:54 am

                  Nice. Colonisers blame the colonised.

                  Right there is your WTF. As for some links – Ad has done the work for me thanks.

                  • arkie …
                    12 August 2021 at 11:58 am

                    Did I say that?

                    Ad's links do not support your claims. Please do your own homework.

                    • RedLogix …
                      12 August 2021 at 12:06 pm

                      This entire derail started with an idiotic claim that "Much of Australia is a burnt out sand pit already. "

                      Not seeing you rush in to debunk that and I don't have time to play silly link games with you – I know how that game is played.

                    • arkie …
                      12 August 2021 at 12:10 pm

                      Asking for evidence of claims =/= Silly link games

                      Having a productive discussion involves being less dismissive and condescending.

      • RedLogix 1.1.3
        13 August 2021 at 6:18 am

        The YT algorithm popped this up for me tonight – the talk itself is the first 40min.

        A dense and interesting geopolitical take from a US perspective and one I think most people here would get something from – even my critics. His conclusions are gloomy with considerable justification.

        Yet on reflection he unwittingly makes the case I've been outlining here for very long time that for all of it's failings and shortcomings the mere fact of the US leading a global trade order through a 70yr period of unprecedented peace and prosperity strongly suggests that a successor- an authentic, intentional and just global order – might well transform the affairs of humanity beyond all imagining and hope.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf5JSJE2l_A

    • roblogic 1.2
      12 August 2021 at 10:07 am

      "We" have benefited from global trade? Agreed, if "we" completely ignore one side of our divided country

      • RedLogix 1.2.1
        12 August 2021 at 11:25 am

        Yet when I point directly to evidence of how Australia is able to provide affordable housing … less than the cost of renting.

        • Simbit 1.2.1.1
          12 August 2021 at 1:22 pm

          C'mon. Most of Australia is a scorched bbq area.

          • WeTheBleeple 1.2.1.1.1
            12 August 2021 at 1:44 pm

            'Most of Australia is scorched'

            Geography plays a large a part in that, as does length of occupancy by man. Now we are recognising the foibles of anthropocentric agriculture it's time to stop finger pointing (men, period, idiot farmers).

        • roblogic 1.2.1.2
          13 August 2021 at 11:04 am

          Aussie banks have run rampant in NZ and drowned us in debt. The Oz govt and RBA are more hard headed at reining in bankers endless greed

  2. roblogic 2
    12 August 2021 at 9:46 am

    Systemic problem requires fundamental reform of our crappy rent extraction economy.

    What the West must learn from China – UnHerd

    In America, among the biggest beneficiaries of the current economic system are not entrepreneurs or innovators, but parasites who owe their wealth to rigged markets or government subsidies. But they are merely a symptom of the bigger problem: a newfound scepticism in the ability of American capitalism to deliver on its economic promise of prosperity.

    That is precisely the kind of thing that China is seeking to avoid. Stock market investors may be unhappy, but far from destroying consumer confidence, the measures now being undertaken by Beijing might have precisely the opposite effect.

    As Chinese fund manager Yuan Yuwei has argued, “housing, medical and education costs were the ‘three big mountains’ suffocating Chinese families and crowding out their consumption”. Yuan went on to describe these measures as “the most forceful reform I’ve seen over many years, and the most populist one. It benefits the masses at the cost of the richest and the elite groups.”

    Unlike America’s Federal Reserve, whose increasing tolerance and support of financial bubbles continues to engender profound systemic fragility in the American economy, Beijing is prioritising social cohesion above the narrow interests of financial rentiers.

    • RedLogix 2.1
      12 August 2021 at 10:01 am

      For real social cohesion you need the "Thoughts of Xi Jinping" app. Download it today.

      • roblogic 2.1.1
        12 August 2021 at 10:09 am

        In the absence of a Leviathan government we have seen the rise of a parasitic oligarch class.

        • Subliminal 2.1.1.1
          12 August 2021 at 7:44 pm

          You are absolutely onto it there roblogic. Some people go on a bit about productivity but how on earth are productivity gains to be made when the financial rentier parasite class are bleeding the economy dry?

          Michael Hudson is onto it when he describes financial history as a battle to keep power from being concentrated with the oligarchy. You correctly cite China as the only large nation today that has any awareness of this history. I guess it's not so surprising when you realise the age of their civilisation.

          Debt can never be allowed to stand forever since interest always accumulates at an exponential rate. How anyone can believe that the productive sector stands any chance under these conditions is the real fairy story.

          China understands that the State must be in control of all debt creation and money creation. Productivity hits a brick wall when all excess is syphoned off to interest payments. On the other hand, an economy that minimizes the money syphoned off (China) will absolutely defeat one heavily burdened with a parasitic load (the West)

          • WeTheBleeple 2.1.1.1.1
            12 August 2021 at 8:17 pm

            But, but, China!

            You nail it. We don't have to like China's leadership to understand the dilemma we've put ourselves in via allowing money to subsume politics. The western wet dream of 'financial independence' (you'll find it on a vision board near you) is exactly that of parasites where, working life is no longer required as 'your money works for you'.

            So we are indeed overburdened with 'do nothing' types. Not the unemployed, but the 'independent'.

          • roblogic 2.1.1.1.2
            13 August 2021 at 3:04 pm

            Well said Subliminal, Big fan of Michael Hudson. Of course I am not endorsing everything about the totalitarian CCP, but the West is in decline because of the egregious accumulation of wealth and power by private interests. Critics of “democracy” do have a point — it has been hacked by the oligarchy and their disinformation machinery

  3. Robert Guyton 3
    12 August 2021 at 10:35 am

    The handsome young man in the photo is an exceptionally creative thinker!

    🙂

  4. Adrian 4
    12 August 2021 at 11:03 am

    I like the “ We are not amused “ sitting in the background, but ignore him, he has no power, by the beautiful syntax he is a mere Eng. Lit student.!

  5. Tiger Mountain 5
    12 August 2021 at 11:03 am

    Well, my take is that Aotearoa NZ’s future involves it becoming an “EcoNation” and member of the non aligned movement of countries. This would include bi-lateral mutually beneficial trade and cultural agreements.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Aligned_Movement

    Leaving 5 Eyes, returning power generation and supply to full public ownership and control, rolling back all neo liberal state legislation, and penetration of public infrastructure by private capital.

    There is no mystery in all of this–the capitalist class, and international finance capital runs and exploits this post colonial country thanks to the legacy of “Roger’n’Ruth”, where 50% of the population own just 2% of the wealth.

  6. Ad 6
    12 August 2021 at 11:07 am

    Our massive reliance on low value unprocessed bulk products going to China is well summarised in Stuff today:

    https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2021/08/trade-off-china-nz-exports/

  7. RP Mcmurphy 7
    12 August 2021 at 11:30 am

    news zealanders are acquistive and infantilised. as long as the teevee goes and they can go from A to A and back again in their flivvers burning up gas and getting off on the throb they dont really give a damn.

    • Ad 7.1
      12 August 2021 at 11:38 am

      No we protest plenty, and our political allegiances are sensitive enough to usually need marginal coalition parties to prop up governments. We are definitively not the Passionless People you describe.

  8. RP Mcmurphy 8
    12 August 2021 at 12:26 pm

    a very small segment of the population does protest but they are apparatchiks and will protest anything if it assists the revolution [sic]. going off your head at a footy game is not passion it is merely the expression of A MOB.

  9. RP Mcmurphy 9
    12 August 2021 at 12:27 pm

    BTW economic historians still consider New Zealand an area of recent settlement and as soon as the natural resources are all used up then the plug will be pulled.

    • Maurice 9.1
      12 August 2021 at 1:30 pm

      There is no plug to pull … we are presently circling the pan and the spin is becoming faster.

  10. Jackel 10
    12 August 2021 at 7:41 pm

    One or a few big companies controlling an industry is just the natural end result of having a free competitive market. So neoliberals, like the Act party etc, are really just corporate apologists.

    Having said that the Fonterra model seems to work well for a small country like New Zealand rather than having a lot of competition in an export industry.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Trade relationship with China remains strong
    “China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.   Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector.    "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
    Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-24T03:35:02+00:00