What if saving the world meant life was tasty, beautiful and just long enough?

Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, August 4th, 2021 - 22 comments
Categories: climate change - Tags: , , ,

The nasty, brutish and short meme is a failure of imagination.

I often think about why it’s so hard for people to see the value in the Powerdown. If the capitalism-driven climate and ecological crises have the distinct possibility to end human civilisation (this is no longer a fringe theory), and there are solutions that both avert the worst of climate change by mitigation, and at the same time transition us to a resilient society best positioned to weather the storms that are already locked in, why would we not at least consider them?

Why the resistance to even countenance that dropping the excess of our lifestyles might be just the ticket out of this hell?

There are probably lots of answers to that question, but the one that interests me here is the long history of evolution where our ancestors’ ability to improve their lot became hardwired into a creative force that led to bigger brains, walking upright, fire, and farming. Nek minit (in the evolutionary scheme of things), nuclear bombs, the rise and fall of the age of antibiotics, and the fast burn of climate catastrophe.

The antibiotic one is useful to examine, because it illustrates our greatest failing: creative force meets force of hubris meets social and political inertia. We invent a medicine that renders an extraordinary advantage in terms of survivability and quality of life, yet we don’t have the cultural wisdom to protect that advantage for future generations and in a short half century we squander the benefit that should have seen humans through into the future far beyond our current vision. Thanks to overuse in medicine and farming, we are now at the end of the age of antibiotics.

It’s a kind of anti-evolution. And it’s a pattern of collective human behaviour that is repeated in almost every tech advance we make now.

With no limits on our craftiness, we hurl the whole world to the edge of the precipice in multiple ways at the same time. Peak Colonisation. The question remains if we have enough courage, intelligence and imagination to stop short of oblivion. Of course, it’s not that there are no limits, it’s that we are in denial of them. Covid slapped us down a bit, climate and ecology is going to be the really hard hit.

When some of us talk about part of the solution being that we just stop doing so much shit (build less, take less, need less, do less), it seems to upset people. We have some hefty socialisation that says that less = worse, but anyone paying even half attention to the happiest people know that this simply isn’t true. The consumerist cultures of the West have analysed to death the dynamic of consuming not making us happy,

It’s not like we don’t already have alternative tools and pathways. Indigenous peoples retain the cultural practices that the West has lost that build true sustainability into all stratas of human endeavour. Before anyone starts, this is less noble savage and more ‘we fucked up and learnt our lesson early’. But it’s also the difference between cultures that retain the primacy of our relationship with nature as the ground of our being,  and those that see nature as a resource to exploit or somewhere to visit rather than nature being ourselves.

The West hasn’t been devoid of all sense. Among the many useful sustainability techs coming out of the counter culture, permaculture shines as a system of design built on integrating indigenous practice, and science, and translating into a form for the Western mind. Based around a set of sustainability and resiliency ethics and principles (earth care, people care, fair share), and taking its cues from the sustainability in the cycles of the natural world, it offers a set of design tools that can be applied to most problems, and that have been field tested for forty years.

 

This explanation from permaculture co-originator David Holmgren lays out the both/and, third path approach and neatly subverts the nasty/brutish/short meme, opening the door to the West’s redemption.

That we could take the best out of the 3 great lineages of human cultural evolution. The hunter-gatherer, nomad, minimalist heritage, the long history. The ten thousand years of settled agricultural history. And the 200 years of industrial modernity. And we could take the best out of those things to craft new culture that would inevitably need to relocalise as the reverse of globalisation happened, as the wealth of fossil fuel declined, but that that would create different local cultures that all had a unity in being some new stage in human evolution. Built into permaculture was the idea that yes, some notion of progressive human cultural evolution, but also a reworking, a reawakening of the deep wisdom that lay with our ancestors at a different levels.

Most of the leading edge ‘beyond catastrophe’ movements I am aware of understand that human well-being is instrinsic to saving the world. This means that approaches like the Powerdown inherently include humans being ok too. It’s the third path that takes us out of the false binary of nasty/brutish/short versus green/brown tech death cult futures.

Holmgren has spoken about how our job isn’t to know how to do all the things over the long future to make sure we are ok, but that instead we need to attend to what is in front of us with the full intelligence we have at our disposal. Later generations will figure out the next steps of life beyond uber industrialisation and high tech culture. We just have to make the cultural and political changes that put us on the right path, one protects all of life so that we also may survive and thrive. The issue isn’t whether we can make things right, it’s whether we will in time.

Holmgren’s explanation of what permaculture is here.

22 comments on “What if saving the world meant life was tasty, beautiful and just long enough? ”

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  1. Stuart Munro 1
    4 August 2021 at 11:52 am

    There are, of course, a number of institutional obstacles to overcome before a gracile turn in human consumption is likely to be embraced. One is the crude economic measures used, like GDP, which seems to be designed as much to misleadingly equate unproductive activity like real estate speculation or banking with productive enterprise, as to provide intelligent guidance for future policy.

    Another is the concentration on vehicles, of which the electric copy of the petrol version falls short of a well-designed alternative mode. We would be seeing sensible outgrowths of the electric bicycle for local transport by now, were bureaucratic priorities well aligned with future needs, not to mention growth in rail and shipping.

    We should not be altogether surprised however – even the immediate need for coherent housing solutions is being kicked down the road while our erstwhile leaders exercise themselves with ill-conceived hate speech and gender issues laws for which they have no mandate.

    • weka 1.1
      4 August 2021 at 12:05 pm

      True. And yet we have other models to work with. Marilyn Waring wrote about women's unpaid work a long time ago, that's been a missed opportunity to rethink mainstream economic models. Kate Raworth's Doughnut Economics is mainstream enough to not scare the horses. Ardern's government is at least nodding in the right direction with a wellbeing budget. These are not fringe ideas. What's stopping us from exploring limits of growth more deeply? Not the politicians, us.

      Systems thinking is not something we are taught, and it's hard to explain, it's like having to learn a new language. Why the big resistance to that?

      • arkie 1.1.1
        4 August 2021 at 12:24 pm

        Many associate Fredric Jameson’s remark, “it’s easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism” with Mark Fisher. For good reason: Fisher’s account of capitalist realism confronts us with capitalism’s unbearable yet unavoidable horrors. From the genocidal destruction of settler colonialism, through the demolition of cultures and modes of life that accompanies commodity production and exchange, to planet-altering anthropogenic climate change, capital subsumes the world. We can easily imagine an end to the world because under capitalism most of us confront it every day as we are forced to choose our exploitation, dispossession, and confinement. It’s easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism because capitalism is the end of the world. We witness and endure it in the ruins of everyday life—lost lives, lives of loss.

        https://mediationsjournal.org/articles/end-of-world

        The resistance comes from the scale of the task, and the power of the status quo. It is frightening to abandon the known for the uncertainty of a newly-forged path.

        • weka 1.1.1.1
          4 August 2021 at 3:11 pm

          “it’s easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism”

          That's a great point. Although I would say that ending capitalism isn't a necessity for our next move and we shouldn't get stuck on that point. But it's true that it's easier to imagine an end to the world than it is to imagine good change to prevent that that involves a paradigm shift. This is why I think we need to be talking about it way more, normalising it.

      • Stuart Munro 1.1.2
        4 August 2021 at 12:30 pm

        Why the big resistance to that?

        It may in part be the messengers – I think the 2nd worst textbook I ever read was on systems thinking.

        Robert's approach may be better – seed libraries and cutting exchanges. Once people start spending a bit more time with trees, they get the picture.

        • weka 1.1.2.1
          4 August 2021 at 3:12 pm

          haha, yeah, I think systems thinking has to be matched to the person.

          Spending more time in nature for sure, trees, gardening, wilderness. Anything that pokes holes in the denial of nature as what we are immersed in. Also, that it's primarily a relationship of love.

  2. Cricklewood 2
    4 August 2021 at 12:35 pm

    Re antibiotics we are see the discovery of entire new classes which are showing great promise in the lab against super bugs.

    Somewhat apt given the post is that we are finding them in soils.

    Just another good reason to take care of the environment.

    • weka 2.1
      4 August 2021 at 3:12 pm

      what classes of drugs are those?

      • cricklewood 2.1.1
        4 August 2021 at 4:53 pm

        The class I'm most aware of has been named Malicidens.

        Basically most of our modern antibiotics come from the soil ie penicillin and streptomycin. Because at the time extracting new potential antibiotics was challenging we turned to creating them in the lab based off the original source material which have exhausted the potential of.

        We have now turned back to looking in the soil, and our technological advancements have lowered some of the early barriers. I think human trials are scheduled to start in 2022.

        Obviously I would hope that we are far more careful if we do get a second shot at it.

  3. barry 3
    4 August 2021 at 1:31 pm

    We are biologically driven organisms, with evolution favouring overconsumption in times of abundance to build strength to tide us over in times of adversity. Village life allowed us to counter this to an extent by allowing us to see the value of self-control.

    However, we are now so disassociated from the consequences of our profligacy that theoretical knowledge is not enough influence our behaviour. That goes for the personal (e.g. obesity, debt etc) as much as societal.

    Given that the non-consumers among us have very little influence on overall behaviour of the rest, we are doomed. The rewards for overconsuming are too great.

    • weka 3.1
      4 August 2021 at 2:41 pm

      While I appreciate how people end up thinking nothing can be done, I think this is also a failure of imagination.

      Worst case we are forced to change by the environment as climate and ecologies collapse, so having paradigms and systems ready is still very important. But social change can happen fast for other reasons, less extreme, so taking about how to facilitate that is the greatest task we have.

    • GreenBus 3.2
      5 August 2021 at 7:46 am

      Great points barry. I love to see manufacturers of retail packaging reined in by regulation to minimise the materials used and massively reduce the recycling load.

      Your right we don't have control as consumers, if you need a product the packaging is not optional.

      • weka 3.2.1
        5 August 2021 at 6:58 pm

        the parts of the population that have wealth beyond survival do have some control though. Firstly in what we consider is a need. And secondly in choosing items that don't have packaging where that is an option.

        The shifts happening around packaging are fast atm. It's grass roots and consumer pressure, political parties like the Greens being in government, businesses ideologically onboard, and design/manufacturing stepping up and providing what is needed. That's how change happens.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 3.3
      5 August 2021 at 6:06 pm

      Given that the non-consumers among us have very little influence on overall behaviour of the rest, we are doomed. The rewards for overconsuming are too great.

      “Rewards” resonates with me – buy one, get one free. That's get one for FREE people!

      Consider 'retail therapy'; fashion's just another word for 'planned obsolescence'.

      Fashion has a Planned Obsolescence Problem
      My 100 year old grandmother reminisces on decades gone by when clothes were seen as an investment. Items were designed to last many years, and be easily taken in and out. Fast forward to today, and clothes are hardly ever constructed this way.

      I recall Mum taking bed sheets worn thin in middle, cutting them in half and sewing the less worn ends together to extend linen life. But the golden 1.3 billion are so busy now – who has the time, skills or inclination to make items (that) last longer?

      Tisco Waikato 2005 LTD is still operating. Over-consumption is a behavioural disorder, and most of the golden 1.3 billion have it bad.

      Solutions? Plan ahead. Walk (or cycle) when and where you can – make the time. Favour durable, repairable, locally-made products, and (as GreenBus says) mind the packaging. Before each purchase, ask yourself (honestly) – "Do I really need it?"

      Lastly, and most important – treat yourself (and others) occasionally.

  4. Maurice 4
    4 August 2021 at 2:54 pm

    "Less for Thee … but not for Me" tends to be the blockage in the road to sustainability

    • weka 4.1
      4 August 2021 at 3:13 pm

      How so? The transitions cultures are already doing less for me.

    • WeTheBleeple 4.2
      4 August 2021 at 4:37 pm

      I've stopped driving, smoking, using a phone… and life is BETTER than it was.

      I've shifted to part time work because consumption for the sake of it is a tedious bore. That made life EVEN BETTER.

      Then I put some of the spare time into helping others less fortunate – and guess what, happiness was WAY MORE BETTERER THAN THE BETTER BEFORE THAT.

      Excuse the caps, but SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS. You'd be surprised just how good it is to slow down and chill out.

      This whole property prices getting JACKED again… I sometimes wonder if it's an artificial thing to keep workers working so hard, because it's a bit of a farce really.

      Bring on the slow down. Fuck the rich stop serving them. Serve the planet and community.

  5. RP Mcmurphy 5
    5 August 2021 at 3:54 am

    we have created an acquisitive society where desires can never be satiated and the media is constantly creating new distractions for an infantilised populace.

    • mikesh 5.1
      5 August 2021 at 12:30 pm

      Thorstein Veblin in his book The Theory of the Leisure Class pointed out that much consumption is "conspicuous consumption", ie it was indulged in to enhance one's status rather than to satisfy needs. A need for status probably has no obvious limits.

  6. RP Mcmurphy 6
    5 August 2021 at 6:41 pm

    the drive for status in the proletariat to acquire goods is a futile attempt to emulate the ruling class who while they are the first acquirers of luxury goods masks the real motive of the ruling classes which adam smith in his theory of moral sentiments opines is the command over labour. no amount of goods can ever equal having the power to make the workers kiss the bosses bum and like it. DIG?

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    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago

  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    Bowalley Road
    5 days ago

  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago

  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    6 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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