What if there were only 34 31 more whitebait harvests left?

Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, August 20th, 2019 - 66 comments
Categories: Conservation, disaster, farming, sustainability, water - Tags: , ,

Three years ago I put up a post What if there were only 34 more whitebait harvests left? It was based on this graphic by freshwater fish expert Stella McQueen that suggests whitebait will be extinct by 2050.

From the post,

“We’ve seen this increase in a number of our fresh water fishes becoming endangered. So 1990 20% of our forty native fishes were endangered. Now around 75% of them are endangered. We need to protect them so that they can be there for the future”.

– Al Fleming, Forest and Bird.

Some twitter commentary from this week hit the nail on the head,

https://twitter.com/jcpihama/status/1162917666807406593

@hardsell,
 
How do you measure absolute stocks, rather than just species makeup by region? Commercial fishing can be reported, but not recreational volumes
 
@grahamsurrey,
You’ve hit the nail on the head there. In the whitebait fishery recreational and commercial takes are one and the same, given that there’s no restriction on the amount that a ‘recreational’ whitebaiter can catch and legally sell. It effectively incentivises greed.
 
What’s the solution? I reckon banning the commercial sale of whitebait is a no-brainer. Adopt the same rules as for trout. If you want a feed go and catch it yourself. Continuing the commercial sale of threatened species with no quotas or records of catch volumes is crazy
 
Meanwhile, the National Party Extinction Machiavellian are living up to their reputation, telling porkies and encouraging Coasters to literally and figuratively eat their kids’ futures.
 
 

Eugenie Sage’s Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fish) Amendment Bill restricts whitebaiting in conservation areas. Responding to National’s ‘mischief-making‘,

“There are absolutely no plans to ban whitebaiting,” Ms Sage said. 

“The Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fish) Amendment Bill does enable areas of conservation land to be closed to whitebaiting.

“That means native fish can have some rivers and streams where they can swim upstream and spawn without ending up in a net and a whitebait patty.

If National weren’t busy politicking New Zealand could be having a discussion about how people can be supported to transition to making a living from enterprises that regenerate nature not destroy it.

Managing native fisheries is critical, and giving DOC more tools to do that makes sense when facing multiple extinctions. Ultimately we need to start respecting the mana of all waterways, and restore and maintain their health. If we’re not going to ban whitebaiting while the stocks recover, maybe we should ban dairy farming along waterways instead.

More from the 2016 post,

We are living in a time of unparalleled environmental destruction: in one generation most of our freshwater fish have made the threatened species list and unless we act quickly they will be all but gone in another generation. As with most other environmental problems there is a lag period and we are now seeing the impacts of previous decades of unsustainable land-use hit home. Even if we stop the destruction right now and start protecting our freshwater ecosystems, these species’ declines will continue for some time.

To save our freshwater heritage we need amendments made to the freshwater fisheries regulations and to the Wildlife Act, and we must have effective regulations put in place in the agricultural sector. Government-employed and funded freshwater scientists’ hands are tied with political tape, meaning these changes must come from the people.

So rise up all those who want their grandchildren to see native fish and have swimmable rivers. Target the environment, fisheries, State-owned enterprises and conservation ministers, councils and Fonterra and tell them we refuse to accept the loss of our fish and our rivers.

We can have a strong farming industry and clean waters but not when the emphasis is on unlimited increases in production. There is a limit to what the land can produce sustainably and what waste the rivers can assimilate and that point has long since been passed in many parts of New Zealand.

Mike Joy and Amber McEwan, freshwater ecologists

66 comments on “What if there were only 34 31 more whitebait harvests left? ”

  1. I saw one old codger on the news almost in tears saying he's vehemently opposed to this legislation because he wants his grandchildren to be able to go whitebaiting. Sometimes the amount of cognitive dissonance a human can exhibit while still being able to breathe, eat etc like normal is just plain astonishing.

    • Muttonbird 1.1

      There's a peculiar kind of selfishness about some people.

      What he really means is he wants to be able to go white bating with his grandchildren.

      Closing parts of the fishery now might mean he's unable to before for he's dead. That is a greater driver than wanting his adult grandchildren to be able to go whitebaiting after he's gone. It is likely he doesn't care about that – these people never do.

      My advice to the teary old codger is to take his grandchildren to the Fox River clean up. There they might learn something.

  2. Robert Guyton 2

    Sarah Dowie claims it's "sneaky".

    Breathtaking.

  3. Robert Guyton 3

    Save the whitebait – practice "catch and release".
    Personally, I think National are making a big mistake here. Public sentiment is heavily on the side of conserving these native fishes and the noise from the whitebait’s will strengthen that concern for the fishery. As well, most whitebait’s know there’s a need for regulating the activity and will see through the hype and misinformation. They’re pretty canny, the baiters.
    National’s chosen the wrong creature as poster-fish for their campaign.

    • Rapunzel 3.1

      LOL not too many NZers will be missing out, we are given some up here in the North from the South brought up by those who can and are spending many, many $$$ on it We aren't immediate receivers of it but it comes via a third party, older person, who we give fresh fish to. I doubt any much or even any part of the high prices that can be received are ever seen by IRD.

    • Robert Guyton 3.2

      "whitebaiters" auto-corrects to "whitebait's" on my machine. I don't often notice the intervention, expecting none.

  4. Chris T 4

    Just reading the bill from the link, there doesn't seem anything overly bad about it that the Nats should go on about.

    Does seem a tad using a sledge hammer to open a nut, but there you go.

  5. Ad 5

    Needless expenditure of parliamentary time and effort.

    Just decrease the catch limit grams every year, or month. Like most other fish.

    Regulation already fine. If needed you could even license the fishers, like fly fishing.

    • gsays 5.1

      All the regulations in the world don't mean a thing without enforcement.

      Are you aware of a receipt being generated when whitebait changes hands in exchange for cash?

      Do you imagine whitebait being declared as an income stream* to IRD?

      *I can't have Robert getting all the quality puns in this thread.

    • New view 5.2

      Ad. I’m with you on this. It would be no different to the rules around taking shell fish and enforced in the same way. Most comments here suggest that all baiters are mindless greedy people who would pillage the river until empty. Of course some might. Just like those caught with sacks of undersized Paua. And greed covers all races. The other side of that story is that these bait fishermen have been been doing it for a long time and are in an ideal position to work with Doc in monitoring the fisheries. Wouldn’t it be better to work with them to replenish these rivers than to legislate. It’s something this country does a lot of but in my opinion is often done badly.

      • weka 5.2.1

        What legislation allows DOC to do that, and how would you prevent National from reversing any policy developed?

        I don't think all whitebaiters are greedy. I think the system allows people to take more than their fair share, and some whitebaiters are part of a culture that thinks DOC is bad and won't read the science.

        If you look at the first tweet in the post and read the whole, short thread, it's a good example of denial or ignorance of the science. Hard for DOC to work with that (although I do think there are issues on DOC's side as well, generally, because they tend to silo themselves off from the public at times).

        • New view 5.2.1.1

          The baiters have to register their spot now as I understand it. Just like duck shooters on the river. Why can’t limits and information sharing be applied as they do there. As for the old codger. I saw that clip and didn’t see any body ask him what his catches were like where he was baiting. Everyone's perception of the clip is relying on how the situation was portrayed. It may have been spot on and maybe it wasn’t. Do you believe everything you read and see is portrayed in context.

          • weka 5.2.1.1.1

            What clip?

            The little bits I read about the Bill are that DOC want better tools for regulating a range of native freshwater fish issues. Re the WB specificaly I would guess that having to control stand by stand, or even river by river, is not particularly efficient.

            I also think the situation is so serious that we are beyond adjusting limits. The freshwater scientists watching the species collapse are saying we need an outright ban for a number of years to let stocks recover and to allow time to restore waterways outside of conservation. The Bill is a big compromise on that.

            Ad and yourself can assert that the tools already exist, but I'm still not seeing it.

  6. gsays 6

    Sadly, in answer to the question about 31 seasons left, I can almost hear hands being rubbed together in glee, with the thought that the price is going to go up and up.

    What you have proposed above is science, and the defence of whitebaiting is an emotional arguement.

    It's like no-one has read The Lorax by Dr. Suess let alone Jared Diamond's Collapse.

    Looking at Wellington I see a lack of pollies willing to take on the whitebaiters.

  7. esoteric pineapples 7

    Let's stop calling them "whitebait" to start with and give the five species their actual Maori names. "Whitebait" is a perfect description of the ignorant colonial attitude to the species – a bunch of white fish that are generically called "white bait"

  8. mauī 8

    "…New Zealand could be having a discussion about how people can be supported to transition to making a living from enterprises that regenerate nature not destroy it."

    Such a great line that.

    It seems our cultural relationship with these little guys is totally disrespectful. Māori would have put a rahui on this taonga long ago.

  9. mac1 9

    I had a colleague, a teacher of science and mathematics, who bemoaned the fact that he could no longer catch the fish he used to catch in a particular bay. "I used to be able to fill the bottom of my dinghy with fish, " he said. I said back, as a teacher of history, "Do you think there might be a connection between the two?"

    "You know," he replied, "I never thought of that!"

    • weka 9.1

      I've come across this too. It's a startling phenomenon, but I suspect we all do it. How many people are on board with climate change now that weren't ten years ago despite the scientific evidence being in the public domain for decades?

  10. Stuart Munro. 10

    I expect the role of bush in whitebait lifecycles is underestimated. The runs early last century were epic, supported presumably by innumerable creeks and rivulets and forest detritus that comparatively bare farmland does not provide.

    But if we're going to rebuild whitebait stocks there should be hatcheries and live release until stocks recover – we did that for trout, we can do it for whitebait.

    • weka 10.1

      I'm guessing this is one of the reasons that Sage is giving DOC better power to control whitebaiting on the conservation estate. Once those rivers are protected it will be easier to see what to do about the deforested ones.

      • Stuart Munro. 10.1.1

        It's partly a political perception issue, which of course is also what drives the Gnat critique. If the only recovery strategy is curtailing what may in many cases be quite a modest take, the public with some justice feel that they are carrying all the burden. But if there is an active fishery rebuild, supporting that by temporarily suspending one's own fishing seems less onerous.

  11. roy cartland 11

    I remember being aghast when I went to Hong Kong once and people talked about eating snake:

    "You're considered lucky to have eaten snake, as there are hardly any left," someone told me. This had led to a rush in people scoffing as much as they could before they disappeared completely.

    Here we see look of smug defiance on those who relish their whitebait fritters, knowing that they're devouring an endangered species, but "they're so delicious".

    I wonder how many harvests would be left if there were more unpolluted habitats for them?

    • weka 11.1

      In the 1800s, when the European settlers here realised that species were going extinct, they hunted them for stuffing because they wanted specimens before they were all gone.

      I don't think most baiters are like that, I think many are just in denial, and National egging them on doubles down on that.

      • Robert Guyton 11.1.1

        There'll hardly be anyone catching whitebait and stuffing them for posterity, weka; come on!

        • greywarshark 11.1.1.1

          Lol you couldn't resist that one Robert.

        • weka 11.1.1.2

          I think there are too many people stuffing whitebait already 😛

          Probably not going to get the image of wall mounted whitebait out of my head now.

          • Robert Guyton 11.1.1.2.1

            Trophy fish.

            The story of the huia and the fashion frenzy that hastened it's extinction is really interesting and chilling, in that it shows there are many drivers, some unseen and difficult to foretell, that contribute to the extinguishing of other organisms, some of whom we admire, others of whom we don't. I don't know that we can guard well enough against those influences, quite frankly. So far, we've done a poor job.

      • Matiri 11.1.2

        National egging them on ha ha!!

        Doing our bit for the fishery as we don't eat them, can't see what all the fuss and $$ is all about. Plus we could see that harvesting bulging netfuls of juveniles was going to cause this very problem.

    • greywarshark 11.2

      Delicious, and 'I'm entitled. Done this all my life, and father and grandfather before. (Quoting authority.) I shouldn't have to change. (Deflection – It's all those townies and incomers who travel around in caravans and come stealing our fish.)

      • Robert Guyton 11.2.1

        But there is an issue…

        …with traditional harvesting (think, muttonbirds…)

        • greywarshark 11.2.1.1

          Mmmm Depends how far back the traditional harvesting has been … before 1840, then in 20 year increments? And Maori did actually feed early settlers in their time of need. Shouldn’t the offspring of settlers now concede the rights of traditional harvesting back to their kaitiaki use, in a return of generosity and respect for rights?

    • Robert Guyton 11.3

      I fore-swore eating them, at the point where I'd just won a kilo in a raffle; handed it back, shouldered the responsibility and wore the ribbing…30 years ago…

  12. WeTheBleeple 12

    I can set up breeding grounds if you have a stream connected to the ocean (and historic whitebait presence). Through restorative efforts we could raise the populations much faster.

    They come in on a king tide/storm system to breed and lay eggs in the roots of sedges and other plants at high water. This is higher water than normal (king tide) but the eggs stay damp via capillary action of the streams water. So the eggs are damp but also have air. On the next king tide they hatch and float out to sea where they spend several months fattening up to whitebait size. They return to where they were hatched, or very close to it. Some think they follow the smell of mum (pheremones), others think they detect if fish are present (livable).

    Edge is where it's at – a planted edge. To greatly increase breeding potential greatly increase the edge. A fishbone pattern would be very effective.

    Storm systems churn the water up a bit making it safer for fish to move about and lay eggs in the shallows. If going for artificial hatching low barometic pressure, plants roots and some rock dust to cloud the water can work. I'm the only person to do this without chemicals but it's quite easy once you understand the storms/water levels trigger egg laying. In a tank system you want an ebb and flow set up.

    • Rosemary McDonald 12.1

      "I can set up breeding grounds if you have a stream connected to the ocean (and historic whitebait presence). Through restorative efforts we could raise the populations much faster. "

      You will have heard of the work of this gentleman…

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/75922680/

      Charles Mitchell was the kind of environmentalist who loved progress, hated red tape and shared his knowledge with anyone who'd listen.

      The sustainable whitebait pioneer has been described by his children as a "mad scientist of the best degree".

      "He was a true polymath," his daughter Megan Mitchell said, "an artist, a musician, a sailor, a builder, a scientist, a historian and a father. He was generous with his time and knowledge, inspirational in his innovation, and above all, kind."

      Charles died in September next to his fish ponds near Raglan, where he'd spent decades restoring whitebait habitat.

      • WeTheBleeple 12.1.1

        Yeah we hung out. I miss Charles he was a radical and a bit of a genius.

        • Robert Guyton 12.1.1.1

          How many "whitebaiters" are involved with improving the fishery; physically involved, that is. I've often wondered this.

          • peterh 12.1.1.1.1

            there is more than catching that is stuffing up whitebait. what about the stuffing up of breeding grounds. I have been whitebaiting for 65 years. and thats the main problem. plenty of whitebait get up the river out of season. and at night but when they get there nowhere to bred. also last year was one of the best for several years I agree some of the problem is the catching but there are more problems than that when there were large catches there were not many whitebaiters some days now on some small rivers in the Nth Island there are more whitebaiter then fish

            • Robert Guyton 12.1.1.1.1.1

              Agreed; habit and management is all-important. If "people" applied themselves, galaxy numbers could balloon. I'm wondering how many "takers" actively work towards building fish numbers and habitat. Or is it just "environmental" types that do the mahi there? If so, are the salt-of-the-earth baiters biting the hand that feeds them by criticising DoC etc?

              • WeTheBleeple

                Charles was working with a Southland power Company restoring habitat/s down there but didn't get any more detail than that. You'd think they'd use the project for PR maybe he passed before it was finished.

    • Robert Guyton 12.2

      WeTheBleeple: Do you have problems with mice feeding on the eggs?
      And/or eels, feeding? Herons?
      Not looking for problems, just wonderin’

      • Psycho Milt 12.2.1

        I expect he/she's very much against it!

        Sorry. I'll fetch me coat…

        • Robert Guyton 12.2.1.1

          I surely poorly-constructerized that sentence!

          I'll fetch mine too.

          • WeTheBleeple 12.2.1.1.1

            HA! Off with you and your coat! Take a look at sedges (with cutty grass type edges) and their root systems. The eggs are very hard to detect/get at – though kokopu/inanga grew up without mammals and it's anyone's guess what the mice are doing to them. I imagine natural attrition has always taken some out via other critters grazing.

            That's a He, PM, except on Fridays… Fruity Friday we call it in making-stuff-up land.

            Are mice hydrophobic? Rats aren’t…

            Toi toi and manuka were featured on Charles fish pond’s banks but also the sedges featuring prominently.

            Just wondering if there’s special wet/dry states to sedge root mass. What if it opens up/softens then closes/hardens. seen much stranger phenomenon.

            • Robert Guyton 12.2.1.1.1.1

              Interesting… in Southland, grasses, usually rank pasture grasses are said to be the primary egg-laying medium. Pity about the "natural" waterside sedges etc. browsed off by livestock or sprayed into non-existence. So mice can easily predators galaxid eggs down here. Our purpose-built waterway system in the wetland reserve on the edge of town has harakeke and mingimingi beside the water, but mostly still, cocksfoot, but “cutty grass” is making a strong come-back.

            • Graeme 12.2.1.1.1.2

              If there's trout or eels around the mouse won't be swimming for long, life expectancy measured in seconds rather than minutes once in the stream. Then happy fat trout / eel.

              • greywarshark

                Could there be a close, happy whitebait catchers group be developed? People who are part of the in-crowd, and turn up before the run and put in more plantings in a special screened off area each year. They would form a special interest group involved in a kaitiaki group taking part in the whole fishery thing, not just taking out of the fishery to suit themselves. Could turn up early for the plantings and for a celebration day and evening with guitars etc, a bit of simple community cheer.

              • Robert Guyton

                True, but…the mice feed from the land; the eggs are high and dry/moist when the tides are not king. Any fool mouse that slipped and fell, however, is toast.

                No worse than venturing into a hen-run though; the life of a mouse is terribly hard!

              • WeTheBleeple

                Good point Graeme, eels are always present in whitebait habitat.

                Eels will take prey off the bank Robert – mice? Don’t know…

                • Robert Guyton

                  They'd have to be quick!

                  With eel numbers fallen, I wonder what effect that's having on the galaxid populations? In any case, let's make more habitat for both and let them get on with their lives. A Giant Kokopu would eat an elver, I reckon, but probably the two don't often occupy the same space. I know they love small chunks of blue codsmiley

                  • WeTheBleeple

                    There's a sizable population of sizable giants here In AK but I won't tell anyone where they are… Predator prey cycles denote a lack of eels will boost whitebait numbers which in turn will help the ailing eels. The idea of habitat plus fisheries restoration is sound. One or the other is like fixing a bone with a cast but not setting it first.

  13. Monkra 13

    I live in Westland and work as a chef. I would love to know the size of the black market in cash sales of whitebait.

    I have never heard of any local restaurant being audited by officials concerning their whitebait stock. All the owner has to do is say they caught the bait themselves.

    As soon as the season starts i have fishermen offering me whitebait for sale, cash only, price determined by bush telegraph, $50 a kilo or more depending on catches made.

    I personally know people who make $80,000 a season, cash, no tax. One fella got a ton of bait in two days near the Hokitika bridge. Another friend took $30,000 to South Westland to buy bait for cash, spent the lot, shipped it to Auckland netting $90,000 in 24 hours.

    Recreational pastime my ass.

  14. Cinny 14

    Well said Monkra.

    There's a sense of generational entitlement when it comes to whitebait. There in lays the biggest problem. Free money is the biggest driver, when the fish are running.

    Have often heard of people earning six figures catching whitebait. And yes they just take it to the city to sell, often via the kitchens back door. Laughing all the way to the bank.

    Also have heard of large volumes just being dumped due to things like not enough room in the freezer etc. That's not at all uncommon.

    What I haven't heard of is any whitebaiters having an interaction with any fisheries officers.

    maureen pugh is just trying to stir up shite with propaganda on an extremely emotive subject especially for West Coasters. People don't like it when you mess with their tax free incomes, cause in the end, for those upset, it often comes down to money.

    But there is hope, round the Tasman district the kids are being educated via Whitebait Connection. And it's working. A 11yr old from a whitebaiting family was explaining to me the other day about the dire situation and how we need to protect the species. I was like dang, the kids are getting it, what's up with some of the grownup's… greed or ignorance?
    https://www.whitebaitconnection.co.nz/

    Shout out to Stew who is doing incredible work too…
    http://tasmanbayguardians.org.nz/whitebait-connection

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/114696170/protecting-the-tasman-bay-is-crucial-for-ocean-health-says-the-man-taking-on-a-kaitiaki-role

    • greywarshark 14.1

      That's great to hear Cinny. Mokra it sounds as if that is partly true and partly stretched fishy story. Just another thing that government has been lacking on. This is the sort of thing that central government should be concerned about as local government often gets bogged down in local habits. Someone put a fishhook in their nether regions eh!

  15. Nigel Jones 15

    Most of you have hit the nail on the head. Don't always blame the farmers for whitebait stocks decline

    Blame those on the river who are selling their catch. For many it's ONLY ABOUT THE MIGHTY DOLLAR.

    To those who say that whitebait patties for sale at gala days and community fundraisers have always been the norm– find something else to sell. Do we ever see Trout sandwiches or snapper burgers at fundraisers? No never. Our thinking has got to change.

    STOP ALL WHITEBAIT SALES

  16. We could use the Maori word Inanga however that is probably being deemed as rascist ?

  17. The main problem is the destruction of the Inanga's habitat, and the poor water quality due to aggressive farming practices.

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

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
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