Who’s building our broadband network?

Written By: - Date published: 12:24 pm, March 27th, 2012 - 48 comments
Categories: infrastructure, International, telecommunications - Tags:

The Nats selected Chinese company Huawei to build the Ultrafast Broadband network in Waikato and Canterbury after Joyce and English visited them in China. Now, the company’s been banned from Australia’s UFB project because of links to Chinese espionage. Key’s shrugged it off. Maybe there’s a risk, maybe not. But our government should give a damn and investigate. Its indifference makes it look compromised.

And Huawei has form on that front:

“A U.S. Army Strategic Studies Institute report on Argentina published in September 2007 describes Huawei as “known to bribe and trap clients”. The report further details unfair business practices, such as customers framed by “full-paid trips” to China and monetary “presents” to be offered and later used by Huawei as “a form of extortion””

48 comments on “Who’s building our broadband network? ”

  1. vto 1

    You do realise of course that you will be labelled racist for daring to question anything about the Chinese.

    I would also suggest that the practices mentioned are equally common amongst US and European companies. And probably east european and middle east companies. And definitely African ones like Nigeria. The South Americans would likely do it as well if they had the means. And definitely the aussies. Better to not communicate then its not a issue.

    • Matt 1.1

      Yes they’re equally prevalent. Take for instance all the accusations of espionage and blackmail levelled at Cisco Systems. Oh wait..

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.1

        Cisco Systems does that on behalf of the US Government. No problem there, we’re “friends” after all.

    • It’s not like Chinese espionage isn’t a credible problem, and I’m sure we’d all be fine if an ethical Chinese company was involved that intended to source plenty of labour from New Zealand- but good luck finding one, the Chinese government is entangled with most of their companies and doesn’t really believe in the same ethical standards that ordinary people over there do.

  2. Kotahi Tane Huna 2

    Interesting ownership structure:

    Huawei is headquartered in China and due to prevailing Chinese legal issues, overseas employees cannot, unfortunately, own shares.”

    • Colonial Viper 2.1

      Sorry you foreigners cannot own shares in strategic Chinese infrastructure related assets. See how it works?

      • Kotahi Tane Huna 2.1.1

        By comparison, China Telecom Corp Ltd ADS is majority owned by the Chinese government, but is listed on the Hong Kong and New York stock exchanges.

        • Colonial Viper 2.1.1.1

          Yes point taken, the Chinese have picked and chosen what they will keep closely held and what they will take public. No hard and fast rules, just hard and fast strategic thinking.

    • Conal 2.2

      “Unless and until Huawei becomes a stand-alone widely held listed company with employees free to trade their shares and without a controlling shareholder, these suspicions and allegations will likely continue,”

      Translation: Huawei is a socialist enterprise (a worker-owned cooperative) and therefore can’t be trusted. If the company were privatised and became a capitalist enterprise (with tradeable shares) then all would be fine.

  3. TheMiddlePath 3

    Just so I get this right, Zetetic …you’re implying that every single company, government and individual who ever bought and/or used Huawei equipment – one of the world’s biggest network equipment suppliers – is complicit in Chinese espionage?

  4. The Baron 4

    Yo Zetty,

    How and when did the Nats make that decision, when it was the Council-owned Enable Networks that decided their tech partner in Christchurch; and Trust-owned WEL Networks who decided their tech partner for the Waikato build?

    It takes about two seconds on google to check this stuff too.

    Oh noes, another retarded smear from Zetty. Nice work on the zenophobic dog whistle yet again tho.

  5. Enough is Enough 5

    “The Nats selected Chinese company Huawei to build the Ultrafast Broadband network in Waikato and Canterbury”

    Source please.

    • Colonial Viper 5.1

      Huawei is a leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of network and telecoms infrastructure equipment. Quite different from digging the ground up and laying cables.

      • Enough is Enough 5.1.1

        I not quite sure what the point of your comment was.

        I enjoy giving it to the Nats as much as anyone but in this case I am fairly certain they did not choose Huawei.

        We begin to look like the boy who cried wolf if we try to blame them for everything.

        WEL is not part of the National party and doesn’t take directing from them.

        http://www.ultrafastbroadband.co.nz/news-and-media/2011/11/2141741268/Ultrafast-Fibre-Ltd-to-deploy-Huawei's-Fibre-to-the-Home-access-network-technology-for-UBL

      • Enough is Enough 5.1.2

        I am not sure what the point of your comment was.

        The Nats do not have any relationship with WEL so I am not sure where Zet got this from and am very curious to find out.

        I like giving it to the Nats as much as anyone but if we make unsubstantiated slurs we begin to look like the boy who cried wolf. The real crimes they are committing will be ignored if we get these ones wrong.

        • Kotahi Tane Huna 5.1.2.1

          This from yesterday’s Stuff story:

          “Trade Minister Tim Groser, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Finance Minister Bill English visited the company in China after Prime Minister John Key singled out the firm for possible involvement in the UFB network.

          New Zealand Trade and Enterprise helped arrange a visit by top Huawei executives to Auckland and Wellington earlier this month to explore opportunities for it to purchase from Kiwi firms.

          Huawei has won contracts with Chorus, Wel Networks and Enable to supply equipment for the $3.5 billion UFB and the $300m rural broadband initiative.

          A significant amount of Huawei-branded equipment was evident at Chorus’ phone exchange in Papatoetoe, where Chorus is trialling equipment for the UFB rollout in November.”

          • The Baron 5.1.2.1.1

            Ooh the smoking gun!

            Whoops, none of this states that any of those Ministers had anything to do with the decisions made by WEL, Enable and Chorus as independently run and managed companies, does it?

            Wanna try again?

            • Kotahi Tane Huna 5.1.2.1.1.1

              How about you take that up with Fairfax media?

              Obviously Jason Bourne thinks he has a say in the matter. This from today’s Stuff story:

              “Prime Minister John Key said from Korea yesterday there were no plans to drop Huawai from the ulta-fast broadband rollout, despite Australia’s move against the company.”

              • The Baron

                This is a smoking gun?!

                I’m guessing that this is a reference to reserve powers that CFH may have to override WEL or Enable’s decisions. Again, completely different to being involved in the original decision made by independent, and in two cases community owned, companies in the first place, though isn’t it?

                Do you want a third try? Or would you like to admit that just like Zetty, you don’t have any fucking idea what you’re talking about and are just looking for another desperate, zenophobic smear?

                • Kotahi Tane Huna

                  “Zenophobic (sic) smear.”

                  I’d like to know where you see any xenophobia in my interest in this topic, Baron.

                  I don’t particularly feel threatened by the concept of spying: if it’s war we’re worried about, to begrudge the use of spies would be the heart of inhumanity.

                  • The Baron

                    Look, I’ve got no interest in whatever crazy rabbit hole you’re trying to get into here.

                    The point that both you and Zetty have mistaken is that none of these decisions have anything to do with the National Party. The decisions were made by independently incorporated, and in two cases community owned, businesses.

                    Your Fairfax story doesn’t bridge that gap.

                    This really is quite simple. Now you can get wood about spy movies and playing James Bond as much as you like, but none of this has anything to do with the Govt.

                    • Kotahi Tane Huna

                      Baron, it was the Fairfax story that inspired the interest in the first place.

                      Of course this has something to do with the government. Not the National Party, the government. Do you think discussion of such matters is futile?

                      Perhaps you missed my quote but just to make myself perfectly clear:

                      之勝,而愛爵祿百金,不知敵之情者,不仁之至也

                    • lprent

                      Like the independently incorporated community owned businesses that we have here in Auckland?

                      The Ports of Auckland for instance with a board that is not appointed or governed by the local community, has not any actual accountability to it, and whose members were appointed (indirectly) almost entirely by a past Minister of the Crown. The boards in Auckland that most suspect are just doing the central government’s will with a figleaf of “independence”. Is that the type of “independently incorporated” “community owned” business you were talking about?

                      Or were you talking about the type of “independent” business that gets its funding almost entirely from the government? And is therefore completely beholden to taking hints from central government?

                      Basically you’re talking crap with a few labels that don’t bear much examination.

                      This government doesn’t allow “independent” boards. You only have to look at the sackings that Tony Ryall specialised in in the DHB’s trying to stamp out any independence or the Rodney Hide theft of community assets in Auckland that were stuck under his mates control.

                      If you want to use the argument that these are “independent” bodies. Then it’d behove you to prove that rather than just asserting it – then people might start listening rather than treating you as a gullible idiot.

  6. insider 6

    This is hilarious – Standardistas acting as lapdogs of the US industrial military complex and our South Pacific Yank cousins, and attacking an employee owned company (the day after demanding more employees on boards) and to what purpose? All just to score a cheap shot on Key and Joyce. Hilarious.

    Did you ever consider that this is actually all about patch protection by US telecoms providers and not really about security?

    In the UK, Huawei provided BT’s new network backbone and is working with mobile networks on 4G trials. To allay British espionage or sabotage fears it has hired the Government’s former IT chief, John Suffolk, as a cyber security executive, and allowed specialists from GCHQ to inspect its technology.

    • Kotahi Tane Huna 6.1

      I’m more interested in the position it puts Jason Bourne John Key in – caught between his party’s financial backers and his country’s traditional allies, getting poked with a stick by the local media, desperately wanting to show how spyerrific he is while keeping a tight ship on a need to know basis 🙂

    • Matt 6.2

      “This is hilarious – Standardistas acting as lapdogs of the US industrial military complex”

      Ha. the old condemn something as a conspiracy theory by proffering your own conspiracy theory? Irony much, fucktard?

      • Kotahi Tane Huna 6.2.1

        I confess. I am a running dog of the US military industrial complex, but I have to say it doesn’t pay well. I am getting to the point where I think my running dog services may be better employed in my local community.

  7. Kotahi Tane Huna 7

    The US military has given up pretending that their IT systems are secure, and focusses instead on observing attacks and minimising damage.

    So perhaps it doesn’t ultimately matter who the system belongs to. Time to dust off that copy of Pretty Good Privacy (or equivalent) and get serious about using it.

    In classical terms, the network is a “dead spy”. Dead spies are used to spread misinformation. Situation normal, in other words.

  8. Conal 8

    The Australian federal govt’s decision has been widely derided here in Australia. I’m no fan of Key by any means, but he’s quite correct not to buy into this Cold War paranoia, which is pure theatre, without technical merit.

  9. Crony capitalism by National or Corus, does it really matter that much who it is? OK maybe it does BUT the fact is hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars is going to be used for the project so reality check everyone: the government does have a stake in this.

  10. prism 10

    There is an interview Wednesday morning by radionz with the british face of the Chinese firm and
    others I think.

    • insider 10.1

      It was kind of funny that Kathryn Ryan was quoting a Northrop Grumman ‘report’ that was critical of Huawei’s links with the Chinese army and govt. NG are kneedeep in the US govt and military and have a former joint chiefs of staff head on the board as well as an ex us navy admiral. It would be hard to be more connected with a govt and military.

      What exactly is the threat that people are worried about and how different is that than if the systems were provided by Google or IBM or LUcent – all of which I bet the NSA have their noses well into

      • DH 10.1.1

        The threat is security being compromised at the hardware level. The basic rule of network security is that if you permit access to the hardware then you have no security. That’s why Cisco for example freely give away password recovery procedures for most of their IOSs.

        I don’t know the level of home-baked design in Chinese chip manufacturing but I do know that embedded codes can be inserted into chips at the design/manufacturing stage and it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to find them. Security experts can reverse engineer software to find exploits, hidden code etc, but they’d find it a lot tougher with backdoor exploits hardwired into the circuitry.

        I guess it all comes down to China’s intentions & whether they can be trusted or not.

        • insider 10.1.1.1

          The problem with that argument is that an increasingly large part of the hardware for all sorts of devices comes from China, along with increasing levels of design. The Huawei guy said it is just not possible to exert the level of control that some suggest given the multiple systems and software that go into a system. It is James Bond territory to think a black box can be inserted that will monitor and/or control it.

          This is not about military security it is about an economic challenger upsetting the status quo.

          I’m not an apologist for China nor particularly interested in its politics, but if you stand back from the issue and consider it a matter of trust, we should be equally fearful of US powers and intent (if not more so based on capability and history – and I’m saying that as a strong yankophile). China is no longer intent on exporting global socialist revolution and the central committee doesn’t control everything every chinese business does. We very quickly got over mistrust of Germany after WW2, we probably need to do the same about China rather than follow the creepy xenophobic dogwhistling of Gareth the green.

          • muzza 10.1.1.1.1

            “It is James Bond territory to think a black box can be inserted that will monitor and/or control it” – Don’t know much about technology then, and any gadgets “James Bond” like, will have been far surpassed by the time Sean Connery was using them.

            I agree with your comments about the US and other tech firms having just as much to not trust as anyone else, including the chinese!

            The question really becomes, what is it that any firm might want to steal!

            • insider 10.1.1.1.1.1

              Muzza

              the james bond bit was a paraphrase of the former UK Govt head of IS who now works for Huawei. I think his point was that these network being discussed are so diverse geographically and in componentry that it is not possible for a single supplier to do so without someone’s compliance in the organisation/country that owns the system.

          • DH 10.1.1.1.2

            It is very definitely about military security. Anything involving the internet backbone is all about security.

            • insider 10.1.1.1.2.1

              The US military has its own secure networks. Whether they are hardwired separately I don’t know but does it matter? Any communciations with overseas bases could travel through ‘unfriendly’ networks so would need some high level protection from interception just as its local traffic might.

              • Pascal's bookie

                The US military has its own secure networks.

                Yeah. Ask Bradley Manning 😉

              • DH

                No network is totally secure, give someone access to the hardware and any LAN can be compromised. Ethernet is a broadcast medium, set up a port on the switch as a mirror and you can catch every packet sent on the (wired) network using a simple packet sniffer.

                From an espionage viewpoint all you’d want to do is relay (secure) traffic to a segment of the network or internet you have physical control of & where you can catch the packets. That doesn’t need James Bond black box BS, can do that in software, firmware or hardware.

                • Con

                  Exactly, and the only defence against interception is encryption. If your data is encrypted when you send it, and decrypted when you receive it, then it makes no difference whether you sent it over some special “private” network or the public internet, ethernet, wireless, through routers made by Huawei or Cisco or anybody. That’s why the rationale for this discrimination is bullshit.

                  • insider

                    As a non techie that was how I was thinking re use of networks and encryption.

                    @ DH

                    Yes you all you might need is some diversion tool, but how much data are you talking about capturing and diverting? Unless you specifically know what you want, you are going to be trawling huge volumes of data and we are talking about broadband networks not a specific compuer or LAN. That means you need big computers to analyse and big pipes to get it there, all of which would be quite noticable if placed by one country in another sovereign state.

  11. aerobubble 11

    The problem of corporate spying and its cost on NZ. Arguably why would you expect Key to care about losses to NZ business from intellectual theft, I mean he’s happy to sell our productive industrial and agricultural core to the Chinese. Despite China not allowing the same access to their economy. And hey its not like China does have booming copyright breaching industries.

    Key see no, hear no, speak no, hollow politics.

  12. hoom 12

    US manufacturers almost certainly leave backdoors for US govt agencies.
    Pretty sure its a National Security requirement.

    So what if a Chinese manufacturer does the same?
    At worst its the same but open to different people, at best Huawei actually may be more secure.

    • Kotahi Tane Huna 12.1

      Most networks are assumed to be compromised already.

      The interesting issue here is the tension between the National Party’s obligations to its owners and its obligations to the country’s traditional allies.

  13. Fortran 13

    The workmen laying our fibre cables do not look Chinese to me – maybe they are in disguise.

    • insider 13.1

      the reflections off their fluoro jackets mask their features. The fluoros are suspiciously made in China…you do the maths.

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    .“$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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours 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
    10 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
    12 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
    13 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
    1 day 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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