Why are you leaving for Aussie?

Written By: - Date published: 11:43 am, May 14th, 2012 - 75 comments
Categories: Economy, im/migration - Tags:

1 in 80 New Zealanders left for Australia last 12 months. Emigration so far this year is 15% higher than the same months in 2011. 6,000 people attended the 3rd Aussie jobs expo in Auckland in 18 months this weekend. The question is becoming not ‘would you go to Aussie’ but ‘what was the final straw for you to decide to leave Aussie’. Here’s a few reasons.

  • They’re taxing pollution and cutting income tax for all. National’s subsidising polluters and borrowing for tax cuts for the rich.
  • Their unemployment rate has fallen below 5%. Ours is back up to 6.7%.
  • Australia has a capital gains tax. We have a second housing bubble and a government asleep at the wheel.
  • In Australia, governments that partially privatise assets get massacred.
  • They have more paid parental leave than here. Parenthood is seen as an investment, not a cost.
  • National’s plan for catching Australia is to do the opposite of whatever Australia does.
  • In Australia, they get that if you want a high wage economy, you need workers’ rights and a high minimum wage. Here, National’s response to a record outflow of workers is to drive wages lower.
  • In Australia, public holidays – including ANZAC Day – are Mondayised and, incredibly, the sky hasn’t fallen.
  • We’re just sick of being lied to by a government that promises the world and doesn’t deliver- ‘close the gap with Aussie!’, ‘rebuild Christchurch!’, ‘we’ll get the bodies out!’, ‘36,000 new jobs!’, ‘fewer people on benefits!’, ‘cap, not cut!’, ‘crush them cars!’,’higher standards for ministers!’ – and we’re sick of the way Key and co won’t even front up when they fail

75 comments on “Why are you leaving for Aussie? ”

  1. I am not sure anyone is leaving NZ for Aus to take advantage of their capital gains tax or because they lose a public holiday every few years. You also failed to factor in the weather. 

    • Jackal 1.1

      Don’t be silly! People are leaving for Aussie because a capital gains tax has made housing more affordable there. There is no incentive to invest in non productive housing to avoid paying tax, which in turn frees up more investment into productive enterprises that creates jobs.

      • Colonial Viper 1.1.1

        Housing is NOT affordable in the large coastal cities IMO, unless you are looking for an hour commute. Australia’s housing asset bubble continued pretty much unabated after the GFC.

        If you went inland Queensland or South Australia a couple of hours, yes, there is affordable housing around.

        • Rob 1.1.1.1

          Affordable housing in Sydney, are you on drugs.  Just about any humble stand alone property East of Para is over a 1M. 

          Sydney is a very expensive city to live in and Melb isnt too much better.

          • insider 1.1.1.1.1

            Even people in Melbourne baulk at moving to Sydney because of housing costs.

        • Jackal 1.1.1.2

          You’re right of course CV, the price to income ratio is pretty crap in both countries. In fact it has deteriorated markedly over the last few decades. However it’s likely to be more to do with demand in Australia pushing up prices, which would be worse without a CGT. Where Aussie beats New Zealand hands down is that 59% of houses here aren’t maintained properly, leading to further impacts on productivity due to unwell workers. Property speculators and rack-renters are pretty stingy with maintenance costs, basically because the bubble ensures they make a return. House repairs are often not cost effective in comparison.

          • Rob 1.1.1.2.1

            Geez just stop it KJT.  Do you think none of this activity occures in Australia,  ever been to St Clair, Penrith etc.  They have their share of 70’s fibro, non insulated housing issues as well that are really under maintained.

            It makes me sad that people are leaving NZ for Aus.  I have a lot invested here in business, staff family , community etc and there is a threat that NZ will just end as a place for the retired or always tired and can’t be bothered, well I suppose it will be good news for this Blog, plenty more Standard subscribers bitchen about things.

            There is a lot of really good primary industry roles in Aus.  They pay very well, and if you are prepared to live in places like Kalgoolie then its probably a pretty good life.

            However for a profesional role in Syd and Melb , you will need to take a step down on where you are in NZ.  A lot of Corp’s in Aus dont regard the NZ trading experience as being of much value.  For a senior sales director role  in NZ you might be considered for a State role.  Salary might only be a slight increase, but you will have a large cost of living increase.

            The most simplest way of understanding the difference between Aus and Nz is that Aus is a quarry and NZ is a theme park.

            • dave brownz 1.1.1.2.1.1

              I would say that NZ is a de facto state of Australia without the benefits of federation. More like a Territory full of mines, trees, grass and a supply of cheap labour, but without the equal political rights. Best thing NZ could do would be to formally join Australia so that the NZ working class could benefit from critical mass, and the pathetic petty bourgeois and kiwi compradors get buried in the competition.

              • Rob

                So Dave, you want to join with Australia in some way and work for an Australian company and somehow out compete NZ business so they go broke and NZers fall over financially.   Righto mate.

                • Te Reo Putake

                  Rob, you may not be aware, but Aussie companies are already doing that to NZ businesses right now. Most of our banks, supermarkets and large manufacturers are Aussie owned. If we were a state of Oz, we would have the benefit of scale that Dave talks about and vastly enhanced work rights, pay and conditions, anchored against an economy which is still working well.
                   
                  Economic union is effectively here already, monetary union can’t be far away. Political union would just be the last step on a journey already underway. If I remember rightly, the Parliament house in Canberra has room for 20 seats to be added any time we want to join up as part of the lucky country. OK, we wouldn’t rate above Vic or NSW, but we’d be ahead of SA and Tasmania.

                  • prism

                    TRP That’s the way it is going – even our police hold joint maneourvres with Oz ones. The flow of profits or probably not even invested back here, is great. And how many business coups have we brought off over in Oz?

                  • Rob

                    TRP I am very aware of ownership of NZ businesses by Aussies.  I am having a chuckle about the idea that you think unions in NZ will get a better deal working for Aus businesses. 

                    If you have this idea that NZ businesses leaders are not union friendly wait till you see the Aussies, especially if an Abbot Govt comes to fruition.

                    Also it is disapointing that you wish to throw Kiwi business owners under the bus, I just think thats sad and really just outlines Daves sad view on things.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      The typical NZ manager/business owner has pretty appalling skills.

                      I am having a chuckle about the idea that you think unions in NZ will get a better deal working for Aus businesses.

                      No no no you got that all wrong: I believe TRP is saying that unions would be stronger working under Australian employment law.

                    • Te Reo Putake

                      Rob, we are all working for Aussie businesses, more or less, and it is common for negotiations in all areas of NZ business to be signed off in Sydney or Melbourne. That’s the nature of an integrated economy. So why is a surprise to you that NZ unions are already experienced in dealing with Aussie businesses and know their ways?



                       
                       

                    • Rob

                      Well CV, put your own capital at risk and start you own business employing people if you think you can do better.

                    • Te Reo Putake

                      “Well CV, put your own capital at risk and start you own business employing people if you think you can do better.”
                       
                      Er, what? Why do you think answer No1 from the big book of reactionary replies to rational arguments applies to what we’ve been discussing? Clue: it doesn’t.
                       
                      It does, however, give weight to CV’s line about the appalling skills of NZ business leaders, if you are any example.
                       

                    • Rob

                      oh lovely, you just have to wait long enough in this place before the replies become personal.

                      Not worth debating this any longer.

              • Olwyn

                You are onto it dave brownz; for the kiwi compradors and certain right wing Aussie fantasists our crypto-statehood offers the best of both worlds, and for kiwi workers, the worst.

                • Joining with Australia is not about giving up the fight or jumping out of the fp into the fire, but increasing our chance of beating the bastards.
                  Aussie basically owns us. Its a weak imperialist power, itself dominated by the US and China. But by comparison, NZ is a de facto colony of Australia. We are the deputies dog.
                  The working class has no country. Modern nations are inventions of capitalism to form a jurisdiction to protect their private property and profits. But nations long ago became barriers to capital accumulation so today bosses are internationalists. NZs ruling class are agents for international capital. They have no loyalty to NZ except as the bits of it they own as their share of the booty.
                  But as the biggest bits are already owned by Australia, US, UK, Japan and China, to expropriate them we need to ally with the working class in all of those countries. We can build defensive fights in NZ but we can’t win them without international working class support.
                  For example, if we want to expropriate the Aussie banks we have to be in an alliance with Aussie workers. It has nothing to do with the attitude of the bosses towards workers or the industrial laws etc, its about the size, combativity and genuine internationalism of the class. 
                  Its a no brainer really. NZ is reverting to an extractive colony of the late 19th century, when NZ and Australia were both settler colonies, existing only to provide raw materials for the mother countries. So are the Pacific island states being sucked into the TPPA.
                  Similarly, the only resistance movement that will gain any strength will be one based on the fight to prevent the exploitation of raw materials and land in what is a rip, shit, bust neo-colony.  But this time it shouldnt be left to Maori while most white workers act as accomplices in their dispossession. We can unite nationally and internationally across the whole Pacific to take back and take control of the resources we need to survive.
                   
                   
                   

            • KJT 1.1.1.2.1.2

              Wha?

            • Dr Terry 1.1.1.2.1.3

              Already I am sick of the near exclusive focus on Melbourne and Sydney, there are one hell of a lot of desirable places to live in this huge country!

          • Colonial Viper 1.1.1.2.2

            Its not demand for houses which is the primary fuel for house price increases: it is cheap and easy bank credit.

            • Jackal 1.1.1.2.2.1

              Which in turn is dependent on household incomes… hence our low and falling home ownership levels in New Zealand.

  2. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 2

    Disclaimer: these are not reasons given by actual people.

  3. Then say “for more affordable housing”.

    • Jackal 3.1

      Why? Most people will understand what Zet meant. Highlighting Aussie policies that differ to New Zealand’s and clearly contribute to their $2 billion surplus compared to our whopping deficit is highly appropriate.

      • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 3.1.1

        clearly contribute to their $2 billion surplus

        That’s right, their surplus is all down to the mondayised public holidays and the carbon tax.

      • higherstandard 3.1.2

        ” Highlighting Aussie policies that differ to New Zealand’s and clearly contribute to their $2 billion surplus compared to our whopping deficit is highly appropriate.”

        There’s one for you.

        1. The Australian resources sector

        • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 3.1.2.1

          So being more like Australia on that front would be welcomed, I guess?

          • higherstandard 3.1.2.1.1

            Unfortunately we don’t have a fecking great dessert the size of Mexico that we can dig up with ease… and even if we did the retards would march in the street in support of the lesser spotted sand gherkin.

            • insider 3.1.2.1.1.1

              you mean there isn’t a giant pavlova in central Otago? Next you’ll be saying there isn’t any Father Christmas. Have you no heart?

            • prism 3.1.2.1.1.2

              Or for trying to keep a higher standard alive.

          • Jackal 3.1.2.1.2

            That may have been true a number of years ago… However changes in operations management, outsourcing of the workforce and supply purchasing mean that the direct economic benefits of resource operations are no longer focused on local communities.

            Benefits to society are dependent on royalties… With New Zealand having the fourth worst royalty scheme in the world (Example: 5% for oil and 1% for gas), increased mineral extraction is not going to solve any economic problems at all. In fact it will simply create more environmental destruction that the government ends up paying for, which far outweighs the debatable financial benefit the rightwing like to use as an excuse to contribute even more to little things like CLIMATE CHANGE.

            • insider 3.1.2.1.2.1

              Utter bullcrap on royalty levels. They are much higher. You have only mentioned the ad valorem rates and ignored the additional accounting profits rate of 15 percent to 20 per cent which must also be paid

              • Jackal

                You’re arguing against the Independent Petroleum Association of America there Insider. Here’s the International Petroleum Taxation report (PDF) that shows New Zealand has the fourth lowest royalty scheme in the world (Page 9). Along with the government paying for most of the initial exploration and a perpetual tax holiday, there is very little benefit for New Zealand from resource extraction. It’s another rightwing myth.

                • insider

                  I’m not arguing that royalty rates are relatively low, just that your presentation of them as 1% to 5% is a dishonest fiction ( and the IPAA report supports that saying the ‘effective rate’ is closer to 50%). It’s like saying we are a low personal tax rate economy because we only tax people 10.5% and then forgetting to say that is only on the first 14k of income.

                  • Jackal

                    It looks like your confusing the Australian rate with the New Zealand rate… much like Rob in his comment below. I should probably have quoted the Crown Minerals figures of 5% for oil and 1% for gas as AVR. Good on you for working it out insider.

                    APR must be paid? Only if there are profits after costs which can include: associated production costs, capital costs, exploration costs, development costs, permit acquisition and feasibility cost, indirect costs, abandonment costs, operating and capital allowance etc.

                    • insider

                      The only one confused is you. And APR will effectively be paid on any successful production well. The govt is very capable of seeing padding of expenses and minimised sales that remarkably zero out, and the Minister can within reason deem the amount owed by disallowing unreasonable costs.

                    • Jackal

                      Are you saying that those costs I’ve outlined are unreasonable insider… because they’re all used. It’s either the payment of AVR or APR (whichever is the greater in any given year), not both. You seem to have the APR confused with income tax. Rentals in New Zealand are Roughly 2¢/acre per year. National is good at disallowing unreasonable costs… don’t make me laugh!

                    • insider

                      No they are all listed in the royalty schedules, but if you try claiming $10m in costs for a job on that schedule that would usually be estimated to cost $1m, in order to maximise internal income and minimise the bit you are required to pay royalties on, you’d be best advised not to as the Minister could deem it as only costing $1m and you could be seriously out of pocket if it actually cost $2m.

                    • Jackal

                      You mean like the oil and gas industry never exaggerating finds to increase capital investment… nah! They would never do that eh insider. There’s no smoke and mirrors about the jobs it creates either. Being that some MP’s have shares in those oil and gas companies… they’ve absolutely no reason to mislead the public at all. /sarc

            • Rob 3.1.2.1.2.2

              Really Jackal, so there are no benefits to local communities, been to Perth recently?

              • dd

                They have a lot of available land to mine we have a lot of land to farm. Using mining as the one reason Aus is better off is pretty moronic.

                • Colonial Viper

                  Australia is a two product two customer country. And China and Japan aren’t going to be sustaining Oz economic growth for much longer.

                  • Rob

                    And this I firmly agree with CV.  The decline in consumer durables being fabricated and assembled out of China is starting to hit.  China was banking on its own internal consumerism to take up the lag from the decline in export sales. This is leading to lower purchases of key raw materials, and Aussie is a big producer of these.

                    The biggest question going forward is how robust is the internal , non mineral producing economy, and by most figures & discussions it is not that rosy. 

  4. freedom 4

    Australia: earn $18 k before paying income tax,
    NZ: pay from dollar one
    mmm tough choice

    if only it wasn’t turning into little America even faster than we are
    http://www.melbournetimesweekly.com.au/news/national/national/general/police-seek-bigger-picture-in-using-drones-but-libertarians-incensed/2553873.aspx

    • Rob 4.1

      Wow tax cuts Freedom, yeah bring it on. 

      Didn’t Shearer reject the 5K tax free rate as it will do almost nothing for low paid workers.

      • freedom 4.1.1

        who was talking about Shearer? I certainly wasn’t.

        NZ not having a basic tax free allowance is one of the critical faults in our economy as virtually every dollar of a low income is directed to the sustainability of the national community. I have often found the people who fault the framework of a tax free allowance, to be somewhat ignorant of what a community is. Besides, with 15% GST and pretty much every cent of low income earnings going to GST related expenses, those on low incomes still pay plenty of tax. Although the income tax-take would need some adjustment to compensate, I firmly believe there would be an increase in Kiwisaver/Superfunds as many would simply transfer some of what they were paying in income tax to a Kiwisaver/Superfund account. So the government still receives a fair whack of the low income earn be it as dividends or as tax.

        The Aussie plan for AUS18K as the jumping off point is a little high for NZ. I believe introducing a tax free allowance of NZD 10K to be an economically secure springboard with an incremental adjustment to 15K within ten years. I sincerely believe NZ’s low income earners have been screwed over on this subject long enough. One of the primary reasons the major parties steer clear of the subject is that it exposes the indefensible position of the NZ income tax structure when compared to our own allies. The same allies that we use to build a vast menagerie of economic comparatives from. They have been making sure their citizens had a basic survival fund for decades, not here though.

      • Colonial Viper 4.1.2

        Didn’t Shearer reject the 5K tax free rate as it will do almost nothing for low paid workers.

        $15 to $20 per week in hand is pretty damn good mate. Especially combined with a $15/hr minimum wage.

        Of course, to Key (who gave himself a $1K p.w. tax cut) this is all peanuts.

  5. Rosie 5

    What about staying here and fighting to get our country back out of the hands of fools?

    Yes, things are really shit here and I’ve been personally adversely affected by the recession, the way it has been handled and by bad policy introduced by the Nat Govt, increased GST and 90 day bill just two examples, but there is no way in hell I’d give up my turf. I often think of what my ancestors went through during the Highland Clearances. They faced extreme deprivation and horrific crimes against them and they didn’t give up. Sure you can’t compare the countries or historic times but theres alot to be said for being strong and standing up. I feel I’d be selling out if I just buggered off to Oz.

    We have too much too lose by just walking away from our country because its easier to do.

    • ChrisH 5.1

      Surely some of them must have emigrated to NZ Rosie 😉

      • Rosie 5.1.1

        Out of my lot Chris, some stayed in Scotland, some went to Oz, some went to NZ and some of the original OZ emigree’s then came here – OZ too hot for them lol! 100% of my Irish ancestors came here. Plenty of green grass for them to breed champion race horses. Beat that Oz!

    • prism 5.2

      The Scots and the Irish both left their homeland to find a better place to live their lives, but they did not forget their homeland. NZs going to Aussie ought to see they keep a fund put away so they can get back here if things go pear shaped there. As they sometimes do.

    • Placebogirl 5.3

      Because I was literally on the breadline in New Zealand. My partner was working, I was in higher education, and I could not find a job. We had a (very) small mortgage we were struggling to pay, and due to his income, despite the fact we were not married I was entitled to no state support–I made less than $10k/year of my own money, and I had to pay my share of the mortgage out of that. I was offered a job in Australia that lifted me out of poverty, thus giving me the time and energy (previously spent working out how much we could afford for groceries and whether we could afford to fill the gas bottle to heat our house) to become politically engaged. Sadly, I had already qualified myself out of the market in New Zealand; there are literally no jobs for me there.

      That’s why I left, rather than staying to fight. Because I couldn’t fight if I stayed.

  6. Rosie 6

    Don’t forget all the droughts, water restrictions, fires, floods, speedo’s and horrible nasty posionous things

  7. Dr Terry 7

    Admirable sentiments, Rosie, but do we actually have to return to the days and ways of our ancestors? Rather than “giving up” great numbers of New Zealanders are “taking up” a new opportunity (which probably is far from easy to do). Replace “selling out’ with “self respect”.
    Nevertheless, though many might be wanting Australia (and not only Sydney and Melbourne), the question is for how long will Australia continue to want us?

    • Rosie 7.1

      Dr Terry, I’m not advocating a return to the days of our ancestors I’m advocating a reutrn to standing up for what is ours, ( in itself standing up incorporates “self respect”) and indeed our way of life that ancestors help shape for us here in NZ. And I DO believe we are giving up. Look at the apathy of voters: Two problems here, not bothering to turn up on voting day and then being total retards when they do vote.

      The good policy that Aus has, eg, Capital Gains Tax as just one example could be ours if only NZers would wake up. Good employment policy, good tax policy could all be ours and a genuine “brighter future” could all be ours. We have been beaten down into believing that Aus is paved with gold. Geez when you’ve got a problem you deal with it, you don’t walk away. Going to live with the neighbour seems to be such a cop out to me.

      I’m married to an Aus citizen and even he never wants to return. He can probably get more money there but the trade off is too high and there is nothing there that appeals. The only Aus city I’ve actually enjoyed being in is Melbourne. Also, we think we have problems with racism,and we do, serious problems with it, but the average white Australian is a very frightening beast. Ask any Aborigine or immigrant. I don’t want to live among folks like that.

      • Dr Terry 7.1.1

        Thanks, Rosie. For the most part I am absolutely with you and I agree that you offer good and valid points. After reading the above, I much better appreciate your perspective which, at least, I hope, will make us all “think”! Life is just not easy, pretty much whatever we decide to do with it! Keep writing in, for I believe that your comments are among the best.
        Terry

  8. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 8

    I left for tha aunties.

  9. Tom 9

    Why does it have to be a question of either/or ? I have lived on both sides of the Tasman, finding there are more opportunities in a bigger economy, but also more competition.

    As someone put it to me, Sydney sucks people in .. and then spits them out.

    • tc 9.1

      As an expat kiwi said to me ‘nz is nice and it’s great to see the family but Australia is the meal ticket’ which pretty much sums it up for me.

      Oz is a fantastic place once you figure it out, the Nats claim of catching up to it as part of the brighter future was an obvious lie that most people were onto yet still they voted for them……go figure.

  10. prism 10

    Tom 😀

  11. Bruce 11

    Half my family are over there.

  12. her 12

    Bugger Oz, I’m going to move somewhere good.

  13. JonL 13

    I live outside Perth. I didn’t come to settle in OZ – I followed a woman (but, that’s another story)
    I’d like to come back, but, I don’t see it any time soon – if I did, I’d have to find a job, and the equivalent in NZ would pay 40% less with higher consumer costs! ….assuming I could get one at my age!
    So – it looks like I’ll be staying on our self contained, solar powered 10 acres with bores and tanks for a while longer – we certainly couldn’t replace what we’ve got in NZ – even allowing for the exchange rate difference!
    Sad really…….

  14. Roy 14

    Sorely tempted but I have lived there before and didn’t like the heat, the dryness, the bugs or the racism. Still I could decide that I can endure all of them, one of these days…

  15. vto 15

    Aussie has held no appeal since Kylie Minogue left.

  16. Jenny 16

    ….. They have unions there.

  17. Blue 17

    People in their own words on why they want to leave NZ:

    “My pay now is not much higher than a school drop out working at the supermarket, so if I can find a job, any job, then I’m out of here.”

    “There is definitely a better chance of me becoming a home owner in Adelaide, where I plan to go, than here in Auckland.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10805706

    It’s a no-brainer really. What most people want in life is a decent job and to own a home of their own. Not such a big ask, you would have thought.

    But NZ is increasingly becoming the sort of place where even those simple dreams can’t be realised.

    And once you can’t meet the basic needs of your citizens they will pack up and go elsewhere.

    Both sides of the political spectrum need to sit up and take this more seriously. Housing and jobs. That’s where it’s at. Housing and jobs.

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  • Gordon Campbell on the coalition’s awful, not good, very bad poll results
    Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
    1 day ago
  • New HOP readers for future payment options
    Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 Reading Summary: April (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
    2 days ago
  • At a glance – Clearing up misconceptions regarding 'hide the decline'
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    2 days ago
  • Road photos
    Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Paula Bennett’s political appointment will challenge public confidence
    The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago
  • NZDF is still hostile to oversight
    Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Winding Back The Hands Of History’s Clock.
    Holding On To The Present: The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
    2 days ago
  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    2 days ago
  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    2 days ago
  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    2 days ago
  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    2 days ago
  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    2 days ago
  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic plan, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    3 days ago
  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    3 days ago
  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    3 days ago
  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    3 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    4 days ago
  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    5 days ago
  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    5 days ago
  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    7 days ago
  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    7 days ago
  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Stronger oversight for our most vulnerable children
    The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 mins ago
  • Streamlining Building Consent Changes
    The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.      “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
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    1 week ago
  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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