Why be a public servant?

Written By: - Date published: 1:16 pm, July 20th, 2017 - 28 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, accountability, Deep stuff, national, national/act government, Politics, Privatisation, same old national, treasury, Unions, workers' rights - Tags:

Why be a public servant? Why in particular work in a government department in Wellington?

Twenty years ago there was still a mythology that such office jobs were cushy numbers with great perks. Ten years ago some could still say they had a calling to actually make a difference through work beyond their own self interest. Maybe a few still start off like that.

Now, two big instances pull back the curtain on what it’s really like, and what it means for government.

First off, the State Services Commission has confirmed that three staff at the Ministry of Transport who sought to be whistle-blowers on the massive and long term fraud there, were vindictively restructured out.

Any large government department has an atmosphere of controlled perpetual repression, because it is ruled over by a Minister whose personality is usually a mixture of naïve ideas, bullying, fear of the Prime Minister, fear of Parliament and the media, and everything else you see on House of Cards. It really is like that. So seeking to expose active and long term corruption by your superior is something really only those with no mortgage can undertake without real fear. Gordon Campbell noted in March this year that “If whistle blowers don’t feel protected if and when they relay their concerns to senior staff – let alone if they later feel impelled to go public to the media – then the formal protections on paper are worthless”.

The State Services Commission themselves understand how important the whistle-blowing function is to our public service:

Winston Peters was quite right: the then-Chief Executive of the Ministry of Transport, who is now the Auditor General, should leave. He allowed this repression of his own staff under his watch. He also failed to detect the corruption. He is now in charge of detecting corruption in the public sector.

That gives you a little hint of what it is really like to work in Wellington as a public servant now. It is a perpetual climate of fear and obedience, where the good go punished and there is no justice for incompetence or malice.

At the Inland Revenue Department, they are going to cut 30% of the workforce. They are rolling out an enormous new computer system, to overtake the old one which has been running as a set of patch-ups with Kiwisaver loaded onto it, childcare payment changes, new tax thresholds, new rebates, all on an ageing computer architecture.

Sure, this kind of automation is affecting the entire accounting industry. And granted this set of changes has been building for several years. However the Public Service Association says that “The loss of expert staff and the lack of certainty for workers reapplying for more simplistically modified roles means that important regulatory changes to the tax system rest on very shaky foundations.”

The Taxpayers Union agrees with the PSA (!).

Other accounting analysts on Radio New Zealand this morning were equally concerned at the gutting of regulatory and interpretative capacity in the department.

The IRD is one of the largest and most vital instruments of state. It collects the money in tax, but does far more. People I know of in there are there because they want the whole of New Zealand to pay their share in order that the instruments of state do their best to redistribute equity across the whole population.

3,000 people likely unemployed, meaning 3,000 mortgages at risk in Wellington. That is one huge hit to the economy.

Granted this is nothing on the scale of perpetual restructures that occurred in Wellington in the 1990s. And yes, with unemployment at around 5% they will likely find lesser jobs to do something with.

But let’s make a couple of quick points.

The public service in Wellington are a core of the remaining middle class in New Zealand. Liquidate them and you liquidate not only their mortgages, but also the things they buy: travel, babysitters, gardeners, concert bookings, trips to Moore Wilsons, private schools, nice clothes, nice cars, restaurants, wine, regular haircuts, and in fact all the things that employ tens of thousands of other New Zealanders. Your entire life and family goes down a couple of pegs, and never returns. That’s not a reason to keep them in jobs. It simply notes that such moves cool the entire Wellington economy by devastating thousands of people.

The public service run the country. To take the IRD for example, there’s very little chance you can call them to get exemptions or extensions to filing deadlines, interpretations of regulatory clauses, or someone who can actually point you on the phone in the right direction. Because they will have been fired. That is the capacity being hollowed out. And don’t get me started on the lies and lifeboat ethics you see when there’s a major restructure on. It’s the evil part of human nature, covering a good shanking to your future with a tissue of meaningless and flippant corporate lies.

For those political parties who would like to do large things with the public sector, such as the Greens plans for massive social welfare spending all of which have huge tax implications, good luck getting those implemented. Compare that to the lack of capacity that already exists in Wellington to deal with the housing crisis, and you can see the inertia any future Labour government would face implementing tens of thousands of houses built per year. Hundreds of people debate and contest policy ideas in elections, and politicians make their promises, but without public servants to do them they just can’t and won’t happen.

Some people survive such restructures, and you see their names pop up across town in new departments, freshly-minted government agencies doing roughly the same stuff with yet another new brand. The churn is perpetual, the dumb ideas and new departments are just a pathetic and perpetual waste that you see year after year after year. That’s almost part of the nature of governments changing.

But this government has led this culture. Hollowed out, unable to act, disempowered, vengeful, cowed, increasingly corrupt. Most public servants, like most of New Zealand’s middle class, just continue to go backwards. A good country needs a good public service and good public servants to deliver that service.

It’s dying.

28 comments on “Why be a public servant? ”

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  1. Sam C 1
    20 July 2017 at 1:44 pm

    I live in Wellington and know plenty of public servants (including a couple of chief executives). I don’t know any who have gardeners or send their kids to private schools, but most of them do enjoy a wine and, God forbid, get a regular haircut.

    You yourself point out that the IRD restructure has been telegraphed for years – by all means jump up and down if you don’t like the final outcome, but at this stage there is scant detail of what the final structure will look like.

    What exactly is the point of this post?

    • Ad 1.1
      20 July 2017 at 2:10 pm

      After two massive stories about specific departments, you don’t see a point to the post?

      Since you asked, and don’t have a critical faculty to actually use, here are some points within the post.

      1. Public servants are important to executing policy, but they are being gutted in IRD and a lot of people are reasonably worried about it. There’s a fair few commentators about today who are also concerned – some of whom I linked to so that you can help form that missing critical faculty of yours.

      2. Restructuring a government department with very large redundancies has a very large economic impact.

      3. The middle class is very important to New Zealand, and the Wellington public service is vital to that.

      4. The culture of bullying within the Ministry of Transport has occurred under the current government, and was carried out in a noteworthy specific instance by the person who is now the Auditor General. And it was noteworthy enough that the State Services Commissioner got involved. And made a specific speech about the importance of whistleblowing. Again, I linked to that to assist with your missing critical faculty.

      5. Degrading public servants and cutting their capacity severely limits the ability of an alternative government to implement policy. This is worth taking note of with two months to go to a new government.

      Since you didn’t understand any of that, you need to sit down with these public servant friends of yours – including those chief executives – and do a bit of reflection.

      Ask them about the culture and capacity within MoT.

      Ask them about the culture and capacity within NZTA.

      Ask them about the culture and capacity within IRD.

      Ask them about the culture and capacity within DoC.

      Ask them about the culture and capacity within MoJ.

      Ask them about the culture and capacity within MoH.

      Or the Ombudsman’s Office. Or the Privacy Commissioner.
      There’s a few more I could list, but that should be enough conversations with your friends for you to be getting on with so that you can figure out what the point of the post is.

      • mickysavage 1.1.1
        20 July 2017 at 2:27 pm

        I agree with Ad. Today is a really bad day for the public service. How the feck did Mot get things so bad? And how can they justify cutting a third of IRD’s staff?

        • Ad 1.1.1.1
          20 July 2017 at 2:50 pm

          It was great to see the PSA voice their serious concerns about the IRD restructure, in the release I linked to.

          The stories I hear of the departments I listed are horrific. Hopefully the PSA will call out the relevant Ministers for these departments for disgraceful conduct. After all, there’s an election on.

          There is nothing to lose, except an oppressive government.

        • Sam C 1.1.1.2
          20 July 2017 at 2:58 pm

          With ref to my comment at 2 below, I hadn’t seen the SSC’s findings when I typed that. Hard to argue with the findings – as Micky says, how did MOT get it so badly wrong?

          Not sure that Martin Matthews will be returning from his leave of absence.

          • mickysavage 1.1.1.2.1
            20 July 2017 at 3:35 pm

            Agreed.

          • Rob 1.1.1.2.2
            20 July 2017 at 10:01 pm

            If Matthews can be so easily conned by J Harrison how can he be auditor General
            He may even be conned by bully boys like a former minister of transport!

          • gsays 1.1.1.2.3
            21 July 2017 at 1:34 am

            he certainly shouldn’t.
            made me curious how auditor general got the job.
            the officers of parliament committee said so.
            said committee includes carter, mallard, clendon, sepuloni, stewart, ross, flavell.

            • Loop 1.1.1.2.3.1
              21 July 2017 at 6:16 am

              “made me curious how auditor general got the job.”

              The same way surjon became a night and got oz order of merit. Systemic failings and willful blindness

      • Doogs 1.1.2
        20 July 2017 at 5:21 pm

        You only missed out the Ministry of Education. All sorts of shit going on there!

      • SARAH 1.1.3
        20 July 2017 at 7:06 pm

        You left out MPI. I listened to someone talking about the culture there and most who work there are appalled at what goes on.

  2. Sam C 2
    20 July 2017 at 2:37 pm

    In re your first 3 points, as I said above, this has been telegraphed for a long time. There were always going to be relatively large job losses as a result of the implementation of the new system at IRD. Since I (and presumably you) don’t know the exact nature of those job losses, it is premature to speculate as to the economic impact or otherwise.

    As for 4, I’m not close enough to that to agree or disagree about the culture at MOT, but will wait for the findings of the report.

    Re point 5 – so are you saying that the IRD restructure was announced two months before the election with the express intention of limiting the ability of an alternative government to implement policy? That’s a pretty long bow to draw.

    I think I’ll pass on the reflection with my friends though, thanks. We’ll probably just sit around drinking wine, eating small-goods from Moore Wilson while watching the gardener raking the leaves, talking about how miserable the culture is in their departments and how lacking in capacity their departments are and how they can’t wait for an alternative government to save the day.

    • Ad 2.1
      20 July 2017 at 3:05 pm

      Top work on the analysis and capacity to use a reply button.

      If you think it’s premature to speculate on the economic impact of a restructure, then you haven’t been through one. Speculate about your future is the first thing to do, and it’s the only wise thing to do. Every one of those people going through restructures goes through fear and a focus about their actual interests. Their entire family goes through that damage together. If you are not aware of the studies about how the great majority of restructured people never recover either their economic or social status they once had, elucidate yourself.

      Since you think just sitting on your fucking ass hoping that the impact will be light is the right approach, then clearly you are either a chief executive, a minister, or a union organiser that has been bought. Doesn’t matter which – your reaction would be the same.

      You sure aren’t from the SSC, because they are the only people showing spine right now.

      Every single large scale restructure in Wellington in the last thirty years has involved massive job losses. These fuckers are true to their word. If you don’t know that, then you don’t know as many public servants as you say you do.

      On point 5, if you can’t see the capacity issue, you are blind.

      Clearly you don’t like the idea of being middle class. You don’t like seeing how restructures affect an entire economy. You don’t like admitting who does or does not go to Moore Wilsons. Or has childcare. Or goes to Pacific islands or skiing during winter. You are in denial.

      Every single thing you say shows that you are caught within a bubble. About time you started opening your eyes to the damage to the public service that this government is doing.

  3. Bill 3
    20 July 2017 at 3:30 pm

    Maybe somewhat relevant.

    Was in conversation with a foreign national who works for ACC. They were saying ACC seems to prefer hiring foreign nationals to do claim assessments because they lack the insight to know what ACC used to be and so are unable, perhaps, to evaluate or criticise new claims criteria on the basis of historical or institutional knowledge.

    And that conversation originally reminded me of scenes from the “I Daniel Blake” film where the lead character has to make their claim in electronic form where to will sent off to someone he never meets or speaks to who will assess his claim against a series of tick boxes.

    And coming back to your post.

    What would be a possible motivation for gutting the civil service? Some departments, I’ve no doubt, could be deliberately run down then held up as inefficient failures that would be better run as and by private contractors.

    UK equivalent of WINZ is already contracted out. I could see ACC being contracted out. And I’m sure there are many other departments that could be “ripened for the picking”.

    And then government’s reduced to over-seeing the process of contracting out and perhaps somewhat lackadaisically, monitoring the services that have become contracted out.

    Small and corrupt government heaven?

    • Ad 3.1
      20 July 2017 at 3:38 pm

      I certainly don’t think the public service in general is corrupt here – I think on the contrary the mid-level and operational staff are usually saints operating in ridiculous constraints.

      Yes there is an accelerated hollowing out of actual public servants in many of the social welfare arms, in favour of a highly devolved and contractarian culture with awkward and opaque accountability mechanisms into NGO trusts. But that’s too big an area for my little post today.

      I do think the quality of mid and high-level management in the public service in Wellington’s core public service is on average very, very low.

      There have been a few standouts with real heft and excellence over the last few years – Dr Prebble, Jeff Dangerfield and David Smol and of course Hugh Rennie come to mind. But so many of them are out of their depth, and do exactly what we have seen at MoT and are seeing now in IRD. Chaos ensues.

      • Bill 3.1.1
        20 July 2017 at 3:54 pm

        Didn’t mean to imply that the public service is corrupt.

        Your description of mid-level and operational staff compared to higher-level management, seems to chime with what I hear from people working for larger NGOs dependent on government funding.

        You want regime change and you have the wherewithal, then step one is to promote unimaginative “yes” peeps into top positions, no?

    • AsleepWhileWalking 3.2
      20 July 2017 at 9:17 pm

      I shudder to think of what WINZ would be like if it contracted out like the disaster that is UK welfare.

  4. savenz 4
    20 July 2017 at 4:56 pm

    Maybe IRD will offer free meals and training and help getting residency in return for free workers at IRD on their new computer systems and turning a blind eye, wink wink to government tax evasion and fraud.

    They could put Judith Collins in charge and with our auditor General after his promotion after being asleep at the wheel with The ministry of Transport frauds.

    A joint brain fart from The Maori Party and National party policy in action – what a winner.

  5. Anne 5
    20 July 2017 at 6:55 pm

    Thanks Ad. Your summation of the Public Service as I experienced it is very accurate. Especially:

    That gives you a little hint of what it is really like to work in Wellington as a public servant now. It is a perpetual climate of fear and obedience, where the good go punished and there is no justice for incompetence or malice.

    Be assured it not only happened in Wellington and it is interesting to note my own experience also involved the Ministry of Transport – 20+ years ago.

    One aspect you only touched upon which plays a significant role is the Peter Principle

    • Andre 5.1
      20 July 2017 at 7:26 pm

      The Peter Principle is long gone. And that’s not a good thing. When the Peter Principle was operative, the boss was someone who, once upon a time, was actually good at something related to that workplace. Now, not so much.

      • Anne 5.1.1
        20 July 2017 at 7:41 pm

        I was referring more to this definition:

        the Peter Principle the theory, usually taken facetiously, that all members in a hierarchy rise to their own level of incompetence.

        It began with the restructuring in the late 1980s/1990s and is imo a direct consequence of neoliberal practices. I witnessed it firsthand in the MoT 25 years ago. Wisdom and experience flew out the window and was replaced by “youthful dynamism” – at least that was the expression used by one idiot manager I had the misfortune to work under.

        • Andre 5.1.1.1
          20 July 2017 at 8:26 pm

          They used to have to rise to their level of incompetence. Nowadays they just get bunged straight in to a level of greater incompetence.

          • Anne 5.1.1.1.1
            20 July 2017 at 8:46 pm

            That is true. I saw tried and true managers starting at the very top tossed out in 1989 and replaced by a bunch of incompetents from other jurisdictions, including the private sector, and within 2 to 3 years the govt. department I worked for was on its knees. They, in turn, were tossed out and the whole shebang became an SOE and as far as I can tell has prospered since. I hate to say it but it was the Minister of Transport, Rob Storey in the Bolger Govt. who came to the rescue and re-introduced some commonsense appointments.

      • Cricklewood 5.1.2
        20 July 2017 at 8:14 pm

        Its why I having started my career in council have moved and stayed within the small companies in the private sector. Inevitably the company owner understands and is engaged in what they are doing.
        The admin building where i started out was colliqually known as ‘bullshit castle’ which was apt. As a small but typical example an edict was issued that no small plant could be purchased as a result we spent thousands of dollars hiring a $500 lawnmower for 6 months…

  6. One Anonymous Bloke 6
    20 July 2017 at 7:21 pm

    the inertia

    How many degrees does the direction of the inertia need to change?
    Things that are already moving get lighter, as anyone who has ever pushed a car can attest.

  7. WILD KATIPO 7
    20 July 2017 at 8:00 pm

    Nice post.

    I worked as a labourer ( officially called a ….’ Headworks Assistant ‘ … L0L ! ) in the ARA… ( Auckland Regional Authority ) in the 1980’s out there in the Waitakere Ranges.

    1980 – 1986.

    I left that job just before the guys knew it was all going to be broken up and privatized. They all said I was mad to leave . Little did we all know. At the depo I worked at , they almost all lost their jobs. And so it was across the ARA as all depts were privatized to one extent or another.

    I don’t forget or forgive easily when people in suits fuck others over.

    Especially when I see the shitters responsible rolling in cash and in social positions publicly commenting on ‘changes that need to be done in order to be more efficient’ .

    The same goes when I see shitters who are well off talking about economic downturns that affect thousands of peoples lives forever talking about ‘ market corrections’ … as if sanitizing it with a euphemism legitimizes fucking those thousands over as if they are mere cattle to be consumed.

    Neo liberalism.

    The filthiest , most treacherous ideology to afflict the modern western democracy’s that ever we had the misfortune to be taken in by.

    New Right Fight – Who are the New Right?
    http://www.newrightfight.co.nz/pageA.html

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    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago

  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago

  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago

  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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