Why insurance should be a state monopoly

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 4:25 pm, November 11th, 2013 - 100 comments
Categories: Economy - Tags: insurance

The seeming purpose of having competition is to prevent monopoly pricing and excessive profits but, as Steve Keen shows, all businesses use the same pricing model with about the same level of profits. If they did use the pricing model that economists say that they should use they’d actually go broke.

What the market possibly does do is prevent excessive profiteering by private monopolies (a private, unregulated monopoly, actually gets to charge whatever they like – just look at Telecom) although the record profits that the banks are pulling in would tend to indicate that this doesn’t happen. As a state monopoly can, and should, be open to public scrutiny the added complexity and costs of competition aren’t needed to prevent excessive profits. A state monopoly can be run at close to cost.

An insurance monopoly gets the most people in it making the premiums the lowest possible due to economies of scale. On top of that it also precludes the massive duplication of bureaucracy that occurs in a competitive market thus saving costs there. Thirdly it doesn’t have the dead-weight loss of profit in it which further decreases premiums. Fourth, the government, and thus the insurance company, isn’t going to fold like AMI and thus legitimate claims will always be paid out in a timely fashion^*. Fifthly it’s going to be completely transparent, the public will be able to see the money’s coming from and exactly where and why it’s being spent – something that just cannot be done with private institutions.

But the most important reason is how it works and it works, not as a large deposit of cash as private insurance does, but as a pay-as-you-go system.

Premiums are collected/Claims are paid out
Any difference between the amount on hand from premiums is covered by the governments ability to create money at 0% interest
Premiums are recalculated to cover expected costs plus any deficit from the previous year

The first advantage in this is that it’s actually very cheap to set up but the main advantage is that it doesn’t have to withdraw a huge amount of money from the economy to cover claims as the private insurers do. This means that that money will stay in circulation and thus help keep the economy going rather than contributing to its collapse.

One other thing, due to the governments ability to create currency there is no need for re-insurers and so that level of complexity and added expense is removed further decreasing premiums.

It is impossible for the private sector, with it’s dead-weight loss of profit, the need for a large stack of cash, and the duplication of competition to compete with this model.

* Extreme events such as the Christchurch earthquakes will still cause problems. You could get paid out but still not have anywhere to live due to there being a lack of builders available. Such extreme events will always need government intervention to get the logistics working.

Draco T Bastard

100 comments on “Why insurance should be a state monopoly ”

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Rogue Trooper 1

11 November 2013 at 4:31 pm

Opportunity Knocks.
TightyRighty 2

11 November 2013 at 4:47 pm

Thank god you are just a blowhard on a website Draco. Country would be fucked if they let anyone as deluded as you near the wheel. So you’d destroy people savings just so the state can pay claims by printing money? I don’t see any scams there. No Sirreee
- Rogue Trooper 2.1
  
  11 November 2013 at 5:03 pm
  
  DTB =/= WOBH
- Draco T Bastard 2.2
  
  11 November 2013 at 7:31 pm
  
  Not destroying peoples saving at all. They’ll still have them and, due to the fact that premiums would increase in the case of money being created, there won’t be any inflationary pressure.
- ghostwhowalksnz 2.3
  
  12 November 2013 at 10:01 am
  
  And paying Rio Tinto $30 mill – at thats just the first installment- for them to break the contract they signed is going to benefit the country ?
- Tat Loo (CV) 2.4
  
  12 November 2013 at 10:07 am
  
  So you’d destroy people savings just so the state can pay claims by printing money? I don’t see any scams there. No Sirreee
  
  You got a $20 or $50 note in your wallet, tighty? Who printed that money, tighty? Could it be the state i.e. the only agency who can.
- thatguynz 2.5
  
  12 November 2013 at 10:27 am
  
  Thank allah you are just a blowhard on a website TightyRighty. Country would be fucked if they let someone with such a lack of economic intellect as you near the wheel. Oh wait….
Lara 3

11 November 2013 at 4:51 pm

One fact I do know is my 24 year old niece whilst working as a “underwriter” here in NZ earned $120,000 pa or more – this was back in 2004. She is obviously very good at what she does but without any tertiary qualifications what so ever then moved to the UK – her pay was the equivalent of NZ$250,000 pa – she apparently finished work around 3pm. 6 week holidays and very long weekends the norm for many years. We are indeed being rorted by the insurance industry. Bring on KiwiAssure, bring down overpriced premiums. Or work in insurance!!
Ad 4

11 November 2013 at 5:21 pm

Leviathan must not triumph.

The record of current state monopolies such as ACC and EQC is overall not great – not for price, not for exercise of power, not for privacy, and not for service.

We need strong regulators (and specialist courts) to protect citizens from public and private cartels, protect the state from ripoff monopsonists, and protect competitors from really stupid and unjustified interventions.

Enchain with fiersome regulations all public and private entities with too much power over us.
- Draco T Bastard 4.1
  
  11 November 2013 at 7:41 pm
  
  The record of current state monopolies such as ACC and EQC is overall not great
  
  Actually, it’s not that bad under normal conditions. ACC is awesome in its cost effectiveness. EQC has fucked up badly in Christchurch but, then, so have the private insurance companies. Neither of them were prepared for the earthquakes. With insurance being fully a state service when the earthquakes hit it would have been easier for the government to step in and rectify things. Instead we had them running around for months negotiating with the private insurers.
  
  They’re not perfect but we can make things better if they’re a state service. We don’t have any power to do so with private entities.
  
  We need strong regulators (and specialist courts) to protect citizens from public and private cartels, protect the state from ripoff monopsonists, and protect competitors from really stupid and unjustified interventions.
  
  All of which is really quite expensive. State service monopoly with total transparency which anybody can look into is going to be better and cheaper. There’s no way that they could get away with overcharging (or even undercharging) or any questionable practices.
  
  Enchain with fiersome regulations all public and private entities with too much power over us.
  
  If they have any power over us then they need to be a government service and answerable to the public.
Tat Loo (CV) 5

11 November 2013 at 5:37 pm

The record of current state monopolies such as ACC and EQC is overall not great – not for price, not for exercise of power, not for privacy, and not for service.

Mostly operational matters which could be got right with the correct leadership and improved organisational cultures.
- Ad 5.1
  
  11 November 2013 at 5:48 pm
  
  None of those are reasons for them to be a state monopoly.
  In fact it’s more direct to hold poor systems accountable through being able to take your business elsewhere, than through the ballot box.
  - Tat Loo (CV) 5.1.1
    
    11 November 2013 at 5:56 pm
    
    if you can give me an example of any country in the world which has come up with a competitive private sector model which is superior to our ACC scheme in terms of costs and healthcare results, that’s what we can move towards.
    
    In fact it’s more direct to hold poor systems accountable through being able to take your business elsewhere
    
    Actual track record is well against you here.
    
    And you think that’s working well in our electricity retail “market”? How about our broadband retail “market”? How about our private insurance “market”? Or our private banking “market”.
    
    The reality is that corporates typically laugh at consumer level threats to take their business elsewhere because the level of cohesion in such consumer advocacy is typically very low, and major corporates have usually worked hard to capture entire markets.
    
    EDIT I am all for your idea of strong indepedent regulation and oversight of all private and public corporates. A statist I am not.
    - Ad 5.1.1.1
      
      11 November 2013 at 6:23 pm
      
      Love the idea of ACC, like I love the idea of Christianity.
      
      Markets that make stable profits and states are interdependent (some would say codependent).
      
      Personally I would rather have an ACCC and aggregate my regulators. Hard to trust politicians to run anything with these pricks in charge.
      - Rogue Trooper 5.1.1.1.1
        
        11 November 2013 at 7:23 pm
        
        just a couple of ideas patriarchs had. 😉
        
        (ssshhh, who said that).
    - Ad 5.1.1.2
      
      11 November 2013 at 6:25 pm
      
      …and you way so are a statist
      
      Oh yes you are. Great big huge stompy one. Huge.
      😉
      - Tat Loo (CV) 5.1.1.2.1
        
        11 November 2013 at 6:49 pm
        
        lol – if so it would be in a far more distributed and local/community governance way. A very bad outcome for the country would be for massively centralised power with decisions and budgets all run out of Wellington. Although the Thorndon Bubble crowd might love it, few others would.
        
        Ad 5.1.1.2.1.1
        
        11 November 2013 at 8:42 pm
        
        Perhaps instead of a state insurance company there should be one for each Regional Authority, and one for each major Council such as Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington, Tauranga, and Hamilton.
        
        It would in a sense be a bigger version of RiskPool – which already operates between and for most New Zealand Councils for their own assets.
        
        Cities that felt inclined would slip it into one of their holding companies. In the case of Tauranga, it could complement the TSB.
        
        Would New Zealand be better if it were predominantly regionally governed?
        
        Tat Loo (CV) …
        
        11 November 2013 at 8:59 pm
        
        And central government could act to provide re-insurance.
        
        Would New Zealand be better if it were predominantly regionally governed?
        
        Otago and Southland people would say…definitely 🙂
        
        Joking aside, budgets, standards and standardisation, foreign and nationwide policy, audit and assurance could be provided from Wellington. With local democratic entities taking it from there.
        
        Rogue Trooper …
        
        11 November 2013 at 11:12 pm
        
        sounds familiar Ad
- Tim 5.2
  
  11 November 2013 at 7:27 pm
  
  “Mostly operational matters which could be got right with the correct leadership and improved organisational cultures.”
  A bloody BIG change in organisational culture!
  The public service generally does NOT have to run on corporate lines as a business reinforced by nasty little penny pinching attitudes, cost centre accounting, frikken purchase agreements ffs, and KPI’s (which, if not met – don’t really matter).
  
  You know – if you look back over the past couple of decades, the ONLY time something happens to improve the inadequacies of these corporatised departments and Muntries is when some Senior manager might potentially be embarassed. And when they are (embarassed), bonuses still get paid and any blame is transferrred to the nearest underling.
  
  Many Senior managers/”CEO’s” (even that term is inappropriate) need reminding of pretty basic things like codes of conduct, reinforcing the idea that THEY serve the public – NOT the other way round. Bad attitudes are now so entrenched amongst them after a quarter century plus, their sense of entitlement is the norm. Those underlings earning substantially less pay are actually the ones keeping the wheels turning, often working in fear as they execute the whims of their CEO/mgr.
Descendant Of Sssmith 6

11 November 2013 at 6:31 pm

Private sector gives out others information, looks up peoples personal records, shares info with other people and businesses – you just don’t hear bout it as much and you can’t OIA it.
roger 7

11 November 2013 at 6:43 pm

Having worked in insurance, these arguments either don’t apply or don’t make sense.

1) Publicly listed companies are exposed to considerable scrutiny regarding the state of their finances.

2) Economies of scale don’t apply to insurance. The risk of having a natural disaster or a car stolen in a particular area is the same regardless of how many people are insured and premiums are calculated accordingly on that basis of risk. Likewise, as customers increase, the needed bureaucracy to support the organisation must also increase in size, further eroding any potential for “economies of scale”.

3) Duplication of bureaucracy argument doesn’t make sense, the other insurers aren’t charging more in premiums because their competition also have bureaucracy.

4) I don’t understand what you mean by “dead-weight loss of profit”. If you mean that insurance companies increase premiums when profits drop, the same will apply to an SOE which would need to increase premiums to cover increasing costs or fewer customers in order to stay solvent. Either that or be bailed out by the taxpayer by printing money as you suggest.

5) Almost all insurance companies didn’t fold after the earthquakes, they simply went to their re-insurers which is usual when a massive event like this happens. The only option for an SOE insurer if they didn’t use re-insurers would be a massive taxpayer bailout.

6) You’re advocating that instead of keeping a large cash reserve that can be accessed whenever needed in case of disaster, that we wing it and simply print more money whenever we want so we drive up inflation and erode the value of savings. This without considering what state the government finances or the economy might be in the next time a disaster hits.

Also correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t the reserve bank make the decision about printing money? Or are you also suggesting to end the reserve bank’s independence from the government by forcing them to print money at the government’s request?
- infused 7.1
  
  11 November 2013 at 6:48 pm
  
  All of the above, silly.
- Tat Loo (CV) 7.2
  
  11 November 2013 at 7:10 pm
  
  I think most of your comments are slighly off the mark. The overall the case for a public insurance company is simple – we can do it for ourselves, and keep our money in the country. We don’t need private profits flowing offshore.
  
  I will respond to one comment you make more specifically however:
  
  6) You’re advocating that instead of keeping a large cash reserve that can be accessed whenever needed in case of disaster, that we wing it and simply print more money whenever we want so we drive up inflation and erode the value of savings. This without considering what state the government finances or the economy might be in the next time a disaster hits.
  
  Also correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t the reserve bank make the decision about printing money? Or are you also suggesting to end the reserve bank’s independence from the government by forcing them to print money at the government’s request?
  
  1) Don’t get fussed about printing money. Governments do it all the time. Just have a look at the growth of M1 and M2 in the NZ economy over the last 10 years, for instance.
  
  2) Printing money rarely impacts in terms of monetary inflation. And why should it? NZ has a highly competitve market economy with plenty of spare resources/capacity, and plenty of workers willing to work for a minimum wage. If you were to make a case that our economy was running very tight on spare capacity and free labour, perhaps you could make the case.
  
  3) I’m not sure 100% reserve bank independence is a good thing. After all, the era of “reserve bank independence” has coincided with a massive increase in widespread financial instability, and monetary policies that have been very helpful in transferring wealth away from workers and towards financial speculators and capitalists.
  - Bob 7.2.1
    
    12 November 2013 at 4:43 pm
    
    “The overall the case for a public insurance company is simple – we can do it for ourselves, and keep our money in the country”
    
    Sort of like Kiwi Insurance that is run by Kiwibank? http://www.kiwibank.co.nz/personal-banking/insurance/
    “We’ve teamed up with Kiwi Insurance Limited (a related company of Kiwibank)”
- Draco T Bastard 7.3
  
  11 November 2013 at 7:24 pm
  
  1.) AMI. Saying that there is enough scrutiny already when we’ve just had a major failure due to lack of oversight is rather blatant BS.
  2.) The more people in an insurance scheme the less the premiums will be as the risk is covered by more people. It may not be by much, maybe less than 1%, but across an entire nation that is going to add up to millions of dollars. As the saying goes: A little bit here, a little bit there and pretty soon you’re talking serious money.
  3.) More bureaucracy = more cost. Costs that has to be covered by the society.
  4.) Nope, that’s not what I mean. A state insurance company would be running at cost. It brings in enough to cover wages/salaries and claims. What it doesn’t have is the payout of dividends and it’s the dividends that are the dead-weight loss. This is proven conclusively by Telecom not rolling out fibre years ago despite having the wherewithal to do so. NZ is out of pocket by ~$17b.
  5.) Nope. What would happen is that the claims would be paid for by creating money at the time that payout was made (Possibly months or years later – see my note). The premiums would then be adjusted to compensate but they wouldn’t be high. I also note that, according to reports or here, that premiums have gone up around 70% despite, or because of, the international reinsurers. The reinsurers and their profits are another level of complexity that we have to pay for as well which pushes up premiums.
  6.) Nope. I’m advocating that the state insurance service create money to cover normal claims and adjust premiums as necessary. In the case of an actual disaster the government itself would have to step in – see my note.
  
  Also correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t the reserve bank make the decision about printing money?
  
  No, the private banks do. The reserve bank acts as the lender of last resort if the banks can’t find enough to cover the lending that they’ve already made.
  
  Or are you also suggesting to end the reserve bank’s independence from the government by forcing them to print money at the government’s request?
  
  Yes but I’m not suggesting that there are no controls over how much the government can create. I’ve also suggested that private banks should no longer be able to create money at all so as to help with the stability of the currency and decrease inflation. See, there’s a major problem with allowing the private banks to create money with limitations as they do – it results in there being too much money available which pushes up share and house prices without a corresponding increase in products, services or productivity.
  - TheContrarian 7.3.1
    
    11 November 2013 at 7:45 pm
    
    “This is proven conclusively”
    
    No it isn’t. Making a statement about what could have happened is not prove it would have happened.
    - Draco T Bastard 7.3.1.1
      
      11 November 2013 at 8:01 pm
      
      Yeah, it actually is. We project out what was happening before the change and compare the estimated results with what actually happened.
      
      Are you really so stupid as to think that our network wouldn’t be better with another $17b invested in it?
      - TheContrarian 7.3.1.1.1
        
        11 November 2013 at 9:16 pm
        
        Are you really that stupid as to think everything follows a set path?
        
        Nothing is proven conclusive, you only have your prediction. And it isn’t conclusive by any means.
        
        Lanthanide 7.3.1.1.1.1
        
        11 November 2013 at 9:52 pm
        
        I think this largely sums up why I generally disagree with most things Draco says.
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        11 November 2013 at 11:05 pm
        
        A non argument is why you disagree?
        
        Lanthanide …
        
        12 November 2013 at 7:18 am
        
        Because you see everything as black and white and you have all the answers. Anyone that disagrees with you, on subjects which aren’t actually black and white, is simply wrong.
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        12 November 2013 at 11:02 am
        
        I don’t have all the answers that’s why I put them up here for discussion. I’m more than happy to be shown to be wrong.
        
        EDIT: This comment also got a commenting too fast error on first attempt.
        
        TheContrarian …
        
        12 November 2013 at 12:45 pm
        
        You have been shown wrong already. You can’t make a conclusive statement on actions that never happened. You can make an educated guess but you can’t go around stating something as conclusive fact when you can’t possibly know the outcome.
        
        Colonial Viper …
        
        12 November 2013 at 12:54 pm
        
        Well, that is true…it’s a complex and highly uncertain world out there.
        
        Draco T Bastard 7.3.1.1.1.2
        
        11 November 2013 at 10:58 pm
        
        The prediction is based upon the fact that it would.
        
        There are two possible options available:
        1.) Continue as is so that $17b gets spent on the network
        2.) Continue as is but also decrease prices. This decreases the amount spent on the network but also decreases the monthly rental. Result being that the amount of money in people pockets increases by the same amount while the network still improves.
        
        Either way, the country would be $17b better off.
        
        TheContrarian …
        
        11 November 2013 at 11:09 pm
        
        There are far more than merely two possible options Draco. Which makes your comment about others being unable to follow logic pretty ironic, you having just committed a false dilemma. Black and white thinking to the layman – something you do frequently.
        
        (The above ^ was in response to Draco’s unedited comment which accused Lanth of being unable to follow logic. Ironic again considering it was a non-argument of his own).
        
        Fact is you can’t conclusively prove any future event which are based purely on events which haven’t happened nor can no longer happen. You make a educated guess extrapolating from a particular historical point but to follow it up with “This is proven conclusively” is laughable at best, flat out self-deception at worst.
        
        Rogue Trooper …
        
        11 November 2013 at 11:14 pm
        
        ooooh
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        12 November 2013 at 10:57 am
        
        There are far more than merely two possible options Draco.
        
        Well, I can’t think of what else would have happened if telecommunications wasn’t deregulated and Telecom left to continue as is using the surplus that it was getting to upgrade the network. Perhaps you’d like to enlighten us, show us something that, under those conditions would contradict my own conclusions?
        
        Fact is you can’t conclusively prove any future event which are based purely on events which haven’t happened nor can no longer happen.
        
        Ok, that’s reasonable but I’d say that from what we see out of Telecom over the last 20+ years and the need now for the government to legislate and fund the implementation of the network upgrade is indicative of the dead-weight loss of profit.
        
        photonz …
        
        12 November 2013 at 11:44 am
        
        Draco says “Well, I can’t think of what else would have happened if telecommunications wasn’t deregulated ”
        
        I can tell you. If the govt had kept telecom…..
        
        A “toll call” in NZ would have continued to cost a days wages.
        A “toll call” overseas would have continued to cost a weeks wages.
        You would continue to have to go on a waiting list to buy a telephone.
        Faults would have continued unfixed for days and weeks.
        You would continue to have to apply to get a special permit if you wanted a second line.
        Service levels would have continued to be abysmal.
        
        When telecom was privatised,
        
        – toll calls plummeted to under half price within months.
        – there was a massive $5 BILLION in new capital expenditure in just the first few years. That’s MORE that the total value of the company at the time, and massively more than the govt had been spending.
        – old systems that had been outdated for years were replaced,.
        – service levels improved dramatically.
        – fault fixing times dropped from days and weeks to same day.
        – new internet and mobile systems were built.
        
        From a customer point of view, the government run telecom was a dinosaur, pig, dog – whatever you want to call it.
        
        But under the government, it was appallingly run.
        
        joe90 …
        
        12 November 2013 at 12:02 pm
        
        A “toll call” in NZ would have continued to cost a days wages.
        A “toll call” overseas would have continued to cost a weeks wages.
        You would continue to have to go on a waiting list to buy a telephone.
        Faults would have continued unfixed for days and weeks.
        You would continue to have to apply to get a special permit if you wanted a second line.
        
        You’re lying.
        
        Colonial Viper …
        
        12 November 2013 at 12:04 pm
        
        All nonsense mate. That modernisation was well on the way already.
        
        And the Govt sold Telecom for a song, before the internet boom. It was a stupid and short sighted move.
        
        The only certainty is that NZ shouldn’t be exporting an Xtra billion dollars a year to foreign shareholders, further damaging our current account.
        
        McFlock …
        
        12 November 2013 at 12:06 pm
        
        Now Joe, we’d get nowhere if we didn’t have photoshopnz to make shit up for us.
        
        photonz …
        
        12 November 2013 at 12:24 pm
        
        Colonial Viper says “All nonsense mate. That modernisation was well on the way already.”
        
        Wrong. For years the rest of the world had voice mail, 0800 numbers, 0900 numbers, telebanking etc.
        
        NZ waited years didn’t still get them. As soon as telecom was privatised, they were introduced.
        
        By 1992, our extortionate toll prices had dropped 60%.
        
        Under the govt, Telecom customer service was so bad, that it’s poor service even gets a mention in the Encyclopedia of NZ about how customers were regularly frustrated about how long it took, just to buy a phone.
        
        Here’s another Encyclopedia of NZ entry –
        “Delays in the installation of new telephones affected more than residential customers. In 1984 Treasury, at the forefront of the push for re-organisation of the Post Office, waited two months for existing telephone jacks to be shifted. Senior officials exchanged angry letters. Treasury argued that it was inefficiency, and the Post Office insisted it was pressure of work.”
        
        greywarbler …
        
        12 November 2013 at 12:29 pm
        
        photonz
        What right wing pamphlet did you obtain your education from? Dribbling this sort of information from your feeding tray onto our nice clean working blog is not of any use. Clean up your act, your facts, your thinking, which you ought to try doing for yourself – not just repeating stuff that some big boys you admire have fed you.
        
        Colonial Viper …
        
        12 November 2013 at 12:47 pm
        
        Hey photonz.
        
        Apart from all your lies. Please stop advocating for exporting billions of dollars overseas.
        
        Lanthanide …
        
        12 November 2013 at 2:23 pm
        
        Have a look at how NZPost is run today, with KiwiBank, and ask yourself what might have happened had they continued to own Telecom.
        
        Would a government-owned Telecom have looked as you suggested, or would a government-owned Telecom look more like the current Telecom we have?
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        12 November 2013 at 2:52 pm
        
        I can tell you.
        
        No you can’t. Selling Telecom achieved nothing that wasn’t already happening. Digital exchanges were being installed prior to 1990 and was scheduled to be finished by 1996 (actual finish was 1999). So was the fibre backbone that allowed toll prices to drop. We were even installing fibre to the cabinet in the 1980s. Continuation of that to FttH was envisioned even at that stage although the thinking then was more about cable TV than the internet.
        
        Service levels would have continued to be abysmal.
        
        Service levels were excellent within the physical limitations. Those limitations continue to this day. Really, try and ADSL out in a rural area.
        
        I’ve worked for Telecom both in the 1980s and in the 2000s so I actually have first hand knowledge of this.
        
        fault fixing times dropped from days and weeks to same day.
        
        No, actually, they didn’t. Faults are fixed as soon as possible within the physical limitations of having someone to fix them. Some faults would never be fixed. Had one customer who had a faulty line and had been complaining about it for months. The problem was two fold though: The cable that fed the cabinet was faulty and it was full. This cable was not, at the time, scheduled for replacement.
        
        But under the government, it was appallingly run.
        
        No, it was actually quite well run. It could have done with some improvements but that’s true of pretty much all organisations.
        
        Tracey …
        
        12 November 2013 at 2:55 pm
        
        Photonz
        
        Am beginning to see why you might be the lowest paid in your company
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        12 November 2013 at 3:06 pm
        
        NZ waited years didn’t still get them. As soon as telecom was privatised, they were introduced.
        
        And the only way it could have been instantly introduced was because Telecom, before the sale, planned on it and installed the necessary digital exchanges.
        
        Treasury argued that it was inefficiency, and the Post Office insisted it was pressure of work.
        
        And Treasury was wrong. In the 1980s and even into the 1990s the network was still immature and required massive amounts of physical labour. New technologies such as the digital exchanges changed that. Sale to the private sector didn’t.
        
        PS, getting “posting too fast” on every post now.
        
        TheContrarian …
        
        12 November 2013 at 12:51 pm
        
        “Well, I can’t think of what else would have happened if telecommunications wasn’t deregulated and Telecom left to continue as is using the surplus that it was getting to upgrade the network”
        
        They might have made a bad investment, they might have put the money towards other endeavours, a new CEO might have upped the pay the board makes in light of the surplus, an incoming government might have taken the surplus and put it into health or education, Telecom might have been broken up in an anti-trust/monopoly case etc etc etc.
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        12 November 2013 at 2:56 pm
        
        They might have made a bad investment,
        
        Telecoms CDMA investment anyone?
        
        a new CEO might have upped the pay the board makes in light of the surplus,
        
        Like the $5m to $10m CEO pay packets they have ATM?
        
        an incoming government might have taken the surplus and put it into health or education, Telecom might have been broken up in an anti-trust/monopoly case etc etc etc.
        
        That goes against the given conditions that it remain the same.
        
        So, no arguments at all against my logic.
        
        TheContrarian …
        
        12 November 2013 at 3:52 pm
        
        What are you talking about? We have already shown your logic is a fallacy.
        
        Namely:
        “You can’t make a conclusive statement on actions that never happened. You can make an educated guess but you can’t go around stating something as conclusive fact when you can’t possibly know the outcome.”
        
        And I have given you a range of things that could go differently from the two you claim are the only outcomes.
        
        Your logic is demonstrably wrong.
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        12 November 2013 at 5:52 pm
        
        And I have given you a range of things that could go differently from the two you claim are the only outcomes.
        
        No you haven’t. you gave a range of options some of which had happened under privatisation (bad decisions and upped CEO/management pay) and thus doesn’t count as the surplus would still be able to match the $17b in dividends and some of which were excluded from the supposition that Telecom would continue as is utilising it’s entire surplus to upgrade the network.
        
        Your logic is demonstrably wrong.
        
        Then demonstrate it to be wrong because so far you’ve absolutely failed to do so.
        
        TheContrarian …
        
        12 November 2013 at 6:28 pm
        
        “Then demonstrate it to be wrong because so far you’ve absolutely failed to do so”
        
        Third (or maybe fourth?) time’s a charm.
        “You can’t make a conclusive statement on actions that never happened. You can make an educated guess but you can’t go around stating something as conclusive fact when you can’t possibly know the outcome.”
        
        That is the failing in your logic. You have committed a logical fallacy. Namely stating a conclusive proof on actions that haven’t and can no longer occur and stating there are only two possible outcomes. But there are several outcomes.
        
        Those potential outcomes include:
        “They might have made a bad investment, they might have put the money towards other endeavours, a new CEO might have upped the pay the board makes in light of the surplus, an incoming government might have taken the surplus and put it into health or education, Telecom might have been broken up in an anti-trust/monopoly case etc etc etc.”
        
        It doesn’t matter if some of those options happened under privatisation – they still could have happened regardless of public or private ownership. Your whole argument rest on two outcomes. That is a logical fallacy considering there are more than two outcomes.
        
        For fucks sake, Draco. Your logical failing has been shown to you several times over.
        
        TheContrarian …
        
        12 November 2013 at 7:05 pm
        
        “the supposition that Telecom would continue as is utilising it’s entire surplus to upgrade the network.”
        
        Supposition –
        a belief held without proof or certain knowledge; an assumption or hypothesis.
        
        Therefore you cannot claim it to be conclusive proof.
        
        You are demonstrably wrong on so many levels.
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        12 November 2013 at 7:14 pm
        
        You have committed a logical fallacy. Namely stating a conclusive proof on actions that haven’t and can no longer occur
        
        I accepted that a few comments ago and said that my logic was indicative of the dead-weight loss of profit. The two outcomes were part of the assumption that Telecom continue as it was and they are still the only possible outcomes.
        
        It doesn’t matter if some of those options happened under privatisation – they still could have happened regardless of public or private ownership.
        
        In fact they did happen under privatisation while the dividends were and are still being pulled out which means that they can be ignored.
        
        Your whole argument rest on two outcomes.
        
        No it doesn’t. It rests on the supposition that Telecom would continue as it was prior to privatisation with deregulation also removed. That specifically means that the government doesn’t pull out the surplus as dividends because they weren’t doing so and the anti-trust couldn’t possibly apply because telecommunications would still be regulated, i.e, no competition.
        
        That is a logical fallacy considering there are more than two outcomes.
        
        No there isn’t if Telecom continues as it was before.
        
        You have not proven my logic false. You’ve come up with some scenarios (bad decisions and mega management pay (really, how much would the board have to be paid to soak up $17b in 20 years?)) that don’t change the outcome and that is all.
        
        TheContrarian …
        
        12 November 2013 at 7:45 pm
        
        “It rests on the supposition that Telecom would continue as it was prior to privatisation with deregulation also removed”
        “No there isn’t if Telecom continues as it was before.”
        
        Supposition –
        a belief held without proof or certain knowledge; an assumption or hypothesis
        
        So, not ‘conclusive proof’ rather a supposition based upon a certain scenario which ignores all other variables.
        
        Finally.
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        13 November 2013 at 11:45 am
        
        So, not ‘conclusive proof’ rather a supposition based upon a certain scenario which ignores all other variables.
        
        A scenario based upon what was actually happening before deregulation and sale. It is quite logical and reasonable to extend that out to make a projection upon what might have been which is what I have done. I keep telling you this and you keep ignoring it for your own delusion.
        
        You have still failed to contradict that logic.
        
        I won’t bother answering any more from you as it will be your usual spin and distortion.
        
        TheContrarian …
        
        13 November 2013 at 1:28 pm
        
        That isn’t conclusive proof Draco. It is impossible to claim conclusive proof on something that hasn’t happened. No matter how much you claim otherwise – your logic is faulty. A projection is not proof.
        
        There are no two was about it – that is a fact. No matter how to try and reword a supposition, by definition, is not a proof. Jesus man, what is the matter with you? My delusion? My delusion that you can’t claim proofs on that which you suppose?
jerry Ross 8

11 November 2013 at 6:56 pm

ACC is the most cost effective system in the world. where is there a better system in use ? Today there is a govt running it that wants to kill it and it is still the best system in the world. I do not have any source to back this up but have lived in north America for many years and they certainly do not have any thing close to our level of service for all the people. Being a regular visitor to the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, with their plush carpets and fine artworks, did not sell me on their system where half the population are not even allowed in the door. Is that the type of system we need? ACC is a far superior system even without the art and carpets in our hospitals.
- greywarbler 8.1
  
  12 November 2013 at 1:30 pm
  
  Talking about why our telephone system might not have been what Treasury wanted, many of whom had trained in the USA, here’s part of an excellent summary.
  http://www.wordworx.co.nz/KiwitelcoTimeline.htm
  Taming the lightning – Keith Newman
  
  The 1980s: A lack of investment by the Post Office meant the network was not in a position to handle the growth needed for the next generation of services. By the mid-1980s the network was overloaded, there was massive congestion. In Auckland the exchange was verging on collapse and across the country there are frequent network crashes. The Post Office, a government department limited in what it could invest, became increasingly inefficient. The government began to look at the problem and ways to create a more efficient department and as part of its economic reforms began looking at ways of putting it on a commercial footing. Under the State-owned Enterprises Act of 1986 it created several state trading companies including Telecom.
  
  1980: The Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BCNZ) formed to merge TV1 & TV2 channels under a single corporation. The Post Office supports about 800 leased lines and 1800 modems. When DARPA needed a team to implement its brand-new TCP/IP protocol stack on the VAX under Unix, it chose Berkeley Unix as the platform largely because its source code was available and unencumbered. This was a major turning point in the evolution of Unix and the various tools that improved connectivity, thereby assuring the success of the nationwide and global goals of APRAnet, and TCP/IP as a communications protocol for the future.
  
  1981: New Zealand’s first and only indigenous home computer systems were created. The Poly. Development of the Poly named after Wellington Polytech where it was developed was targeted at school use with a colour screen and ‘obscure proprietary networking system. The Aamber Pegasus, supported multiple computer languages and had a network version which connected to a server. Both attempted to meet the requirements of the government’s computers in schools initiative which never produced orders large enough for the machines to become a commercial reality….
  
  A couple of quotes that reflect how much better NZ phone system was coping after private interests took it over. Like any system could have coped smoothly under the impetus of the internet growth, government or private!
  ‘I’m sorry but your call cannot be connected right now because of overloading’ please try again later,’.
  Telecom’s phone message that reappeared frequently in the late 90s as the public network was groaning under the weight of exponential internet growth.
  and
  Scott Mathias, rich media pioneer on moving his business to Australia in 1999.
  ‘NZ is an impoverished and undernourished internet community because of what hasn’t come out of Wellington. We’re dealing with people in the US who have larger pipes than the whole of NZ. We have a coantrolled situation here where the key players are extracting as much as they can from the Internet community.’
  and
  In the lunatic years of the 1980s no-one listened because so many clever young men in glass towers, moving pieces of paper around, had everyone’s attention. It is important however, not to lose sight of the fact that no true wealth is ever created until somebody makes something physical. That’s what creates careers and jobs.”
  Electronic pioneer Sir Angus Tait, June 1999.
  
  Me – It’s a pity isn’t it that government finds it so difficult to encourage NZ businesses to develop stuff instead of wanting to snuggle up to big companies and spend our hard-earned taxes to go overseas. Britain would never have survived the world wars if it hadn’t developed its own machinery of all sorts. Even big countries try to foster their own innovation. It’s even more important for small ones that want to amount to something other than a pile of cowpats.
  - photonz 8.1.1
    
    12 November 2013 at 1:48 pm
    
    The left wants to decimate the savings of anyone who invests in renewable energy with their power plan (or anyone who invests in the fibre optic network),.
    
    Then they complain that it’s hard to get people to invest in NZ.
    
    Go figure.
    - Colonial Viper 8.1.1.1
      
      12 November 2013 at 1:56 pm
      
      These foreigners aren’t investing in building new assets in NZ. They are doing an asset grab on the cheap, for infrastructure we have already paid for as a nation.
      
      And you are backing that, as a disloyal shit head.
      - photonz 8.1.1.1.1
        
        12 November 2013 at 2:55 pm
        
        If you beliee that, then the left should be encouraging Kiwis to invest as much as possible NZ assets instead of doing everything possible to screw them if they do.
        
        thatguynz 8.1.1.1.1.1
        
        12 November 2013 at 3:22 pm
        
        You’re entirely right – that is one option for what people should be investing in. Not ones that they already own via the common good however.
        
        Tat Loo (CV) 8.1.1.1.1.2
        
        12 November 2013 at 7:40 pm
        
        If you believe that, then the left should be encouraging Kiwis to invest as much as possible NZ assets
        
        Yes. That’s one purpose of taxes. Having the public invest in the common good.
    - greywarbler 8.1.1.2
      
      12 November 2013 at 6:04 pm
      
      Have you got a list of silly annoying questions that someone has collated to trot out in the absence of any brain of your own to work through some real dialogue.
photonz 9

11 November 2013 at 11:26 pm

Draco says “One other thing, due to the governments ability to create currency there is no need for re-insurers …………..”

Hell – with the ability to print money, why bother taking tax at all – the govt could just print money for ALL it’s needs.

Genius – just like Mugabe.
- Tat Loo (CV) 9.1
  
  12 November 2013 at 7:48 pm
  
  Hell – with the ability to print money, why bother taking tax at all
  
  I’m glad you asked. Taxation is not strictly required for government revenues because, as you have already pointed out, a government can issue whatever currency it requires.
  
  However a strong taxation system is still extraordinarily useful to the nation:
  
  1) It gives the NZ dollar value and desirability in the private sector. This is because the private sector has to pay its taxes with NZ dollars, and causes the need for employment paid in NZ dollars.
  
  2) It gives the government an excellent mechanism with which to control the quantity of money in circulation i.e. the level of liquidity in the economy.
  
  3) It allows the government to incentivise desired activities and behaviours in the economy, while restraining others.
  
  Therefore, even if a government were to print (i.e. electronically create using key strokes) all the dollars it needed to spend, taxation would still be crucial.
TightyRighty 10

12 November 2013 at 7:09 am

@draco, you print a little bit of money for this, a liitle bit for that…. The added velocity of the printed money to the economy will cause inflationary pressure far outweighing what little effect “raising premiums” might have.

Your assertations are rubbish always. Every single thing you assert with “incontrovertible” proof could only eve cooked up by someone with no real world experience. Just theoretical day dreams.
- Draco T Bastard 10.1
  
  12 November 2013 at 10:49 am
  
  The added velocity of the printed money to the economy will cause inflationary pressure far outweighing what little effect “raising premiums” might have.
  
  Doesn’t seem to have that much effect when the private banks do it – except in housing of course. I also made certain that the money would be drawn from the economy by the increase in premiums thus the inflationary pressure should be minimal.
  - photonz 10.1.1
    
    12 November 2013 at 11:01 am
    
    That’s because with a bank it has to be paid back, so actually represents something – work done.
    
    When a government prints money it represents nothing, except theft. Theft of value of everything else in the country.
    
    When a govt doubles the money supply, the actual total value of everything in the country hasn’t changed. But inflation means the dollar value of everyone’s assets halves. Effectively the govt steals half the previous dollar value of everyone’s assets.
    
    So when you print money so say a govt insurance provider can pay out, you have created nothing, nada, zilch, zip. All you are doing is, via inflation, stealing off everyone else.
    
    It’s a corrupt and crooked idea.
    - Draco T Bastard 10.1.1.1
      
      12 November 2013 at 11:24 am
      
      When a government prints money it represents nothing, except theft.
      
      I’ve clearly explained how it would be paid back.
      
      When a govt doubles the money supply, the actual total value of everything in the country hasn’t changed. But inflation means the dollar value of everyone’s assets halves. Effectively the govt steals half the previous dollar value of everyone’s assets.
      
      Perhaps you can explain the exponential increase in m3 then? That really isn’t the government printing it but the private banks. And, yes, that printing of money pushes up asset prices without changing the underlying value. Interestingly enough, mostly in house prices.
      
      So when you print money so say a govt insurance provider can pay out, you have created nothing, nada, zilch, zip.
      
      Incorrect, it has created work and the distribution and use of the nations resources.
      
      It’s a corrupt and crooked idea.
      
      No, the present system of the private banks creating money and charging interest on it is. the government creating money transparently and destroying it through taxes and direct payment for services is the non corrupt idea.
      - Colonial Viper 10.1.1.1.1
        
        12 November 2013 at 12:12 pm
        
        +1
        
        photonz has actually missed a key point: we are losing wealth every day in this country by not engaging approx 250,000 people who want full time jobs, in full time jobs.
        
        These are people with creativity, intelligence, energy who could be working building things, making things, maintaining things, caring for others, etc.
        
        By not spending sufficient money into the economy none of these things get done. That opportunity cost (‘output gap’) in not adding that potential wealth to the nation is hugely costly.
        
        Photonz, being a RWNJ, doesn’t understand basic real economics however.
photonz 11

12 November 2013 at 12:02 pm

Draco says “Incorrect, it has created work and the distribution and use of the nations resources”

You are confused. Work is done for the money, in the same way you can use a bank loan to employ someone to build a house.

The difference is the bank loan has real value because represents money that has to be paid back in the future.

The govt printed money represents no real value, except assets stolen off everyone else though inflation.

If you were correct, the government would never ever need to collect tax again – they could just print money for everything.

Just like Zimbabwe did. I was there at the start of the year and a $5 trillion note wouldn’t buy a loaf of bread that cost $1 just a few years earlier.
- greywarbler 11.1
  
  12 November 2013 at 12:23 pm
  
  photonz
  I know there is an answer to what you have said that countermands it, actually demolishes it which can be expressed better by DTB. And I am sure he has a number of times already.
  You are failing to look at the government-issuing- its-own-money situation when it is done appropriately and spent appropriately.
  
  If you understand analogies, then it is applying the cream to the part of the body with the septic bite. It is useless and pointless to spread it all over. Zimbabwe is a worst case. It is not helpful to use the most dramatic worst case and then suggest that would apply anywhere.
  - photonz 11.1.1
    
    12 November 2013 at 1:25 pm
    
    So can you explain why governments don’t print money all the time, instead of only when they are totally desperate?
    
    Can you explain why even the Greens have given up the idea?
    
    Was it because it was so ridiculed by people from both sides of the political spectrum?
    
    Do you remember when mortgage rates were 20%. Try paying an Auckland mortgage at that rate.
    
    See what happens to house inflation then, of if wages can keep up when every three months you’re effectively getting paid 5% less..
    - greywarbler 11.1.1.1
      
      12 November 2013 at 1:41 pm
      
      photonz
      You read stuff, repeat it but don’t understand the whys and wherefores.
      
      Your thinking reminds me of A Fish Called Wanda.
      Wanda: But you think you’re an intellectual, don’t you, ape?
      Otto: [superior smile] Apes don’t read philosophy.
      Wanda: Yes they do, Otto, they just don’t understand it!
    - Colonial Viper 11.1.1.2
      
      12 November 2013 at 1:58 pm
      
      So can you explain why governments don’t print money all the time, instead of only when they are totally desperate?
      
      Governments do print money all the time, but they usually rely on the private banks for new money supply into the economy.
      
      Do you remember when mortgage rates were 20%. Try paying an Auckland mortgage at that rate.
      
      Interest rates can be set at any level the Reserve Bank wishes, using modern monetary management methods. You really are 30 years out of date.
      - photonz 11.1.1.2.1
        
        12 November 2013 at 2:08 pm
        
        Go ahead – make printing money a left wing policy.
        
        We’ll sit back as you get laughed at as much as Russel Norman did.
        
        In the end he couldn’t handle the ridicule and dropped the policy.
        
        If you think the Reserve Bank would or even could set a low interest rate when we have high inflation from printing money, you’re even more delusional.
        
        Tracey 11.1.1.2.1.1
        
        12 November 2013 at 2:10 pm
        
        you man like the tories in the UK and the democrats in the USA? That “left-wing”?
        
        photonz …
        
        12 November 2013 at 2:47 pm
        
        Tracy – you have confusing quantitative easing, (which lowers interest rates), with printing money (which increases inflation, and hence interest rates).
        
        Tracey …
        
        12 November 2013 at 2:49 pm
        
        Thanks photonz
        
        But you seem to be the one confusing printing money with quantitative easing
        
        “Russel Norman says the Green Party realised it does not have support for quantitative easing – money printing – and it was never going to be implemented.
        The co-leader announced a back-down on the policy this morning, describing it as an example of listening.
        
        “The Greens do listen so today we are not pursuing the QE element of our monetary policy.”
        
        photonz …
        
        12 November 2013 at 3:38 pm
        
        It would be silly to start QE when the interest rates can still come down.
        
        The Greens talked of printing money then of QE as if they were the same thing and having the same effects. They’re not and they don’t.
        
        It made you wonder if they even knew there was a difference.
        
        Anyway, QE is a last resort when you can’t lower interest rates any more.
        
        Not only can we still lower interest rates, but at next change it’s likely they will need to go in the other direction – up – not down.
        
        One Anonymous Knucklehead …
        
        12 November 2013 at 4:18 pm
        
        Perhaps that’s why the Green Party called for:
        
        Quantitative Easing (QE) in the form of the Reserve Bank purchasing Government earthquake recovery bonds to pay for the government’s costs in the rebuild of Christchurch and, separately, refilling the Natural Disaster Fund.
        
        It makes me wonder if you made up the lie that they called for printing money, or whether you’re just another Tory parrot.
        
        Dupe, or duplicitous, which is it?
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        12 November 2013 at 6:02 pm
        
        The Greens talked of printing money then of QE as if they were the same thing and having the same effects. They’re not and they don’t.
        
        Yes they are. The US printed trillions of dollars (Quantitative Easing) to push up inflation (it almost failed to do so) and lowered interest to near zero to increase borrowing.
        
        Rogue Trooper …
        
        13 November 2013 at 4:15 pm
        
        😀 , some sense at last.
        
        dv …
        
        12 November 2013 at 2:53 pm
        
        So photons quantitative easing does not print money?
        Glad to have have that cleared up.
        
        KJT 11.1.1.2.1.2
        
        12 November 2013 at 3:46 pm
        
        Ridicule by a bunch of ignorant, or deliberately two faced, twits, who do not remember economic history and, like Photo, have a very shaky grasp of economics.
        
        QE/printing money, they are basically the same thing, was how the USA, that bunch of rabid socialists, got out of the 30’s depression and financed their war spending.
        The UK borrowed to finance their war instead. Note which had the healthiest economy in the 50’s.
        NZ got out of the 30’s depression earlier than most of the rest of the world by, wait for it, extensive public works schemes paid for by “printing money”.
        
        Neither turned into Zimbabwe. I seem to remember a period of, quote “unprecedented prosperity” for decades after. Which lasted, in fact, until the banks were de-regulated and allowed to “print money”. Not many savers seem to have lost in that time either.
        
        A thriving and productive economy and fairly paid workers, seems to help savings, surprise!
        
        photonz …
        
        12 November 2013 at 4:11 pm
        
        That’s funny – you complain of ignorance then come out with something really really silly like QE and printing money are the same thing.
        
        If they are the same, can you explain why QE sends interest rates down and printing money sends them up?
        
        Clue – it could be something to do with the fact that QE merely swaps bonds for cash – while it puts more money into circulation, nothing new is created.
        
        Whereas printing money is just that – it creates money out of nothing.
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        12 November 2013 at 6:17 pm
        
        If they are the same, can you explain why QE sends interest rates down and printing money sends them up?
        
        Whatever gave you the idea that printing money would send interest rates up? It’s excessive borrowing that does that. Printing money will drop them as it decreases the need to borrow.
        
        Whereas printing money is just that – it creates money out of nothing.
        
        But that’s all fiat money ever is. The process of creating it and, yes, destroying it is important. The fact is that the private banks create lots of it (that’s where that exponential increase in m3 comes from) and it comes bearing interest which cannot be paid back.
        
        The process we have at the moment rewards only the banks and is unsustainable.
        
        KJT …
        
        12 November 2013 at 7:12 pm
        
        LOL.
- Colonial Viper 11.2
  
  12 November 2013 at 12:52 pm
  
  The difference is the bank loan has real value because represents money that has to be paid back in the future.
  
  That’s a nonsensical comment. The bank loan is just electronic credits created out of thin air. No intrinsic value whatsoever.
  
  The govt printed money represents no real value, except assets stolen off everyone else though inflation.
  
  That’s a nonsensical comment. A $100 note printed by the government is far more valuable than $100 electronic credit held by a TBTF bank.
  
  If you were correct, the government would never ever need to collect tax again – they could just print money for everything.
  
  That’s a nonsensical comment as taxes and a tax system are still very useful. Japan, US, Canada, Australia, print a lot of money and they still have tax systems.
  
  Just like Zimbabwe did. I was there at the start of the year and a $5 trillion note wouldn’t buy a loaf of bread that cost $1 just a few years earlier.
  
  It takes significant war, productive economy destruction and/or a major currency collapse to get into a situation like Zimbabwe. They pretty much had all three.
  
  Do we have any of those happening here? No, didn’t think so.
  - dv 11.2.1
    
    12 November 2013 at 2:58 pm
    
    CV I have always thought that if you wanted say build a bunch of houses, issue the required money to do the job and then withdraw the money from the economy from the income derived from the assets.
    - Draco T Bastard 11.2.1.1
      
      12 November 2013 at 3:33 pm
      
      There’s a couple of ways that the money created by government could be withdrawn from the economy:
      1) Taxes (Build and fund schools/health service)
      2) User pays (This is the one I’ve described for this suggested state monopoly)
      
      Easy to balance government created money. Impossible to balance private bank created money with interest.
- Draco T Bastard 11.3
  
  12 November 2013 at 3:18 pm
  
  You are confused. Work is done for the money, in the same way you can use a bank loan to employ someone to build a house.
  
  No I’m not. You are.
  
  The difference is the bank loan has real value because represents money that has to be paid back in the future.
  
  No it doesn’t. The bank loan represents money created ex nihilo that needs to be destroyed (paid back) with the added costs of interest which physically can’t be paid back. The government created money represents money created ex nihilo that needs to be destroyed (paid back) but that will be, in this case, paid back by the premiums. It doesn’t have the added and non essential costs of interest on it though so it can actually be paid back.
  
  Effectively, there is no difference to the money except the unsustainable interest on bank loans.
  
  If you were correct, the government would never ever need to collect tax again – they could just print money for everything.
  
  Incorrect. The government would still need to tax to destroy the money created – just like the bank loan.
  
  Just like Zimbabwe did.
  
  Nope, Zimbabwe creates money irrespective of the tax base and thus gets massive inflation. Completely the opposite of what I’ve said.
Puddleglum 12

12 November 2013 at 2:46 pm

I found this interesting article by David Middleton, then General Manager of EQC, explaining the thinking behind the system. It was written in 2001, ten years before the Christchurch earthquakes.

On pages 59 and 60 there’s a bit about how they ‘out-source’ the ‘scaling up’ problem of responding to disasters to private companies. That’s pretty much what happened in 2011.

For anyone in Christchurch it’s worth a read. It’s also worth reading for its analysis of the insurance industry and its (in)ability – through reinsurance – to meet the needs of people in major disasters.
- Rogue Trooper 12.1
  
  13 November 2013 at 4:19 pm
  
  and Roger Sutton is calling for private Insurance companies to up their completion game by 50%.- Midday Report.

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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
1 day 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
1 day 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
1 day 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 ...
Skeptical Science
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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
2 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 ...
Skeptical Science
3 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
3 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 ...
Bowalley Road
3 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
3 days ago

“Comity” versus the rule of law
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
4 days ago

Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
exhALANtBy exhalantblog
4 days ago

Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Skeptical Science
4 days ago

At a time of media turmoil, Melissa had nothing to proclaim as Minister – and now she has been dem...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
4 days ago

These people are not our friends
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
4 days ago

Some advice from our tertiary history for the University Advisory Group
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
4 days ago

Still no prudential regulation case around climate change
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
4 days ago

Bernard’s pick ‘n’ mix of the news links for Wednesday, April 24
TL;DR: These six news links stood out to me in the last 24 hours or so onWednesday, April 23:Scoop: 'Released in error': Treasury paper hints at axing $6b flood resilience plan by NZ Herald-$$$ Thomas CoughlanScoop: EY launches new misconduct review amid Fonterra ban. Fonterra tells EY to remove some ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
4 days ago

How National can neutralise serious allegations of corruption should the “Fast Track” Bill becom...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
4 days ago

Cleaning Up After Gabrielle.
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
4 days ago

Gordon Campbell on bird flu, AUKUS entry fees and Cindy Lee
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
4 days ago

Tolling Existing Roads
One of the government’s transport policy and agreements with it’s coalition partners made it clear that they were looking at options like tolling and road pricing. This was reinforced in it’s draft Government Policy Statement released at the start of March which made a couple of references to it. Road pricing, ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
4 days ago

At a glance – The difference between weather and climate
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
5 days ago

More criminal miners
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
5 days ago

Photos from the road
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
5 days ago

RMA reforms aim to ease stock-grazing rules and reduce farmers’ costs – but Taxpayers’ Union w...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
5 days ago

Luxon Strikes Out.
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
5 days ago

In many ways the media that the experts wanted, turned out to be the media they have got
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
5 days ago

The Waitangi Tribunal Summons; or the more things stay the same
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
5 days ago

Both Parliamentary watchdogs hammer Fast-track bill
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General, John Ryan, has joined the ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
5 days ago

India makes a big bet on electric buses
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Spengeman People wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
Skeptical Science
5 days ago

Bernard’s pick ‘n’ mix of the news links at 6:36am on Tuesday, April 23
TL;DR: These six news links stood out in the last 24 hours to 6:36am on Tuesday, April 22:Scoop & Deep Dive: How Sir Peter Jackson got to have his billion-dollar exit cake and eat Hollywood too NZ Herald-$$$ Matt NippertFast Track Approval Bill: Watchdogs seek substantial curbs on ministers' powers ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
5 days ago

What is really holding up infrastructure
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
5 days ago

“Pure Unadulterated Charge”
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
David FarrierBy David Farrier
5 days ago

Bernard's six-stack of substacks for Monday, April 22
Tonight’s six-stack includes: writes via his substack that’s he’s sceptical about the IPSOS poll last week suggesting a slide into authoritarianism here, writing: Kiwis seem to want their cake and eat it too Tal Aster writes for about How Israel turned homeowners into YIMBYs. writes via his ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
6 days ago

The media were given a little list and hastened to pick out Fast Track prospects – but the Treaty ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
6 days ago

Just trying to stay upright
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
6 days ago

“Unprecedented”
Today, former Port of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson went on trial on health and safety charges for the death of one of his workers. The Herald calls the trial "unprecedented". Firstly, it's only "unprecedented" because WorkSafe struck a corrupt and unlawful deal to drop charges against Peter Whittall over Pike ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
6 days ago

Bryce Edwards: Time for “Fast-Track Watch”
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
6 days ago

Gordon Campbell on fast track powers, media woes and the Tiktok ban
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
6 days ago

The Government’s new fast-track invitation to corruption
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Point of OrderBy gadams1000
6 days ago

Maori push for parallel government structures
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
6 days ago

An announcement about an announcement
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
6 days ago

All the Green Tech in China.
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
6 days ago

Western Express Success
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
6 days ago

Bernard’s pick ‘n’ mix of the news links at 7:16am on Monday, April 22
TL;DR: These six news links stood out in the last 24 hours to 7:16am on Monday, April 22:Labour says Kiwis at greater risk from loan sharks as Govt plans to remove borrowing regulations NZ Herald Jenee TibshraenyHow did the cost of moving two schools blow out to more than $400m?A ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
6 days ago

The Kaka’s diary for the week to April 29 and beyond
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
6 days ago

2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #16
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
Skeptical Science
7 days ago

Bryce Edwards: The Government’s new fast-track invitation to corruption
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
1 week ago

Thank you
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
1 week ago

Determining the Engine Type in Your Car
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
1 week ago

How to Become a Race Car Driver: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
1 week ago

How Many Cars Are There in the World in 2023? An Exploration of Global Automotive Statistics
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
1 week ago

How Long Does It Take for Car Inspection?
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
1 week ago

Who Makes Mazda Cars?
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
1 week ago

How Often to Replace Your Car Battery A Comprehensive Guide
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
1 week ago

Can You Register a Car Without a License?
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the Rule If you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
1 week ago

Mazda: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Reliability, Value, and Performance
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
1 week ago

What Are Struts on a Car?
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
1 week ago

Gaza: Aotearoa Must Support Independent Investigation into Mass Graves
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Māori Party
2 days ago

Release: Working together on consistent support for veterans this Anzac Day
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Labour Blog
4 days ago

Release: Penny drops – but what about Seymour and Peters?
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Labour Blog
4 days ago

Another ‘Stolen Generation’ enabled by court ruling on Waitangi Tribunal summons
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
Māori Party
4 days ago

Release: Budget blunder shows Nicola Willis could cut recovery funding
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
Labour Blog
5 days ago

Further environmental mismanagement on the cards
The Government’s resource management reforms will add to the heavy and ever-growing burden this Government is loading on to our environment. ...
Greens
5 days ago

Release: RMA changes will be a disaster for environment
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour Blog
5 days ago

Release: Labour supports urgent changes to emergency management system
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
Labour Blog
5 days ago

Release: Labour calls for New Zealand to recognise Palestine
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Labour Blog
6 days ago

Release: Three strikes law political posturing of worst kind
The Government is bringing back a law that has little evidential backing just to look tough, Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
Labour Blog
6 days ago

Release: Government cuts unbelievably target child exploitation, violent extremism, ports and airpor...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
Labour Blog
6 days ago

Three strikes has failed before and will fail again
Resurrecting the archaic three-strikes legislation is an unwelcome return to a failed American-style approach to justice. ...
Greens
6 days ago

Release: Environmental protection vital, not ‘onerous’
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Labour Blog
6 days ago

Ferris – Three Strikes targets those ‘too brown to be white’
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Māori Party
6 days ago

Release: Govt cuts doctors and nurses in hiring freeze
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Fast-track submissions period must be extended
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Release: Progress on climate will be undone by Govt
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Release: Dark day for Kiwi kids as a third of Govt cuts affect them
News that 1000 jobs at the Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki could go is devastating for future generations of New Zealanders. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: Alarm as Government signals further blow to school lunches
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Oranga Tamariki cuts commit tamariki to state abuse
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
Māori Party
2 weeks ago

Release: Quick, submit – stop Govt’s dodgy approvals bill
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Government throws coal on the climate crisis fire
The Government’s policy announced today to ease consenting for coal mining will have a lasting impact across generations. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Release: Public transport costs to double as National looks at unaffordable roading project instead
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: Cost of living in Auckland still not a priority
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Te Pāti Māori to visit Queensland to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
Māori Party
2 weeks ago

Greens look to fast-track submissions on harmful law
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Release: Govt should stop making people’s lives harder and build more homes
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: Melissa Lee missing in action on media
The action Melissa Lee promised to protect democracy and the media sector is missing, Media and Communications spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Landlord Government leaves little hope for renters
The Government’s announcement on tenancy rules prove that it does not care about renters. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Opportunity to build a more sustainable economy
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Significant step forward in fixing cruel and unjust past
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Missed opportunity but NZ will surely one day recognise the right to a sustainable environment
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Release: Don’t cut our lunches – clear message sent to Government
Tens of thousands of people are demanding the Government commits to fully funding free and healthy school lunches. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

Release: Govt makes U-turn on Suicide Prevention Office
Labour welcomes the Government’s U-turn on the closure of the Suicide Prevention Office, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

CCC issues warning over further climate delay
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Luxon targets are lousy example of leadership
If talk is cheap, Chris Luxon’s “targets” are bankrupt. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Luxon targets lame and lousy example of leadership
If talk is cheap, Chris Luxon’s “targets” are bankrupt. ...
Greens
3 weeks 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
6 hours 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
1 day 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
1 day 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
1 day 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
2 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
3 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
3 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
4 days 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
4 days 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
5 days 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
5 days 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
5 days 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
5 days 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
6 days 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
6 days 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 ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days 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
6 days 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
6 days 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
6 days ago

Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Trade relationship with China remains strong
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

$41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Judicial appointments announced
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Taupō takes pole position
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Government backing mussel spat project
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Government focused on getting people into work
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Green co-leader James Shaw came 'very close' to resigning as minister under Labour govt
The former minister reveals he "ended up storming out" of a Cabinet meeting over disagreements on climate change and biodiversity. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 hour ago

NZCTU Welcomes Corporate Manslaughter Bill Introduction
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
Scoop politics
2 hours ago

US election forecaster with near-perfect track record not ready call 2024 just yet
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 hours ago

Fish and quiz: The many uses of written parliamentary questions
Ministers have to answer thousands of written questions each year - but how are they used, and for what end? ...
Radio NZ – political
3 hours ago

Former Deputy PM Paula Bennett appointed Pharmac board chair
The former National MP "brings a wealth of experience" to the role, David Seymour says. ...
Radio NZ – political
5 hours ago

Inside the home of New Zealand’s greatest crime writer
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own. Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
The SpinoffBy Alex Casey
7 hours ago

‘Apologies to Dvořák’: How a serenade for strings cemented one of New Zealand TV’s strongest...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
The SpinoffBy Anna Rawhiti-Connell
7 hours ago

An Ode to .. King Luxon
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
NewsroomBy Victor Billot
8 hours ago

In the studio with artist power couple Claudia Kogachi and Josephine Jelicich
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like. ‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
The SpinoffBy Gabi Lardies
11 hours ago

An ode to the muesli bar, a national treasure
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
The SpinoffBy Asia Martusia King
11 hours ago

Government urged to hit the gas on revamp of road user charges
Infrastructure New Zealand is pushing for new road user charges to be brought in quicker to help relieve pressure on strained transport funding. ...
Radio NZ – political
22 hours ago

US student Palestine protests against Israel’s war on Gaza inspire global action
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
24 hours ago

Former Te Whatu Ora chairperson Rob Campbell criticises Health NZ's 'savings' directi...
Rob Campbell said it shows "poor management" and is "frankly irresponsible". ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

‘To lead is to serve’ – Governor-General to call PM election in Solomon Islands
RNZ Pacific The race to form the next government of Solomon Islands could be a tight one, with no single party emerging from the election with enough seats to govern. Caretaker prime minister Manasseh Sogavare’s Our Party did the best, securing 15 out of the 50 seats in the House. ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
1 day ago

Bryce Edwards – FastTrackWatch: The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz) New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. 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 ...
Evening ReportBy Bryce Edwards
1 day ago

NZ and Türkiye pledge cooperation during natural disasters
The two countries have "a long history of coming to each other's aid", including after the 2023 Turkish earthquakes, Winston Peters says. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Waste not, want not: New series Food Waste Kitchen turns food trash into treasure
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
The SpinoffBy Tara Ward
1 day ago

Vaping regulations fight 'immeasurably harder' under coalition – campaigner
Focus on Politics - Successive governments have claimed crack downs on youth vaping, but the bending and breaking of rules seems pervasive. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Dog of the month: Scout, who is so independent she could be a cat
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff
1 day ago

‘I don’t know if we were brave or stupid’: Megan Alatini on changing reality TV
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
The SpinoffBy My Life in TV
1 day ago

Behind the counter: Wellington shopkeepers
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
The SpinoffBy Hamish Thompson
1 day ago

Iranian Solidarity Group New Zealand Condemns Toomaj Salehi's Death Sentence And The New Aggres...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
Scoop politics
1 day ago

Short story: Calf Creek, by Anna Scaife
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
NewsroomBy Anna Scaife
1 day ago

Newsroom welcomes the Secret Diary
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
NewsroomBy Steve Braunias
1 day ago

I saw ‘The Sign’, and it opened up my eyes: All the fuss around Bluey, explained
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
The SpinoffBy Tara Ward
1 day ago

Jessica Tater has ambition without borders
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
NewsroomBy Jenny Farrell
1 day ago

The island where people’s stories are paramount
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
NewsroomBy Sharon Brettkelly
1 day ago

Australian author leads silence protest over ‘blood debt’ owed to Papuans
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
1 day ago

Israel delays Gaza Freedom Flotilla departure with bureaucratic ‘block’
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

Have New Zealanders really been ‘misled’ about AUKUS, or is involvement now a foregone conclusio...
ANALYSIS: By Marco de Jong, Auckland University of Technology and Robert G. Patman, University of Otago When former prime minister Helen Clark spoke out against New Zealand potentially compromising its independent foreign policy by joining pillar two of the AUKUS security pact, Foreign Minister Winston Peters responded bluntly: On ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

Palestine protesters challenge TVNZ over Israeli ambassador’s ‘propaganda’
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

Lynley Hood Opinion – Senator Fulbright must be spinning in his grave
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
Evening ReportBy Lynley Hood
2 days ago

Fast-track bill could affect NZ's reputation – Transparency International
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

We’re all feeling the collective grief and trauma of violence against women – but this is the pr...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Species living closely together in symbiosis is far older and way more common than you might think
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis. AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

What is childhood dementia? And how could new research help?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Jobseekers get about $345 less than pensioners each fortnight. This gap is hurting, and is set to wi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Does fighting inflation always lead to recession? What NZ data tells
Here is what 60 years of New Zealand data shows us. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

The government's 20 trips abroad in April
The government appears committed to overseas visits with 14 ministers and MPs in 18 countries this month. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Government unveils fetal alcohol guidelines, plan for diagnosis training
The government is promising to step up the response to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, promising to boost diagnoses and raise awareness. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Labor facing heavy defeat in Queensland, but faring better in federal polls
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Why the potential for another Donald Trump presidency is making Iran very nervous
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

‘The worst piece of law proposed since 1979’: Reactions to the Fast-track Approvals Bill
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
The SpinoffBy Ellen Rykers
2 days ago

The Friday Poem: ‘Cereal giving’ by Robin Peace
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The SpinoffBy Robin Peace
2 days ago

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending April 26
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38) A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff Review of Books
2 days ago

Te Rūnanga O Ngāti Whātua Welcomes Commissioner's Decision Regarding Awataha Marae
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

We reconstructed landscapes that greeted the first humans in Australia around 65,000 years ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes. Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

What do we lose when our old suburbs disappear?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, Parramatta Photo: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Does fighting inflation always lead to recession? What 60 years of NZ data can tell us
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImages fatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

After spending $700,000 on pins for Covid-19 workers, department now cutting costs
A government office that set aside millions for lapel pins for pandemic workers is now looking to cut back on spending. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

‘A hell of a lot of fun’: Our reviews of Chris Isaak’s dazzling Auckland show
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
The SpinoffBy Group Think
2 days ago

The Week in Politics: Days of drama and demotions
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Hear me out: All I want is a TrueBliss T-shirt
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
The SpinoffBy Tara Ward
2 days ago

Solemn ANZAC dawn service at PNG’s Isurava battle memorial
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

Political editors panel: A reshuffle and the fast track
Listen - RNZ's Jo Moir and NZ Herald's Claire Trevett dissect the demotion of two ministers and the PM's response on Morning Report. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

After-hours clinics on verge of collapse in some regions
Overworked GPs have signalled they can no longer cover, while funding is falling short. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Oranga Tamariki Axes Specialist Māori Roles, Weakens Commitment To Te Ao Māori
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

China’s money only goes so far – Kokoda shows why history binds PNG and Australia in a far deepe...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

We spoke to young people about sexual consent. They understand the concept, but don’t always ask i...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Waling, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow in Sex & Sexuality, La Trobe University BAZA Production/Shutterstock Sexual consent has been a major focus in Australia for the past few years. In early 2022 the federal government mandated consent education in ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Longer-lasting ozone holes over Antarctica expose seal pups and penguin chicks to much more UV
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Granting legal ‘personhood’ to nature is a growing movement – can it stem biodiversity loss?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Will checking character references really help you find the best candidate for a job?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

A guide to Wellington’s best BYO restaurants
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
The SpinoffBy Joel MacManus
2 days ago

New rock art discoveries in Eastern Sudan tell a tale of ancient cattle, the ‘green Sahara’ and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Paul Goldsmith starts as new Media Minister replacing sacked Melissa Lee
The media industry is "under pressure", Paul Goldsmith says, but he plans to plot a path forward as he takes up the difficult role. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Media industry sheds few tears for minister Lee
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The SpinoffBy Catherine McGregor
2 days ago

Is NZ bringing in 'Indonesian coal every month to keep the lights on'?
Analysis: The Resource Minister said it, but is it true and why does it matter? ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

More spending cuts needed to stablise government finances – economist
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

The government's 22 trips abroad in April
The government appears committed to overseas visits with 14 miniters and MPs in 18 countries this month. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Loopholes will be exploited in new vape rules – experts
There is no doubt vape manufacturers will find and exploit loopholes in new regulations, say marketing experts. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Aotearoa Party Merges With Rock The Vote NZ Party And John Alcock Elected As Party Leader
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

After spending $2m on pins for Covid-19 workers, department now cutting costs
Government department that spent $2m on lapel pins to honour Covid-19 workers is now looking to make cuts. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

An afternoon at the Repair Café, where everyday objects get a second life
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
The SpinoffBy Shanti Mathias
2 days ago

Dreaming of my not-wedding day
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The SpinoffBy Gráinne Patterson
2 days ago

Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Laura Walters
2 days ago

Why insurance should be a state monopoly

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