Why Labour is not shifting to the centre

Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, March 20th, 2012 - 55 comments
Categories: david shearer, labour - Tags:

Surprising title given the discussion of here and elsewhere? Yeah, I know.

But I want to contribute two things to the discussion. First, Shearer’s speech did not signal a shift in policy to the centre. Second, Labour does not need to shift to the centre in policy.

I think assertions that Labour needs to shift to the centre mischaracterize the problem. The problem wasn’t the policy; it was the salesmanship and messaging.

Labour allowed itself to be painted by the Nats as for minorities and the vulnerable. Absolutely we are. But we are also for everyone. An overwelming majority of New Zealanders don’t earn enough to live fulfilling lives. Labour is for them also: well we should be. Did we sound like we were in the election campaign?

What needs to change is not the policies but how we sell them.

We need to talk about growing wages: of which the $15 minimum wage is part.

We need to talk about increasing secure, stable work and heading  towards full employment: of which increasing the family benefit and changing employment laws is part. If we want to catch up to Australia- shouldn’t we adopt their industrial relations policy?

One set of messages is inclusive. The other, great policy, but not going to get enough people to vote for you: people who perhaps don’t reflect on politics much; or are disengaged from the process; or swing vote.

I think Shearer’s speech was more about narrative building than necessarily a policy shift.  The policy wasn’t the problem. The caucus, council and membership support the policies (for the most part). Shearer just needs to sell them better. I think the speech was about constructing the basis for a shift in messaging- not a shift in policy.

Or am I young and optimistic?

55 comments on “Why Labour is not shifting to the centre ”

  1. Gosman 1

    Some real comedy gems here.

    “The problem wasn’t the policy; it was the salesmanship and messaging.”

    One step away from blaming the media but even given that what exactly was wrong with the way the message was presented? All of those points you raised were also raised during the election campaign.

    “An overwelming majority of New Zealanders don’t earn enough to live fulfilling lives.”

    Kind of a patronising tone there. Maybe that is what is wrong with the way Labour’s message is being presented.

    “If we want to catch up to Australia- shouldn’t we adopt their industrial relations policy?”

    Perhaps, or perhaps we should adopt their mineral extraction policy. Certainly there is no evidence that I have seen that suggests just adopting a more structured industrial relations policy alone leads to better outcomes.

    “Or am I young and optimistic?”

    There are a few other words that spring to mind as well.

    • Jimmy Reid 1.1

      Um, Gosman. Ok. Read into it what you like.

      “One step away from blaming the media but even given that what exactly was wrong with the way the message was presented? All of those points you raised were also raised during the election campaign.”

      No I rather explicitly blame Labour’s campaign. It was appallingly messaged and had no narrative. That’s Labour’s fault. No one elses.

      “An overwelming majority of New Zealanders don’t earn enough to live fulfilling lives. Kind of a patronising tone there. Maybe that is what is wrong with the way Labour’s message is being presented.”

      How so? It’s a factual statement. NZers are increasingly working longer for less and where is the time for “a life”. Work isn’t a life; its part of one.

      And, Gosman, if you think the minerals is the reason everyone across all industries earns more then you need to have another look.

    • Spratwax 1.2

      I agree with Gosman- better to not be straight up with the voters when revealing policy and direction and just leave out your real intentions- the stuff voters won’t want to hear- until you get voted back in for a second term.

      Question: If Australia was the same size as NZ, and had the same type (and amount) of mineral wealth as us, would they have the same mineral extraction policy? Brainless RWNJ dickheads like Gosman would say ‘Yes’.

        • Spratwax 1.2.1.1

          Mining 500-1500kms from the nearest cities/large populations (Aus)as opposed to 20-100km in seismically active terrain, barren land vs land with native flora/fauna, strictly regulated (safety) industry vs the ‘wild west’ regulations of nz (remember Pike River?). Economists aided and abetted the economic meltdown the world experienced -and is still experiencing- give me a break! Idiot!

          • TighyRighty 1.2.1.1.1

            Worst spin response ever. Are you still saying that Australians are all rwnj dick heads? Or did you look at an atlas and think your ability to understand scale somehow trumps my economic commentary?

            • Puddleglum 1.2.1.1.2.1

              Sadly, some academic economists were up to their eyeballs in the events and causes of the financial crisis. Many took the trouble to write the arcane formulae for the derivatives used while others took it upon themselves to justify the practices (including writing reports recommending various forms of financial liberalisation).

              If you want to see ‘stellar’ academic economists thoroughly embarrassed on this issue by excellent interviewing techniques you should watch ‘Inside Job‘ (as I’m sure you have).

        • Jackal 1.2.1.2

          Considering the problems Australia is currently having, both environmentally and politically because of their mining policies, no we should not follow their lead that is promoted by idiotic trickle down theories. Our clean and green New Zealand is worth more than a hole in the desert.

        • fisiani 1.2.1.3

          They don’t want to read such eminent good sense. Every reasonable person knows that the Centre-Right policy being pursued here borrows good ideas from Australia such as getting more value from under the ground and letting parents know how good the local schools are. Both policies are not Right they are just right.

  2. Gosman 2

    Anyway it has been nice visiting you guys. Must take a break.

  3. just saying 3

    Or am I young and optimistic?

    Yes, but those are good things to be.

  4. If_you_see_Kay 4

    The election was mismanaged and many of the Labour Party advisors need to be replaced with younger and/or smarter versions. Perhaps you, Jimmy?

    Poor old Phil never stood a chance when his support crew was selected from the moron hordes of the Wellington pseudo-Left mediocracy.

    • shorts 4.1

      Labour needs a leader that doesn’t listen to the support crew full stop – they seem to be the problem

      not the parties policies…. the constant flip flopping… the mimicking of National… all seem from my outsiders perspective to be driven by faceless morons who don’t live in the same country nor world those who have given up on Labour do

      lead… don’t follow and who knows the country might actually support the party

  5. Squirrel 5

    Great to hear someone on the left talking about narrative. The right is masterful at creating narratives which selectively use the truth to make the left look bad. Nanny state, dole bludgers, bad parents, bad teachers.

    I think the left needs to build its own set of narratives eg, low wage economy, nats can’t manage the economy, poverty is not the fault of the individual. And we need to push these messages through the media and our marketing. We need to work over the medium to long term to move the debate to the left. The public like what we stand for eg high quality health care, eradicating poverty, decent social services, we just need to remind them what we stand for and how we differ from the nats.

    I think Shearer’s speech was weak and unappealing. And frankly I don’t have much confidence he has the vision or drive to revitalise the Labour party.

    • aerobubble 5.1

      I agree. But why would Nat-lite want to alienate big money and lose a chance at a nice boardroom job come time Labour loses power. Labour MPs are ‘selected’ not by the rank and file, or constituencies, they are chosen like Shearer, then given a list placing, on to find themselves MPs in govt.

      List seats need to be chosen by the voters, NO! NO! not like they do in Australian with a horrendous list choosing full single finger salute to the Ozzie voter, no. List rankings should be decided by the number of votes received at the election.

      But then the problem of the upper chamber, because MPs won’t have expertise (the list was supposed to put experience individuals into parliament to make up for the loss of a upper chamber), we’d need to reintroduce a upper chamber NO!NO! not like Australia, we need one like the UK with worthy sitting citizens.

      So nothing is going to change, we will continue to get the odd Mr 50,000, no, 100,000 as PM, who followed the Labour pm who stopped NZs getting benefit in Oz.

      And what a complete frak up, National gave us deregulated housing, now we get leaky strata polluting out under water acquifers for generations to come. Does parliament have any checks and balances, NO! Because if would require NZ to actually fund a parliament by having two chambers and then making sure they are forced to work by fear of a back bench revolt. Not going to happen.

      So what’s a citizen to do? Well what are NZers doing. They leave, they piss about, they corner a local monopoly and go hunting, who gives a toss about poverty, or leaky homes, leaky substrata, earthquake prone cities, etc.

      And why, at the emotional core of every NZ is they hate themselves for living in such a bueatiful country, its a surviver type guilt thing.

      • Australians do not choose list seats, they vote in STV elections for each electorate.

        Voting directly to determine a party’s list is called an “open list” system, more specifically, it’s a “most open list” that’s directly determined during the election.

  6. Tom Gould 6

    I think you are correct to characterise the speech as the start of shifting the narrative. Take the recent announcement of local government reforms for example. This is characterised as limiting rates rises and excessive salaries, and focusing on basic services first, messages that will resonate with a great number of people. The outcome may be different, the motivations may be ideologocal, but the messaging will connect. These Tories seem to get that they are primarily politicians whereas too many in Labour seem to think they are in a perpetual policy workshop.

    • Colonial Viper 6.1

      These Tories seem to get that they are primarily politicians whereas too many in Labour seem to think they are in a perpetual policy workshop.

      This.

  7. Con 7

    If you haven’t read Giovanni Tiso’s latest, you should.

    This is what the abdication of leadership – both political and moral – will achieve over time.

  8. Blue 8

    We can’t say for certain that Labour is shifting to the centre until we see some policy. But the noises Shearer has been making so far do sound decidedly centrist.

    It’s not necessarily a bad thing. Labour is a centre-left party. It all comes down to the policy. That’s when we will find out what’s really going on.

    • Con 8.1

      But if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck …

    • Colonial Viper 8.2

      It’s not necessarily a bad thing. Labour is a centre-left party. It all comes down to the policy. That’s when we will find out what’s really going on.

      The version of “centre left” you are talking about would have been considered Right Wing Radicalism just 30 years ago.

  9. Peter Pumpkinhead 9

    We already have a centre left party – the Nats, and two communist parties, the Greens and you guys.

    Do what you will, it is all irrelevent and what’s worse, immoral.

    If you are aiming for politics, Jimmeh, its worth noting that you have described your target audience as being distinctly:

    “Labour allowed itself to be painted by the Nats as for minorities and the vulnerable. Absolutely we are. But we are also for everyone. An overwelming majority of New Zealanders don’t earn enough to live fulfilling lives. Labour is for them also..”

    You are saying you are for minorities, the vulnerable, and the poor?
    How are these things defined?

  10. KJT 10

    It would be nice if Labour did shift back towards the centre.
     
    Instead of, further, towards the radical right.

  11. ad 11

    The speechwriter John Pagani has a lot to answer for, principally in lost opportunity, because the speech largely forgot to address:

    (a) the current Government’s:

    – Comprehensive reform of the entire state sector
    – Absence of a political plan or an economic developmetn plan
    – Inability to make a visible difference in anyone’s lives, particularly in tax cuts
    – Poor response to Christchurch recovery and rebuild, particularly with a Japanese comparator from the same time

    (b) the purpose of Labour government within the state and the country:

    – The role of business within Government, and Government within business (other than the usual platitudes about innovation), and the limits to this
    – The purpose of an engaged social democracy, as against turning the country into one giant cost-focussed business
    – In the absence of a vision that’s he’s so afraid of, at least the time horizon for making a visible difference to New Zealanders’ lives
    – The role of cities, since they dominate how most of New Zealand lives
    – His ability to work with the Greens, since they are permanent feature in the political landscape now
    – Whether in fact he can lead a Labour Party without any organised labour, without the teachers, and without beneficiaries (collectviely better known as the core voting and activist and funding base of the entire party), since he spends most of his time alienating them

    (c) Any recognition that he stands on the shoulders of giants of previous Labour administrations the foundations of which actuallu built most of what is positive and progressive in New Zealand.

    The left-right debate is immaterial when set against whether it was a speech that asserted clear and bold leadership that excited people across the country. That’s the immediate measure of success.

    I await the next round of polls for that measure.

  12. Kevin 12

    Text of David Shearers March 15 speech:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/6580075/David-Shearers-full-March-15-speech.

    In his speech David indicated a desire to move on from an earlier Goff promise of a $5000 tax free zone, that in itself signals that Labour is refocussing from a tax driven stimulus package onto a more centrist philosophy of improved educational opportunities and greater self determination ie less welfare dependence.

    • Colonial Viper 12.1

      a more centrist philosophy of improved educational opportunities and greater self determination ie less welfare dependence.

      How is having more degree qualified unemployed people with big student debts going to reduce welfare dependence?

  13. fatty 13

    “Or am I young and optimistic?”

    Optimism sounds like aspiration to me…which is also too close to Paula Bennett’s sickness of delusion for me.
    Its time to be critical, and that means being critical of Shearer, being critical of centrism and being critical of our society in general.

    You don’t fix a broken car by improving the parts that are working.

  14. fatty 14

    ***Although don’t be too critical of David Shearer…my last post got deleted and now I have to prove I am not a robot in order to post my opinion***

    Perhaps my next post should mention how Shearer is a nice guy and has a smile and wave that is up there with John Key’s…

  15. Macro 15

    No Labour doesn’t need to shift to the centre –
    They are already there! They ceased to be a party of the left long ago.
    They had the opportunity under Helen Clark to more back to their roots – made a feeble attempt when first elected (and when they truly had a mandate to do so). The rest of the time they spent trying to stay in power.
    What a load of apologetic tripe.

  16. queenstfarmer 16

    Why Labour is not shifting to the centre

    That’s the title of your post, but you don’t seem to have actually provided any reason why it isn’t.

    Labour under Shearer is clearly moving to the centre. He’s walked back the high-earner tax, the CGT-as-a-cash-cow tax, signalled that CGT revenue could be used to lower other taxes, dropped the $5,000 tax free idea, dropped the GST-free vegetable nonsense, continues to refuse to clearly side with the wharfies, signalled a focus on teacher performance and suggested a tightening of welfare policy. All good things that clearly evidence a move away from ideologically left positions.

    So on what basis is there not a clear shift to the center?

  17. coolas 17

    I’m with Macro and others on this – Labour no longer champions the working class as evidenced by its silence in the POA dispute. This is an issue of capitalist destruction of workers. But the polls probably show support for management. I wish they’d stop making up policy through polling and have some ethnic. As Warren Buffet famously said, ‘there’s a war going on (between haves and have-nots) and we’re winning.’ Labour should be firmly the party of the working class which means a graduated scale of high taxation of excess individual wealth and a program of re-distribution in health, education and training, and meaningful job creation by direct investment in industry and manufacturing.

    Shearer’s much awaited speech was a mish-mash of platitudes and so like John Key’s ‘aspirational’ diatribe I can’t help thinking the Labour boffins have adopted his approach as the winning formula.

    ‘Young and optimistic?’ Lucky boy! I’m old and pessimistic that Labour have sold their soul for the price of power.

  18. George D 18

    Prove it.

    • coolas 18.1

      POA dispute. You show me where Labour is defending the workers against ‘contracting out’ which breaks the power of collective bargaining; a fundamental tool in securing better working conditions, hard fought for by early Labour Governments. Workers rights should be the ‘soul’ of the Labour party but anti-unionism is popular right now so Labour are silent. Get it. Policy by popularism not principle.

      • Jimmy Reid 18.1.1

        Yes because this is anti-worker. We’re not helping unions at all with this policy:

        As a minimum, Labour will extend the right to organise and collectively bargain to contractors who are primarily selling their labour, as well as ensuring an effective and cheap disputes resolution procedure.

        An Industry Standard Agreement will be a collective agreement representing the employment „standards‟ in the particular industry, agreed in the first instance between unions and employer organisations in the defined industry. Through the Industry Standard Agreement, these standards would be „extended‟ to all workers in the industry, providing a set of minimum pay and conditions, based on genuine negotiations in other parts of the industry.

        Labour will repeal the National Government‟s unfair laws where workers can be fired without cause in their first 90 days of employment, and the restrictions on the access for workers to their unions in the workplace.

        Labour will restore reinstatement as the primary remedy when an employee has been unjustifiably dismissed, along with the test of justification.

        Labour will amend the Holidays Act to 2008 settings to protect the rights of workers to time off for rest and recreation and ensure that all NZ workers have access to 11 days off on pay for recognised public holidays, including Anzac and Waitangi Day.

        Labour will strengthen collective bargaining by amending the Employment Relations Act to provide greater legislative support, including multi-employer collective bargaining.

        Labour will enable unions and employers to set up systems in which all workers contribute to the benefits of enterprise and multi-enterprise bargaining.

        Labour will defend decent jobs against outsourcing and reduced terms and conditions by providing for the right to strike when a collective agreement is in force where the employer makes a significant proposal for restructuring or outsourcing that in effect renders the collective agreement ineffective.

        Labour will provide certainty for employers and employees in situations of redundancy by implementing the recommendations of the 2008 Ministerial Advisory Group report on redundancy and restructuring.

        Labour will ensure that workers employed in precarious forms of employment (such as labour hire, casual employment and contracting) are given similar rights to those in more traditional forms of employment.

        Labour will also investigate and implement best practice statutory support and legal rights for dependent contractors, including minimum wage protection and other rights.

        Labour will repeal the National Government‟s changes to the Employment Relations Act in regard to workers in the film and video production industries.

        http://www.interest.co.nz/news/54333/election-2011-party-policies-industrial-relations

        • coolas 18.1.1.1

          ‘Labour will extend the right to organise and collectively bargain to contractors who are primarily selling their labour’

          Am I missing something here?

          Contracting is the creation of a ‘market-place’ for employers to pick and choose labour on demand – workers as just another resource to be got at the lowest price. Do you really think an employer will choose a worker who belongs to an organisation that collectively bargains over one who does not?

          Show me where Labour intends to make it compulsory for all workers to join organisations that collectively bargain, because only then can you say Labour sincerely represents the best interests workers. Otherwise Labour are supporting the ‘divide and rule’ attitude towards workers, amply demonstrated by the POA dispute.

          All I’m saying is stick to the principles/ethics. There’s a war going on between rich and poor and I want to see the Labour party unequivocally come out on the side of the poor, not this softly, softly, let’s not upset the middle class, swing voters, who aspire to be rich approach.

        • KJT 18.1.1.2

          Where is the restoration of the right to withdraw your labour, including in support of other workers.

          A freedom the parties of “individual freedom” were very quick to remove
          Without that, all the other stuff is a waste of time.
           
          Fixing the fuckups of the last 30 years will not happen by tinkering around the edges!

          You are correct. Labour is not moving to the right.

          They are already there!

        • rosy 18.1.1.3

          Hate to say it Jimmy… but that is so last year. It’s what they’re going to go into the next election that we need to know. Shearer has indicated that all policies are up for grabs, so at the moment we can’t say where Labour stands.

  19. Populuxe1 19

    Labour is shifting to the centre – not an impartial ideological centre, but the populist centre. National’s victory in the last two elections show’s that what the electorate considers “mainstream” has taken a big step to the right. I don’t like it, but it’s Realpolitik.

    • Colonial Viper 19.1

      The electorate hasn’t taken a big step to the Right. This is not about a change in peoples’ politics.

      Its about a change in who participates in politics. And who doesn’t, any more. And basically the working class and the underclass cant be fucked turning out for Labour any more.

      • Populuxe1 19.1.1

        Is your understanding of political theory really that naive? People’s politics change all the time depending on their circumstances (hint: not everyone is a dogmatic classical Marxist supported by their wife’s money). Society is in constant flux. Especially in uncertain times of crisis, people instinctively (if irrationally) move to the Right. The vast majority of the electorate are ideologically in the vicinity of whatever is perceived to be the centre and very few are rabid ideologues like you, or ACT.

        And basically the working class and the underclass cant be fucked turning out for Labour any more.

        Au contraire – their lack of engagement will lead to them being fucked like they’ve never been fucked before.

        • Colonial Viper 19.1.1.1

          I’m supported by my wife’s parents’ money thanks. Details are important.

          Especially in uncertain times of crisis, people instinctively (if irrationally) move to the Right.

          During the Great Depression the NZ people voted Savage in.

          • Populuxe1 19.1.1.1.1

            …And Germany voted Nazi when their economy collapsed and the Soviets threatened. And Thatcher and Reagan were largely boosted to power by the Cold War.

            • Colonial Viper 19.1.1.1.1.1

              So were you referring to German politics or UK politics? I personally thought we were talking about the character of the NZ people in desperate and uncertain times, so I gave you a NZ example.

              • Populuxe1

                Why would we be any different? Are you so addled that you think us to be closer to the angels than the beasts? But have it your way: Muldoon.

            • Con 19.1.1.1.1.2

              During the Great Depression the French got rid of one government through civil unrest and elected a radical left Popular Front in its place.
              In the United States, the New Deal was clearly a dramatic turn to the left.
              Note also that in Germany the Great Depression saw the rise of the extreme left PKD as well as the Nazi Party. The Nazis never obtained a majority popular vote; they first led a minority government, and later established their dictatorship through a coup d’etat.
               
               
               

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

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
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  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
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  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
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  • Government lowering building costs
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  • Trustee tax change welcomed
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  • Minister’s Ramadan message
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  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
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  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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  • Progress continues apace on water storage
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  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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