Will the 1923 record be beaten?

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, January 5th, 2023 - 86 comments
Categories: Donald Trump, International, us politics - Tags: ,

Been watching C-SPAN in the US House of Representatives trying to elect a speaker. Last time that there was more than one vote to get a speaker was in 1923. This figures, the author of this political madness, Donald Trump seems to be a law and tax evading crook worthy of the 1920s or 1930s US.

Trump actively worked to get rid of the Republicans who voted for his impeachment, thereby ensuring that a small minority have the votes to prevent McCarthy’s election as speaker. McCarthy helped with that. It looks like tactic has bitten him in the arse.

In December 1923, at the start of the 68th Congress, Republican Frederick H. Gillett needed nine ballots to win reelection. Progressive Republicans had refused to support Gillett in the first eight ballots. Only after winning concessions from Republican conference leaders (a seat on the House Rules Committee and a pledge that requested House rules changes would be considered) did they agree to support him.[30][31]

wikipedia: “Speaker of the United States House of Representatives – History – Notable Elections“

I guess the question now is how many more votes will be required, and if the 1923 record will be exceeded.

Political sport on C-span

86 comments on “Will the 1923 record be beaten? ”

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  1. lprent 1
    5 January 2023 at 10:44 am

    Steven Colbert violates a new years resolution

    https://youtu.be/YWoMk7D_lxQ

    • Tony Veitch 1.1
      5 January 2023 at 1:59 pm

      From the video:

      For some mystical reason Santos reminds me of Sharma ???

      Can’t think why.

  2. lprent 2
    5 January 2023 at 11:07 am

    Back at 8pm us eastern standard time for the next game. Roughly 2pm?

    A 7th vote will be the game.

    The prize is being able to open the house of representives 118th session. They can't swear in representatives or start voting for anything else until that happens.

    I suspect that the ongoing backroom dealing is intense.

  4. Macro 4
    5 January 2023 at 11:38 am

    I'm sure the 1923 number of 8 votes will be exceeded – but are the willing to go on to the 1856 total of 133!?

    Just as Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was unable to secure the 218 votes needed to become Speaker, former Rep. Nathaniel Banks of Massachusetts was unable to round up enough support in the 1856 contest to lead the chamber. It ended up taking two months and 133 rounds of voting to determine that contest.

    One of the main sticking points for McCarthy is the "motion to vote"

    They also want to increase their leverage on McCarthy. One key point of contention has been a procedural question called the “motion to vacate,” which allows for an up or down vote on whether the position of speaker should be declared vacant and a new vote held. This was used by Republican rebels in 2015 to force out then-Speaker John Boehner. At the time, any individual member could force a vote on this question. Boehner was managing a fractious House GOP conference then, albeit with a far larger majority than Republicans have now.

    Under House Democrats, the House rules were changed so that only party leaders could offer the motion. McCarthy’s critics want to return this precedent. With Republicans holding a nominal majority of five in the House, the motion to vacate threat functions as a sword hanging over any speaker. It means that a mere handful of Republicans would have the leverage to oust McCarthy from the speakership at any moment. Needless to say, McCarthy had been dead set against this. However, a recent offer he made to win critics was to lower the threshold to five for a motion to vacate. In other words, five members would have to jointly offer the motion to force a vote.

    But even more fundamental to their inability to function as a collective is the far rights inability to perceive the fact that the very slim majority the Republicans have in the House does not, and will not, give them the power to overturn all the progressive moves of the past two years (and there have been quite a few in the past two year – despite the naysaying of a few ultra- progressives). They simply do not have the numbers. Again from the Vox article linked to above – what the Republicans think of these radical Right machinations:

    Most rank-and-file Republicans are not happy. Speaking to reporters before the vote on Tuesday, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) said of McCarthy’s critics, “[I]t was all about controlling the committees and trying to fundamentally put people in positions where they can raise more money. This has nothing to do with bettering our country.” She described those willing to vote against the Republican leader as “the radical 2 percent.” Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) expressed frustration that this could delay Republicans from getting started trying to pass their agenda as well. “You really have to go out of the gates fast in that first quarter to have an effect … so there’s no time to waste right now.”

    • lprent 4.1
      5 January 2023 at 12:04 pm

      Hilarious. Was that the Know-Nothing political party period?

      Seems about right. Maybe not – they split and bombed in 1856 and never recovered.

      • Macro 4.1.1
        5 January 2023 at 12:58 pm

        Yes. Banks was elected 10 times to Congress under a number of different political "allegiances"

        During his 10 terms in the House, Nathaniel Banks of Massachusetts was elected under the banner of a number of parties: Democrat, American, Republican, and as an Independent.

        The Democrats took back control of the House at the 1857 election

        Banks, a member of both the nativist American (or “Know-Nothing”) Party and the Free Soil Party, served a term as Speaker before Democrats won control of the chamber in the 35th Congress (1857–1859). Banks retired from the House to serve as governor of Massachusetts.

  5. lprent 5
    5 January 2023 at 12:14 pm

    Economist: "What the Kevin McCarthy saga means for America’s Congress"

    While this was going on, Democrats lined up in an orderly fashion behind Hakeem Jeffries, a moderate Democrat from New York. After his elevation to Minority Leader-elect, Mr Jeffries said po-faced things about the chaos on the other side being a sad day for democracy, while his colleagues tittered at the McCarthy spectacle. If they were less concerned with extracting partisan advantage, Democrats might settle on some sensible Republican to back as Majority Leader and hope that a few Republicans could support the same candidate. There is no constitutional reason why the moderates in both parties could not club together, seize control of the legislative agenda and tell the extreme wings of their parties to lump it. Alas, party discipline, tribal loyalty and the threat of primary challengers combine to make this impossible. Instead, Republicans will struggle on until they have a Speaker.

    A weakened Speaker will make it even harder for Congress to pass contentious legislation this year. One beholden to the House Republicans’ berserker caucus could find it difficult to avoid a government shutdown, to raise the debt ceiling or to provide additional support to Ukraine’s armed forces. This comes after Congress had been on a winning streak, reforming the process for certifying elections and reaffirming gay marriage as the law of the land in 2022. Even divided Congresses can sometimes accomplish quite a lot. But this one is setting out with lead weights attached to its boots.

    Basically the strategy that Sacha linked to earlier.

    • Craig H 5.1
      5 January 2023 at 2:08 pm

      For some reason, only the Democrats have agency.

      • lprent 5.1.1
        5 January 2023 at 2:52 pm

        The democrats have been consistently voting in unison – including nay on the adjournment.

        The republicans have been consistently not in unison. Not even in the adjournments votes.

        Looks like a huge amount of republican political groping going on. It will be interesting to see if McCathy can bride 'convince' a few more members of his party to join in reluctantly voting for him.

        I suspect that he will eventually succeed – but only after some of the hold-outs have more time on TV talk shows raising their profile and securing more campaign funding and support.

        • Craig H 5.1.1.1
          6 January 2023 at 9:45 am

          I ran into Murc's Law a few years ago, that "only the Democrats have agency or causal influence over politics" to quote that article. My impression of the Economist's article is that it is written from that perspective i.e. only the Democrats have the agency to help the Republicans govern, rather than just sticking to the obvious point that the Republicans can't even elect a Speaker even though that's one of the big prizes for getting a majority.

  6. Maurice 6
    5 January 2023 at 2:23 pm

    Just the glorious way a Constitutional Republic opperates (I hesitate to say "works" …)

    With the 1.7Trillion Dollar Omnibus Bill passed days ago the US Government is funded for another seven months so they can last out till July without any more funding being required.

    Might be a very large new record!

  7. lprent 7
    5 January 2023 at 2:23 pm

    And they're back in the house.

  8. lprent 8
    5 January 2023 at 2:40 pm

    Adjoined for a second day until noon tomorrow EST.
    Adjoinment vote – 216-214

    6am NZDT.

  9. lprent 9
    5 January 2023 at 2:45 pm



    Comments after the fact on youtube are amusing if you’re into satire…

  11. Macro 11
    5 January 2023 at 3:05 pm

    The media are unimpressed. Some reactions to what was always going to happen.

    • Behind the humiliation of Kevin McCarthy. “The GOP has gone from being a disciplined party of limited government to a party of anti-government protest to, now, a party of performative verbiage.” (New Yorker)
    • House shitshow has a message for America: GOP can’t govern and doesn’t want to. “As Kevin McCarthy reaps the whirlwind, let’s hope voters understand this chaos was never really about Donald Trump.” (Salon)
    • Kevin McCarthy’s loyalty to Trump got him nothing. “The once-presumptive House leader has been through three embarrassing rounds of voting, with more to come.” (The Atlantic)
    • “Circular firing squad” derails GOP in new Congress. “Senate Republicans see chaos across the Capitol as an ominous sign as the party tries to regroup for 2024.” (Politico)
  13. SPC 13
    5 January 2023 at 3:19 pm

    Side note is Boebert did not inform a member of the Freedom Caucus, Green, about their plans.

    The Freedom Caucus wants to cut Social Security (just has the biggest increase ever because of inflation) and Medicare and form a committee to investigate government (people in government) as occurred back in the 70's after Watergate.

    Trump does not want to be associated with Social Security and Medicare cuts (which the current Senate and Biden would block) pre 2024 election.

  14. Maurice 14
    5 January 2023 at 3:54 pm

    The Speaker of the House does not necessarily need to be one of the elected members …

    Perhaps someone should nominate Kari Lake …. she needs a government job

    OR DONNIE!

    Be almost worth it to see the look on Old Nan's face wink

  15. DB Brown 15
    6 January 2023 at 7:56 am

    Biden and McConnell showing bipartisanship is as simple as getting on with doing your job.

    https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/split-screen-makes-biden-look-good-house-gop-look-worse-rcna64393

  16. Adrian Thornton 16
    6 January 2023 at 8:04 am

    All this makes clear is that there is a highly motivated and operational, independent Right Wing faction within the Republican party that is willing to use it's leaverage to get what it was sent there to do by it's voters, and if that means saying fuck you to the establishment of their party, so be it…good on them, this is exactly how politics should be done.

    Which also highlights the fact that there is no serious Left Wing movement with any back bone within the Democratic Party…and how really deeply pathetic and only performative The Squad are.

    Here is Matt Gaetz saying that both parties are corrupt and Kevin McCarthy to his face, that he has sold parts of himself to corporate lobbyist…can anyone imagine AOC doing this to Pelosi, one the most corrupt….of course not.

    • Craig H 16.1
      6 January 2023 at 9:28 am

      By and large, the Squad's constituency do not want them to burn the place down. Extract concessions, sure, but not refuse to govern at all.

      • Adrian Thornton 16.1.1
        6 January 2023 at 10:41 am

        I see…and what Left Wing extracted concessions have they achieved??…I seem to remember that AOC and The Squad in general got elected initially exactly because they promised to "Make POWER Uncomfortable"…they bend at the knee to power at the slightest head wind…that is just a plain fact.

        AOC…“Every single one of us got our seats challenging the Democratic establishment,” she said. ​“And now, from a grassroots perspective, people are realizing, ​‘Oh, we can hold our party accountable and we can put the fire on our own party. It doesn’t just have to be Republicans.’ And in that way we prevent the rightward drift of the Democratic Party."
        https://inthesetimes.com/article/congressional-black-caucus-progressive-house-democratic-house-democratic-party

        …turns out it is just some Republicans who have the backbone to stand up against their own party hierarchy to extract meaningful and serious (to them) concessions.

        • Craig H 16.1.1.1
          6 January 2023 at 2:38 pm

          According to Wikipedia the Squad started with 4 new members in 2018, increasing to 6 in 2020, so their leverage was 0 as the Democratic majority exceeded their size, and as neophytes they had limited institutional knowledge of Congress. That said, one example of them voting against core Democratic legislation is given in the Wikipedia article:

          Infrastructure Bill and Build Back Better Act

          On November 5, 2021, all six members of the Squad voted against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act because they believed that moderate Democrats in the House and Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema would not vote for the Build Back Better Act. Nine Democrats in the House had previously refused to vote for the Build Back Better Act until the infrastructure bill was signed,[39] and both Manchin and Sinema had expressed opposition to key aspects of the Build Back Better Act.[40] After resolving certain disagreements, the infrastructure bill passed in the House with the votes of every Democrat except the members of The Squad.[41][42]

          Despite their votes against, it was passed anyway. Maybe I missed something, but they don't seem to have been in any position to obstruct anything if everyone else in the Democratic party was in favour.

    • DB Brown 16.2
      6 January 2023 at 10:43 am

      Referencing Matt Gaetz now….

      So credible.

      Gaetz wants someone to investigate the FBI for investigating him for human trafficking.

      But you know that, you simply don't care you'll get in bed with anything to make your silly points – which are something like US bad, Adrian very smart unlike everyone else at The Standard I told you So, You'll see, et al.

      • Macro 16.2.1
        6 January 2023 at 11:49 am

        Yeah! OMG Gaetz! 🙄 The FBI have pulled back from indicting him for sexual trafficking but his associate at the time pleaded guilty to 4 charges.

        The FBI seized Rep. Matt Gaetz’s cellphone in December 2020, marking the beginning of an investigation into whether the Florida Republican allegedly sex-trafficked a 17-year-old girl. In the time since, his former friend Joel Greenberg pleaded guilty to trafficking the same teen in exchange for helping the Justice Department’s investigation. Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend also struck a deal, obtaining immunity from federal prosecution in return for her testimony.

      • Adrian Thornton 16.2.2
        6 January 2023 at 12:05 pm

        @DB Brown (an insipid beer I seem to remember, so a well chosen handle)… Are you fucking serious? I wasn't "referencing' or "getting into bed" with Matt Gaetz you idiot…if you actually read my post I was using the way he is extracting concessions from the Republicans as an example of what the Squad didn't do when presented with exactly the same opportunity, when you have the power to do so…if you have a comment to make on that then go ahead, but if all you can do is just bag me for no reason then just piss off.

        • DB Brown 16.2.2.1
          6 January 2023 at 2:18 pm

          So, (alleged) human trafficker as inspiration aside…

          You admire a small but plucky group holding the majority hostage to extort demands, and think that's an example of how things should be done in a democracy.

          No, you piss off.

    • SPC 16.3
      6 January 2023 at 1:55 pm

      The rebels demands so far.

      1. cuts to Social Security and Medicare (would be blocked by the Senate and POTUS until 2024).

      2. a select committee modeled after the one that investigated the federal government after Watergate.

      3. a single Congressperson being able to demand a fresh vote for Speaker.

      4. placement of more members of the House Freedom Caucus on the House Rules Committee (which debates legislation before it’s moved to the floor).

      5. allow floor votes to institute term limits on members and to enact specific border policy legislation.

      Of course the Democrats could simply back McCarthy for Speaker and prevent Freedom Caucus extremism impacting on Congress prior to 2024 and increase the tension in the GOP by doing so.

  17. lprent 17
    6 January 2023 at 8:56 am

    Next up, the 8th vote.

  19. Maurice 19
    6 January 2023 at 9:43 am

    Dah! Dah!

    In the last round of voting, 19 Republicans voted for Rep. Byron Donalds, one voted 'present,' and Matt Gaetz voted for former President Trump.

  22. Peter 22
    6 January 2023 at 1:34 pm

    I've watched enough of the effort to elect a new leader to put the event into a context. It's simply another episode of a great political parody.

    Various speakers assuring themselves that the US is the "greatest country in the history of the world" by itself is just about enough to achieve that.

    Matt Gaetz pontificating about getting rid of corruption tags along as a good line. Of course in the milling round between totting votes there's George Santos mingling and chatting. (I wonder if anyone's asked him what it was like to score the last second touchdown to win the Superbowl or if they could borrow his copy of 'The Nature of Truth.')

    It's a feast for tweeters and angles around the maths and the occasion. They collide nicely in the circus for someone: "One silver lining for McCarthy is that once the number of votes goes over 16, Matt Gaetz will probably lose interest."

    • SPC 22.1
      6 January 2023 at 1:41 pm

      George Santos when explaining his false claim to be Jewish … being sort of Jew’ish because he was contesting to be the representative for a district of Long Island (also includes Brooklyn and Queens).

  23. Macro 23
    6 January 2023 at 1:44 pm

    Rather than continue to sit by and watch the crazies on the extreme right screw more and more "concessions' from McCarthy, Democrats could think outside the box and nominate a "moderate" Republican as Speaker with some acceptable "concessions" for them – such as equal numbers on Committees. Such a deal would allow Govt to continue to function. If the crazies get their way a minority will hold the majority to ransom and and any Bill they might propose will almost certainly fail. The country will become ungovernable.

    More on this idea here:

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/05/house-democrats-moderate-republicans-unite-speaker

    • SPC 23.1
      6 January 2023 at 2:02 pm

      Saving the GOP from itself for the good of the country.

      Biden not appointing 2 extra members to SCOTUS was his decision (to realise a 6-5 Roberts led conservative majority – it would have been 5-4 if Mad Mac Tuck had not sabotaged the Garland appointment). Failure of action by Jeffries indicates weakness is endemic in the wider party.

    • Craig H 23.2
      6 January 2023 at 2:44 pm

      I like Robert Reich normally, but if that was actually a serious option, why hasn't Jeffries been elected yet via deals with a few moderate Republicans? Or why hasn't McCarthy (or a suitable intermediary) already approached the Democrats instead of continuing to attempt to make deals with the extreme right? Why do only the Democrats have the agency to make these deals, and why does anybody think the Republicans would accept them?

      • SPC 23.2.1
        6 January 2023 at 5:43 pm

        All Democrats have to do is vote for McCarthy and thus prevent any empowerment of the Freedom caucus in the House 2022-2024.

        The reticence is based on the ambition to win the House back in 2024.

        • Craig H 23.2.1.1
          7 January 2023 at 3:02 pm

          The Republican legislative agenda looks awful, there is absolutely nothing to gain either for the Democrats or the USA generally in having any part in enabling that. It's also very telling that this far into the process, the other Republicans still haven't approached the Democrats to sideline the extreme Republican faction. My view is that they are deathly afraid of being primaried from the right for working with the Democrats, so are doing everything else but that.

  24. Maurice 24
    6 January 2023 at 2:11 pm

    Eleventh Vote failed to produce a Speaker.

    House adjourned till Noon tomorrow (DC time)

  25. Ad 25
    6 January 2023 at 2:39 pm

    Democrats should act cold and vote in unison for Marjorie Taylor Green as Speaker, since there's nothing but upside to MTG in full revenge mode against the 85% Republican caucus.

    Dems have a big recent record in funding and supporting extremist Republican candidates against the Republican ventrists, just to ensure Democrat candidates win over the split.

    Forget Jamal team; vote in the Republican destruction. That's what 2024 needs.

    • lprent 26.1
      6 January 2023 at 4:15 pm

      Pulled my head out of household maintenance for long enough to see today's results.

      Frigging hell… !

      Looks as if “Never Kevin” is stronger than Kevin's ability to negotiate slither.

    • Incognito 26.2
      6 January 2023 at 9:01 pm

      The end justifies the means and a win is a win.

    • Sacha 27.1
      6 January 2023 at 10:45 pm

      Sharp

      https://twitter.com/Salon/status/1610956092825010176

      Fascists are a bunch of trolls who are never satisfied. They must always prove their power by ganging up on someone who’s been cast as an “outsider.”

      As the Atlantic’s Adam Serwer famously observed, “The cruelty is the point.”

      Most of the time, the targets are racial and sexual minorities, liberals or immigrants. But sometimes, that restless need to constantly bully someone manifests in purification rituals, where a once-trusted or even beloved insider is deemed an outsider who must be ritually purged.

      It’s just Kevin McCarthy’s turn in the proverbial barrel, though he almost certainly hasn’t helped his cause by constantly debasing himself before the hardliners. He’s marked himself as a weenie, and that just makes his tormentors enjoy watching him suffer even more. 

  28. lprent 28
    7 January 2023 at 7:35 am

    12th vote is looking a bit different. Still short for McCarthy.

    https://youtu.be/XITN9wtsUvM

  30. Joe900 30
    7 January 2023 at 4:05 pm

    Jonathon Chait:

    Imagine Negotiating a Debt-Ceiling Ransom With These Maniacs
    Time to start minting the coin.strong>…]

    In the current circumstances, a successful hostage release would be all but impossible. Imagine a Republican Speaker — any Republican Speaker — figuring out a ransom that almost the entire caucus could agree on. The intraparty dynamics virtually guarantee that anything a Republican leader could agree to would immediately be seen on the far right as too little.

    All is to say that even if you think Biden ought to negotiate a debt-ceiling-ransom demand, it’s now a practical impossibility. The only way to accomplish the goal is to separate it from policy altogether. The best way to do that would have been for Democrats to lift the debt ceiling when they still had control of Congress. (Their failure to do so could potentially prove to be the decisively catastrophic choice of the last four years.) The best remaining option is for the Treasury to use its Congressionally inscribed authority to mint coins in denominations it chooses.

    https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/01/imagine-negotiating-a-debt-ceiling-ransom-with-these-maniacs.html

    • Maurice 30.1
      8 January 2023 at 7:20 pm

      So mint millions (or a trillion and a half!) $20 "Gold Eagles" with steel cores thinly Gold plated – enough to pay off the Government debt …. then many more to keep the creation of money going?

      Brings a whole new meaning to the "return to the Gold Standard!

  31. lprent 31
    7 January 2023 at 4:29 pm

    14th vote underway. Looks like an additional flip?

  33. lprent 33
    7 January 2023 at 5:38 pm

    Looks like deal..

    An abrupt on screen shift in the adjournment vote.

    Looks like another vote. Some members to vote present is the rumour.

  35. lprent 35
    7 January 2023 at 7:08 pm

    Jefferies (the democratic candidate for speaker) is a hell of a speech maker.

    I suspect McCarthy will be crap by comparison.

  36. Sacha 36
    7 January 2023 at 8:02 pm

    Guess we will find out sooner than we would like..

    https://twitter.com/BrentToderian/status/1611611901221560321

    • joe90 36.1
      7 January 2023 at 8:29 pm

      Seen a bit of speculation about Rogers move towards Gaetz being triggered by McCarthy bribing Gaetz with the House Armed Services chair.

      [image resized – Incognito]

  37. joe90 37
    7 January 2023 at 8:12 pm

    Fitzpatrick was unwavering in his support of McCarthy, voted against the creation of the Jan 6th committee and submitted a letter to the Pennsylvania governor questioning the validity of the 2020 election so it remains to be seen whether he and his mates are sincere, or not.

    https://twitter.com/MattGertz/status/1611470754889060355

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    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Half a million people use tax calculator

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