Women readers of the site

Written By: - Date published: 11:25 pm, September 18th, 2017 - 49 comments
Categories: admin, gender, jacinda ardern, Metiria Turei, The Standard - Tags: ,

I finally had some time to delve into recent statistics for the site. Apart from the usual election year rise of the readership, the demographics have been moving a lot.

The most noticeable statistic in the recent months has been to do with gender. Google Analytics has an limited ability to match the stated gender of some of our users. Typically this is between 40% and 65% of our readers. Not particularly accurate, but certainly of interest in how it changes.

As part of my normal duties to keeping an eye on the site health, I normally tend to watch the percentage of female readers every few weeks. For me it serves as a pretty good surrogate for how inclusive and accessible this site is. When it drops I start hunting for dirty socks and smelly jockstraps who have started to infest the place. But in recent months I have been somewhat remiss because of excessive work hours. As a percentage of sessions it seems to normally live at around 25% to 30% and fluctuates according to the types of stories and depth of the locker room foolishness in the comments section. I am not sure what I would have to look forward to if the site ever started to reach gender parity.

I’ve grabbed some of the weeks from earlier in the year to give context, and sampled progressively more in the weeks heading up into August and September. Because of the variability of the sample population, I’ve only put in the percentages of the sampled population to make it easier to see the trends. And I like to read numbers, so I am a bit lazy to make graphs today. I have highlighted the periods of interest and put my interpretation down below the table.

Week starting % Sessions % New

Sessions

New Users Bounce

Rate

Pages per
Session
Avg Session

Duration

 13th Mar  26.5%  25.9%  50.3%  28.6%  3.8  6:32
 10th Apr  24.7%  20.2%  42.1%  28.5%  3.7  6:41
 15th May  27.9%  21.2%  46.1%  29.4%  3.4  5:52
 12th June  24.5%  19.9%  40.9%  26.4%  3.7  6:37
 26th June  27.5%  18.8%  41.8%  26.2%  3.9  6:28
 10th July  26.6%  33.2%  40.8%  32.7%  3.0  4:37
 17th July  37.7%  61.6%  43.6%  41.5%  2.1  1:39
 24th July  34.8%  58.8%  43.7%  38.5%  2.5  2:21
31st July 26.4% 26.2% 40.8% 25.6% 3.7 5:42
7th Aug 27.9% 29.7% 48.3% 27.4% 3.6 5:11
14th Aug 30.6% 31.9% 60.5% 28.0% 3.4 4:56
21st Aug 27.4% 23.1% 46.1% 26.9% 3.7 5:53
28th Aug 29.2% 26.4% 46.3% 28.2% 3.6 5:21
4th Sept 38.2% 57.2% 52.8% 38.1% 2.5 2:18
11th Sept 39.0% 43.9% 55.5% 27.8% 3.3 4:47

Analysis:

We have increased the percentage of women readers from about a quarter earlier in the year to just under 40% in recent weeks. The majority of new readers (people that haven’t seen the site previously) are now women.

Now this kind of interest swing isn’t abnormal. But I’d have to say that in the 3 years since this facility has become available, I’ve only seen seen our readership of women rise above 34% of the sessions once. In the available data that was in the election week in 2014 when it hit 42%

It appears to have started with Metiria Turei’s revelations about dealing with WINZ back in July. We had a sudden spike in interest from what looks like mostly the existing women readers of the site in the days.

Surprisingly, to me at least, the site didn’t get a big bump in the readership of women when Jacinda Arden became leader of parliamentary Labour in early August. I suspect that the volume of interest on that day was more normally spread.

What we did get was a strong spike of new women reader interest shortly after Metiria Turei announced her resignation from the Greens leadership and in the subsequent social media storm over that. The spike at 60.5% of new readers, mostly in one day, was only matched by election week in 2014.

The last few weeks of the election campaign has been seen a steady rise in the readership of women. A lot more new women readers with more arriving all of the time. The last few weeks have almost put the site at election 2014 level already and is far higher than it was in 2014 when it was 33% and 29% of sessions in the same two weeks before the final week. It will be interesting seeing what this week does and if it is higher then the 42% of 2014.

But I suspect that we have far more interest in this election by women than we did in 2014.


The generational stats are also showing quite a lot of change since 2014. I’ll look at them later in the week.

 

This site: Just under 90% of this site’s readers are from New Zealand and most of the overseas visitors come from places that kiwis like to frequent, mostly Aussie, US and the UK. This seldom changes very much. In the last 30 days we have more than 55 thousand unique users. This year to date more than 386 thousand unique users have been on the site. 

Users: Google has a pretty good grasp on who different people are. This is based largely on google cookies being set by web sites like ours and net utilities like facebook and gmail. Since cookies are used for all types of purposes like keeping track of logins, and filling in fields few people try to evade them. These are the unique users that google can identify. It will be slightly inaccurate because sometimes it cannot detect of the same person is accessing from different devices. But it is pretty accurate at detecting unique users.

Bounce Rate: Effectively this is the percentage of readers who read a single page and who jump away virtually immediately. This is usually low on this site but jumps sharply with social media and net search spikes.

Sessions: This is a pretty arbitrary measurement that attempts to figure out how long someone remains glued to a website. It typically has a timeout of no activity in the order of a number of minutes. Used in conjunction with % New Sessions, New Users, Pages per Session and Average Session Duration, it gives a good indications of where a surge in readers is coming from.

For instance, if you see lots of New Users and a small number of pages with a short reading time, then it generally indicates either social media or web searches from outside the usual readership reading a single page. Lots of New Sessions with similar page count and time reading tend to indicate more occasional readers popping in. High bounce rates often indicate social media or web searches on specific topics. There are a number of other combinations worth looking for. 

 

49 comments on “Women readers of the site ”

  1. Hoi ! ,… well if they are all too shy to comment ,… I will.

    We need more women to get stuck into politics and have their say. You know you’ve got every right, and its time you got militant and said so. You’ve got a bloody right to say.

    Bloody Well Right – YouTube
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfaTvT99sDA

  2. Oh , and how do we feel about this ? :

    New swamp kauri claims over ruptured pipeline – they were ‘digging …
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz › Business

    Oravida anyone ?

    Seems some women in politics are way ahead of the pack in sniffing out lucrative opportunity’s,…. doubles up on the distractions for election day I would hazard a guess,… but alas , … too late to save their skins !!!!

  3. Incognito 3

    Interesting numbers. They may be new to TS but they may have come from elsewhere (‘migration’). I also wonder whether the lower Bloke Influence Quotient (BIQ) has been tempered here on TS by the increased (for want of a better word) moderation and this, in turn, makes it more appealing for women to return to the site after their first visit. All speculation on my behalf, of course.

    • Lara 3.1

      I think you’re onto something there Incognito.

      I’m a woman (as my name suggests) and I will not engage in a site with no moderation. Because it quickly turns into a slanging match of the worst kind.

      I’m pretty tough, but I have zero tolerance for being called the kinds of names women get called… just because gender. And I have no tolerance for having my lived experience disbelieved, or being told I’m playing a “gender card” or worse “victim card”.*

      When that shit happens I leave. And I’m pretty typical of women in general with that tendency.

      And so unmoderated websites tend to be dominated by the loudest and nastiest commentators. There’s nothing much of value or interest to read. And it certainly does push women out.

      *I’m still yet to receive either a gender or victim card. Does this entitle me to a discount on public transport or something? Free eggs? What is this card?

      • Tracey 3.1.1

        You are not alone. Most blogs’ comments run by the unwritten rule of how men argue is how it is done…

  4. weka 4

    Great to have this up on Women’s Suffrage Day, thanks Lynn.

    • lprent 4.1

      I hate to say this – but it is?

      I ignore all special days including birthdays, Xmas, etc. Mostly because I hate shopping. But also because then I have to focus on things other than what I am working on.

      One of the joys of being a devout computer programmer with no kids is that most of the time I can largely ignore most things apart from the JIra – which is my list of tasks to do and the few people with priority access to me. I can just focus on the tasks at hand and the design and run automatically through household stuff like cleanjng cooking and getting the rego for the car,

      It was one of the main reasons to drop out of being a manager.

      I notice elections, when projects of various times are meant to end.

  5. Carolyn_nth 5

    Thanks for this info.

    Very interesting that the measured numbers of women readers went up after Metiria Turei talked about her historical dealings with WINZ.

    The MSM treated Turei exceedingly badly after that, while the Māori media gave the fairest coverage, and also followed Turei’s lead in focusing on the plight of beneficiaries.

    Since the so-called neoliberal revolution in the 1980s-90s, it has been particularly noticeable that low income women have suffered the most, and especially Māori and Pacific women. Middle class women have done OK, albeit, overall not as well as equivalent men.

    As reinforced to me at the rally against poverty in Otara at the weekend, it is brown women who are most likely to seek help from a AAAP advocate in dealing with W&I.

    Single mothers have been treated appallingly by the punitive approach of W&I under the NACT government.

    It would be interesting to know the breakdown of Pākehā, Māori and Pacific readers of TS – though that is not possible, and probably not desirable in these days of the surveillance state.

    • lprent 5.1

      Definitely not possible at present. The most common information requested on online sign ups is effectively your age, gender, and location.

      But since it is correlation info for marketing, I am pretty sure that either that where available or a surrogate will be being used. You don’t need to be accurate to target or even have a causation. You just need a significant correlation.

  6. esoteric pineapples 6

    A really interesting post

  7. Pete 7

    Of more importance is the percentage of women who vote.

  8. Pacific princess 8

    I’m a woman and Samoan and I’ve been reading posts on TS since before the 2014 election. I was fedup with mainstream media reporting (I still am ha!) and wanted to read other points of view on issues from more critical perspectives. I value all the contributions, comments and debates here and I know many friends who cruise in to read do too!

    • JanM 8.1

      I do the same, Pacific Princess, and I comment way less than I read. Sometimes it’s because it’s all getting a bit ‘blokey’, but sometimes it’s because I want to stay out of the line of fire of one or two women commentators who tend to breath fire and brimstone! Fire and brimstone is all very well in its place, but it tends to stop conversation in its tracks.

      • tracey 8.1.1

        Oh my, is that me? I do get passionate but do not want to drive people into silence. I can take it. Please let me know.

      • weka 8.1.2

        I think (and hope) that over time there will be enough of a cultural change that we can have robust debate without quite so much of the intimidation.

        But I know what you mean. TS brings out the best in me and the worst. I like arguing, but it’s very easy for me to get caught up in the macho stuff and punch back.

        After the election I’d like to run some posts/threads asking women what they want here.

  9. Jum 9

    Farmers show their misogyny once again in their attack on first Helen Clark and now Jacinda Ardern. As did Bill English.

    Werewolf: ‘Besides all this, English also used his position to try and foist anti-abortion propaganda on the public. A practising Catholic, English told attendees at a pro-life function at the close of 1997 that he would look at cutting the funding to doctors certified to assess women for abortions,’

    http://werewolf.co.nz/2017/08/bill-english-the-forgotten-history/

    Given The Standard has followed politics for such a long time, and politicians in all their flawed lives, I hope they get their choice of Prime Minister that stands up for all New Zealanders. (As long as it is NOT National; that would be an oxymoron 🙂 )

    Good luck and don’t forget to vote, especially women. All children deserve food in their bellies and a home to feel safe in.

    • tracey 9.1

      I note in the twitter thread there is a photo of the current PM on a tractor holding up a sign calling Clark a mad cow.

  10. Kay 10

    Female reader here too, for some years now, but although I would like to participate more in some of the debates I’ve always felt quite intimidated by the much more advanced articulation on the subject from the others (my training was in fine arts!) . You may have noticed I tend to join in threads when it’s Welfare related topics, unfortunatley a bit of a long-term expert on it from the receiving end, so I feel I have something I can offer the discussion there.

    Also, having long given up on the MSM for political news, I find myself following this site to keep up with what’s going on, even during my frequent media blackouts which are periodically needed to maintain sanity. It may well be considered an “echo chamber” for most of my views, but it’s intelligent reading and my horizons have been widened greatly.

    • tracey 10.1

      Thanks for speaking up today. I hope you will keep diping your toes in comments. Your perspective is important

    • weka 10.2

      I love your comments Kay. If you ever want to Guest Post, let us know. I’ve seen comments of yours that would work as posts without too much extra work. You’d also be welcome to post under a pseudonym and have some tailored moderation in the comments.

      • Kay 10.2.1

        Thank you Weka, I’m quite surprised you think I’d be up to a GP here. I can put together a pretty decent essay and articulate resonably well in writing (guess my degree wasn’t a total waste of time!) but like I said before, I’ve always felt quite intimidated by the high level of political writing on this blog. But I’d certainly be willing to give it a go sometime, how does one go about making that happen?
        PS already using a pseudonym- no way on earth could I ever have my real name online anywhere. Not even on FB.

        • weka 10.2.1.1

          Let’s check in a couple of weeks after the election. I need a bit of a break probably next week, but then I can talk you through the process. Are you ok with me emailing you? (I can get your email from the back end).

          • Kay 10.2.1.1.1

            No worries weka. But I’ll have to change the email you can see here to one I’m more likely to look at. I’ve just done that now for this post, so I assume that’s the one you’ll be able to read? (Sorry, completely ignorant about these tech things)

          • Kay 10.2.1.1.2

            No worries weka. I think we’ll all be needing time off! Hear from you when I hear from you 🙂

          • Kay 10.2.1.1.3

            That’ll be fine weka. I think we’ll all be needing a break for a while!

            The email I use for this site is one I rarely use routinely so if for any reason you don’t get a reply it’s simply because my shot memory has meant I’ve forgotten to check that inbox! If so, just put something on an Open Mike to remind me please? I’ve just tried to change the email for this site but it won’t let me post anything so not going to make myself all flustered over that.

            • weka 10.2.1.1.3.1

              Sounds good. If you change your email when commenting, the first comment goes to Moderation to be released because the system thinks you are a new commenter. We can sort it out in a few weeks 🙂

      • tracey 10.2.2

        I second this

  11. patricia bremner 11

    Hello everyone, I enjoy reading the different points of view. My Dad and I had debates and threw ideas about. Mum called it arguing for the sake of it.

    So how you discuss begins early I guess. I was lucky my Dad discussed ideas, and didn’t think they had a gender.

    I thank the moderators, and the participants. I enjoy throwing my thoughts in.

    There are some very erudite people on this site. They have not belittled anyone, just the occasional daft piece of logic.

    We are all guilty of generalisations and bias at times, and it is enjoyable to stretch.

    It is easy to become hidebound. So thanks Iprent and others. We need this.

  12. A new world-wide definition of stupidity “a NZ dairy farmer’.

    I too, as a female person, read the excellent Standard every morning – and often check in several times during the day.

    • tracey 12.1

      Thanks tomorrow. I do want to question the generalisation. Only 600 farmers, friends, family, fed farmers and some NZF and National activists. I suspect many farmers will be embarassed by some of those signs yesterday. We all need to take a deep breath, townies and cockies all, abd not fall into English’s trap to make us angry at each other. Farmers have been manipulated by half truths and lies by Joyce and English.

  13. Firepig 13

    I resolved some years ago, after a miserable experience commenting here, never to do it again. It’s too much of a male bear-pit for me. Good on the brave women, though. (I will now continue to follow my resolve.)

    • r0b 13.1

      Very sorry that you had a bad experience here. I think we’re going to see more women writing here in future, and hopefully a change in culture.

    • tracey 13.2

      Thanks for stating this.

    • Siobhan 13.3

      I can’t say your wrong, thats for sure. But if it makes you feel better, I know a bunch of men who don’t comment on the Standard for similar reasons.
      And its not just the regulars putting the boot in, its the confrontational style of some moderators.
      There are times when I see someone being dealt to and I question being here myself. Am I enabling what could be seen as bullying by even being here?

      I console myself with the knowledge, that this is an invaluable forum for political stories and insight, and that ‘robust conversation’ (ha!) is probably the best way to fine tune, and possibly even revise, your own political views.

      On balance, I think TS is an important part of the political landscape in NZ. And some days, well, it just pays to keep your head below the parapet!

      • greywarshark 13.3.1

        TS should encourage a review of one’s own opinions and to balance them against the known factors. Holding back on criticising others because they are flavour of the month or the decade shouldn’t be forced. Fair criticism should be the rule, and not be allowed to continue for too long. Being beaten over the head with a handbag or a baseball bat give very different outcomes, but both are negative and so it is good if TS can allow tolerance of robust expression that has a natural limit and if not an imposed one.

  14. Cinny 14

    Cool post, I’m fascinated by politics and read a variety of blogs.

    I’m grateful to TS for the information and comments I discover here, but even more grateful for the lack of bullshit old boys club crap which puts one off from commenting (rightwing blogs are riddled with that kind of dark ages crap)

    Big up’s to all those who contribute to TS, thanks for making us feel welcome, I thoroughly enjoy the engagement on TS

  15. Andre 15

    If it’s worth anything to the likes of Kay, Karen, Firepig and other women hesitant to comment: when I scroll down the list of comments I have a lot more “what’s she got to say?” moments than I have “what’s he got to say?” or “what’s it got to say?”.

  16. Vaughan Little 16

    i walked away from this website a few years back cos the comments sections often had a way too aggro element. plus the partisanship got a bit tiring ~ by which i mean being partisan as much as reading partisan content.

    back when i was following the standard, low female participation rates were sometimes discussed. i think the buzz was that some regular female contributors had been chased off by pretty nasty commenters. but beside the gender specific stuff, there was some sentiment that things were just too intense for a lot of women to feel comfortable, and that was my experience also.

    from my limited use of the site over the past few months, it does seem as though there is a better vibe than i remember before. maybe cos one or two pretty negative people have moved on, maybe cos things were rougher for the left around 2014.

    • lprent 16.1

      We had some authors who were most notable for fighting with each other got downgraded and left last year which helped a lot.

      Part of it is simply because we looked at it earlier in the year and decided that due to workload we’d start handing out post-election bans for anyone who had behaviour that caused moderators too much work.

      It seems to have shifted the balance.

  17. Delia 17

    I was bought up in a home where my young parents talked politics at the table as a normal part of conversation and it was the same at my grandmothers. I have always talked politics and I believe it is because of this early influence as a small child. My extended family still talk politics as a natural part of conversation, we are all seniors now.

  18. eco Maori/kiwi 18

    Good work Iprent And Its assume to see all the proud lady’s standing up for them selves and for there rights one of our main sports lady Lydia has got her game on the up and our net ball team have got there winning team and management sorted as i have said before they all make great roll models for our young girls in NZ and around the world to aspire and hopefully some will become leaders of our world.
    I say leaders because women are more humane and have advanced view on reality than men.
    And this is a logical opinion because over the century Women have not had the strength of a man to win there battles Women have to out wit out think men to survive
    and that is the reason that Women are smarter than men In my view.
    Big upps to these great ladies
    Robyn Lane of Gisborne
    Janette Walker Labour Kaikoura candidate and many more great women fighting for there rights and a future for our children.
    When I have examined my past there are a lot of times I wished I listened to my wife so I am now and that is the reason I am making a stand for me and my family

  19. I love eco Maori/kiwi and his comments and I wish the men in my family were as kind and him and my splendid sisters !

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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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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
    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
  • 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
    5 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    11 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
    13 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
    14 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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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    6 days ago
  • 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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    6 days ago
  • 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
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
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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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