You have 30 min to get your business in order!

Written By: - Date published: 12:50 pm, March 12th, 2021 - 77 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, business, Economy, leadership, Politics, rumour, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, tourism - Tags: , ,

The good news is that Auckland has moved to Alert Level 1 at midday. It was to be expected, as there had not been any new cases detected in the community for a week [Correction: it has been 14 days since the last community case]. The weather is great and people will want to make the most of it.

The not so good news is that Cabinet had made the decision last night. However, they wanted to wait for the overnight test results to come in before they announced the decision. Now, as far as I know, these overnight results are in by 9.00 AM. Thus, they could have and should have announced the decision then or shortly after and not waited until the PM’s scheduled press conference at 11.30 AM.

Businesses now had and have an extremely short notice to prepare for the lunch crowds and to prepare for the Friday after-work siege let alone prepare for the dinner crowd tonight. Maybe they can quickly rock up to Pak’nSave and buy some fresh fruit and vegetables to quickly whip up a salad or so; tomatoes are dirt-cheap. We know from previous short notices that people can adapt quickly and load up the car to drive off to the bach or holiday home within an hour late at night or very early in the morning, if must be, to avoid the road blocks. For businesses, schools, and universities, for example, these things are not so simple. And the Government knows that!

I don’t think it was fair or realistic to give only 30 min warning.

I reckon there will be a lot of traffic in and out of Auckland tonight and this weekend. But I cannot shake the feeling that they have let down the Team of 1.5 Million. If they want people to take the Alert Levels seriously and stick to the rules, you do not create a situation in which people are more likely to relax or break the rules, next time.

This was poorly handled, in my opinion. Must do better next time.

77 comments on “You have 30 min to get your business in order! ”

  • Comments are now closed

    • Incognito 1.1
      12 March 2021 at 1:10 pm

      Yeah, nah. He was just fishing.

      • mickysavage 1.1.1
        12 March 2021 at 8:31 pm

        Giving the timing it seemed clear to me that the overnight results were crucial. Clarke was not leaking information, he was tweeting the obvious.

        • Incognito 1.1.1.1
          12 March 2021 at 8:52 pm

          Sure, I can follow that reasoning, although it was poorly explained why they were so crucial that we had to wait until 11:30 AM the next morning. Hypothetically, what kind of overnight test result would have turned the decision on its head? One close contact testing positive? A few? I know this is actually impossible to answer but it seems that the likelihood of that happening at such a late stage in the incubation cycle was low, in my view. Some people realised this, perhaps at a sub-conscious level, and started to act & behave as if we were already at AL1. This unnecessarily blurred the line between AL2 and AL1 and weakens the whole AL system in terms of compliance by the majority of people. In many ways, the AL system relies on a herd effect too, i.e. if most people follow the rules and do the right thing(s) then all of us will be reasonably well protected.

          I’m completely ambivalent about Clarke’s tweet and didn’t refer to it in the OP. What I meant with my light-hearted comment @ 1.1 was that Clarke was just being Clarke and nothing else was going on despite the high levels of paranoia and suspicions in some quarters. In other words, Clarke’s tweet was a red herring.

    • Jimmy 1.2
      12 March 2021 at 1:21 pm

      A bit silly of Clarke to tweet that in my opinion. I think PM partners should stay out of the politics. I can't remember Bronagh Key or Peter Davis tweeting getting involved.

  2. Janet 2
    12 March 2021 at 1:13 pm

    The odds were that the level would go down. I would have planned with that in mind . I appreciate the caution and care those managing this covid situation are undertaking. Thank you guys .

    • Incognito 2.1
      12 March 2021 at 1:18 pm

      Alert levels usually change at midnight with at least a few hours’ notice. How would have planned for it?

      • woodart 2.1.1
        12 March 2021 at 2:34 pm

        as someone who HAS had a cafe(not just a sideline expert<I actually had skin in the game), times like this(shit it has been a year, if your business has NOT learnt by now you never will), means you need to be able to change plans, change menus etc, keep staff on side, not just whinge constantly. you go away from having $6 million of fresh oysters(ffs,how stupid), and go to a mostly quickly thawed menu(only whingeing customers would mind). and keep bidfoods on speed-dial for quick deliveries. its no different than running the same business and suddenly having an unexpected bus load of hungry customers walk in the door(yes, that happened, but instead of whingeing , was honest and upfront and customers stayed, ate what we could provide, paid and were very grateful). if incognito is so needy and lacks any ability to quickly change menu's, entertainment, staffing etc, better to stick with a static business ,hairdresser, shoe salesman etc.. by there very nature ,food service businesses need to be flexible(power cuts , sudden unavailability of certain foods, road accidents cutting off customer access(yes, that also happened) etc. at times ,thirty minutes was way more notice that we had.

        • Incognito 2.1.1.1
          12 March 2021 at 2:59 pm

          Thank you for your valuable professional opinion and advice. I’ll take some Yoga for Business classes on Monday because they were closed this arvo; not flexible enough.

          It appears that for some here it is a fine line between criticism and whinging 🙁

          • Drowsy M. Kram 2.1.1.1.1
            12 March 2021 at 3:31 pm

            Criticism can be constructive – whingeing/whining not so much. Imho the post reads like a (legitimate) complaint from someone with "skin in the game", or who knows someone who has.

            Covid-19: Jacinda Ardern denies announcement delay on Auckland alert levels, arguing Thursday's Cabinet decision was only 'preliminary'
            National leader Judith Collins criticised the delay, tweeting last night, “Cabinet decision made about lifting the Auckland lockdown. But we are not allowed to know what the decision is until tomorrow – to fit into the PM’s scheduled press conference. Not good enough”.

            Containing the COVID-19 threat is a logistical nightmare, and she's a hard road finding the perfect pandemic response. Still, no hurry eh? smiley

            • Incognito 2.1.1.1.1.1
              12 March 2021 at 3:56 pm

              Communication is a most-critical component of the pandemic response. Get it right, people will trust and comply. Get it slightly right, some people will start to be confused and become complacent and/or make ‘errors of judgement’. This is really the main message of the OP.

              • Drowsy M. Kram …
                12 March 2021 at 4:33 pm

                Effective COVID communications will ensure a higher level of public trust and compliance. That the latest communication is (only) "slightly right" might be due to confusion, complacency, fatigue or a simple 'error of judgement', but whatever the reason our Government must (always) up its game – that's the mad business of politics.

                It would certainly be regrettable if doubts about our Government's ability to manage the pandemic response gained more of a foothold, and started peeling off members of the team of nearly five million, just when the 'vaccine finishing line' is in sight. Hopefully the OP will help to combat political and public 'COVID complacency'.

          • woodart 2.1.1.1.2
            12 March 2021 at 4:15 pm

            if you were serious about yoga for business ,and not just trying to have the last word, you would go watch a u-tube video on yoga. much easier to be a whinger though eh?one question for you, is your whinge your idea, or are you being someone elses tool?

            • Incognito 2.1.1.1.2.1
              12 March 2021 at 4:53 pm

              What makes you think that I might be “someone elses tool”? Am I not allowed to form my own independent opinion? Do you think that I need somebody else to tell me what to think and what to write here on TS? Or do you think I’m getting paid for it? If so, maybe you’ve been reading too much into DP …

              You, on the other hand, seem to have no more arguments left and you are now taking aim at the messenger/author at a personal level. You’re straying into dangerous territory if that’s the case.

              It is ok to disagree, and I welcome it with well laid out arguments. However, if you can only bring ad homs to the table, I strongly suggest you butt out of this post before I do it for you.

              PS, I don’t need to have the last word, but this is my post and I was trying some light humour 🙂

              • woodart …
                12 March 2021 at 5:13 pm

                why can my question NOT be serious? I am truly interested in whether your column was your idea, or are you jumping on someone elses bandwagon. in these days of finding molehills and creating mountains out of them, it is most iluminating to go right to the source of these supposed problems, mistakes, miscalculations, etc. as someone with prior knowledge at the coalface(light humour) of the industry, I have taken some (many) of your assertions to task, and have had shade thrown, sarcasm etc in return. now ,you are threatening to kick me out of your personal sandpit. I notice that I am not the only one here to call you out. food for thought(now, THAT is light humour)

                • Incognito …
                  12 March 2021 at 9:10 pm

                  Sigh

                  Like all other Authors here I write on my own accord.

                  There are no bandwagons for me to jump on; I dislike bumper stickers and car radios that are turned up too loud with too much base and really crap ‘music’ just to make a point about the so-called ‘identity’ of the drivers, stupid gits.

                  I wasn’t cuddled enough when I was a baby and the dog ate my favourite cuddly toy, which explains everything, since you asked and you must know, but the pills help to numb the pain, thank you for asking.

                  You seem to be missing the main message of the OP and getting bogged down in technical trivia about how to run a business – as if all businesses are the same. I don’t give a toss about that and you’re tilting at windmills.

                  There are plenty of articles today about Auckland businesses that span a range of views about the timing of today’s yesterday’s decision from various business sectors. Look them up yourself and wave your finger at the whinging ones if that makes you feel better.

                  Lastly, I wrote the post to encourage robust debate and fully expected (and hoped!) that people would disagree with my opinion and call me out with strong arguments. However, you decided to have a go at me and cast doubt on my motivations. That’s crossing a line, which you don’t need to think about but instead you should read this site’s Policy.

              • Anne …
                12 March 2021 at 7:01 pm

                Humour, especially tongue in cheek humour, is frowned upon by some here Incognito. Personal experience.

                I agree with you – and that's coming from a hard wired Labour supporter. The excuse is that each time there is a level change, there are legals which must be sorted in advance.

                I say bugger the legals. Tell the populace and then sort them legals afterwards. The pedancy or is it pedancity – or is it neither – (who cares except In Vino 😉 ) of the legal profession can be a pain in the neck.

  3. Paul Campbell 3
    12 March 2021 at 1:20 pm

    The difference between level 1 and level 2 is pretty minimal – more than 100 people at events (no one is going to fill a stadium in 24 hours much less 30 minutes) and the rules for servers in restaurants change in ways that can be changed in 30 seconds – I'm not sure what the issue is.

    It sounds like they were waiting for yesterday's track/trace/testing info to come in before making the change, previously they had given a day's warning and everyone complained that that was too long, now they're complaining because 30 minutes is too short – I don't believe there's any amount of warning they can give without there being whinging

  4. Muttonbird 4
    12 March 2021 at 1:25 pm

    All could have been avoided if people didn't lie to, and ignore requests from, health authorities.

  5. Pat 5
    12 March 2021 at 1:32 pm

    I suspect they didnt want the public to behave as if the levels had already dropped once it was announced….it was a typical problem previously that as soon as they announced a level drop was coming in the next few days people behaved as if the level had already dropped…that carries risk.

    • Incognito 5.1
      12 March 2021 at 1:43 pm

      Exactly! So, you pre-empt this by timing of communication. It’s all in the timing, mostly. They would have known by 9:00 AM this morning so why wait until 11:30 AM? Notwithstanding rumours and ‘leaks’ making it hard to contain certain info and certain behaviours. It was a fail, IMO.

      • McFlock 5.1.1
        12 March 2021 at 2:47 pm

        I'm not sure I agree with that opinion.

        What material difference does the worst-case two and a half hour delay result in?

        Cafes and pubs slightly understocked? I almost suggested "understaffed", but hospo is rife for unpredictable shift changes anyway – business as usual for managers to call in people for extra shifts (or send them home if things are quiet).

        Sure, hospo owners will be wanting to maximise business while they can, but that's up to the customers. And yes, the occasional run to New World might happen, but it's a run they didn't expect to make the day before.

        • Incognito 5.1.1.1
          12 March 2021 at 3:10 pm

          No worries. Disagreement is healthy and constructive, in the right hands.

          The industry is under pressure as it is and margins are tighter than ever. Little things can help or even be the make-or-break point. These times are not BAU but some former business owners think that the Business-101 textbook still can and must be followed to the letter.

          • McFlock 5.1.1.1.1
            12 March 2021 at 3:27 pm

            If they were going to go under because they missed out on half their custom for today's lunch rush, they should probably have wound up last week if not earlier.

            • Incognito 5.1.1.1.1.1
              12 March 2021 at 3:30 pm

              Death by a thousand cuts, mostly because of and during lockdowns. In this industry, businesses go under all the time, that is true.

              • McFlock …
                12 March 2021 at 3:58 pm

                Yeah, but if you're running your business that close to the wire, it's a gambling addiction. And there's a good chance you'll take the unpaid staff and creditors down with you.

                Theatre is the same. You wind it up when you can still pay everyone out, which means you need to be doing the sums and massive changes months before. If continued existence is down to one show or even run, fate is running your enterprise, not you.

                • Incognito …
                  12 March 2021 at 4:05 pm

                  All true. I believe quite a few businesses are actually ‘under water’ but gambling that things will pick up. There usually is a bounce/re-bound after a lockdown but you have to time it right to maximise your chances of recouping some of the huge losses endured. A balmy Friday afternoon-night in Auckland can be good for millions in turn-over, even more so with the bloody AC happening.

                  • McFlock …
                    12 March 2021 at 4:20 pm

                    yeah, fair call on the nice afternoon (dunners is pretty good at moment, too).

                    As for the notice period, the next complaint will be that the announcement can be released without a media conference (everyone will just hold their breath if the regular conference is brought forward). Then the complaint will be "just announce the results as soon as they come in". Then it's "no period after the announcement".

                    So the routine of "9:05 am, lab tests are announced, levels change immediately" emerges, which runs fine until a tech screws up the results and the correction comes out at 9:15. Or a reporter misreads a number and tells everyone to go to lever 4 rather than level 1.

                    Alternatively, the 11:30am announcement comes into effect at midnight. Rimmer, husk and juco would love that.

                    A reliably scheduled conference with a little bit of notice slows the "stimulus:panic:stimulus:relax" tension, while still getting things open.

          • woodart 5.1.1.1.2
            12 March 2021 at 4:24 pm

            bollocks. successful former food service business owners know that things change, and businesses like cafes DONT have a textbook. when life gives you lemons, you DONT make lemonade, you make miniature lemon meringue pies, label them "grannys old fashioned " and make a killing. or, you can sit around, blaming someone else for your phuckups.THAT, is bau..

  6. Pat 6
    12 March 2021 at 2:37 pm

    Not a huge fail in the grand scheme….if their reasoning was as I described then they may have been better to say so….IF

    • Incognito 6.1
      12 March 2021 at 3:05 pm

      I disagree. It is lazy, slack and sloppy communication at the expense of people’s livelihoods. To me, it comes across as unkind, uncaring, out of touch, and arrogant. This Government is relying way too much on PR and ‘relentlessly positive’ rhetoric and Ardern’s star-power. This is just another symptom, albeit small and almost trivial. The Opposition has already latched on to it. Stupid and preventable.

      • David 6.1.1
        12 March 2021 at 3:10 pm

        I agree. The idea that a viaduct business for example can stock up and staff up in 30 minutes is completely preposterous and arrogant by this government. I personally spoke to staff at one of these establishments today that have catered for 100 seated guests as required by level 2 today. At fully capacity they can cater for 450 at a time. The economic cost to them alone of Adern sitting on her hand over night is tens of thousands of dollars.

        • woodart 6.1.1.1
          12 March 2021 at 4:31 pm

          you obviously know very little about food service industry. very little food is delivered on the day of consumption, and staff are very used to being called to work at short notice. IF, you had personally spoke to staff, they would have told you that, so I call bullshit on your post. those viaduct food businesses are more affected by having americas cup races cancelled for lack of wind.(you could have helped there)

          • David 6.1.1.1.1
            12 March 2021 at 4:42 pm

            Woodart you prove my point precisely. More notice would have allowed more food to be ordered earlier. As you say, you don’t order and consume it in the day.

            Rather we have an arrogant government who prefers to sit on decisions and give 30 minutes notice.

            BTW shouting personal abuse at everyone doesn’t make you right!

            • Drowsy M. Kram 6.1.1.1.1.1
              12 March 2021 at 4:55 pm

              Oh, the arrogance of our Government – I do feel for you David. How very dare the NZ Labour party, under the leadership of PM Ardern, win the first absolute majority in MMP history, and (with the aid of the team of nearly five million) achieve COVID-19 pandemic outcomes that are the envy of the world.

              https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-resilience-ranking/

              It’s enough to make you weep.

              • Incognito …
                12 March 2021 at 5:00 pm

                Drowsy, don’t forget the Team of Five Million.

                I’ve used the word “arrogance” in one of my comments under this OP to test the reactions of some here. It tends to weed out the reflexive and partisan/tribal commenters 😉

            • woodart 6.1.1.1.1.2
              12 March 2021 at 4:57 pm

              oh, so now, you want the gov to give overnight notice of level change? gee, that sounds like a phuckup in the making. again I would suggest you know very little (or less) about food service industry. and even less about public health in a pandemic.

              • David …
                12 March 2021 at 5:09 pm

                What, you mean like they’ve done before. You calling that a stuff-up mate?

                • McFlock …
                  12 March 2021 at 5:15 pm

                  Should it have been overnight notice?

                  Given the level change was contingent upon test results only available this morning, that would give hospo 12 and a half hours to prepare for the lunch rush… tomorrow.

                  Sure, I don't think anyone would have a problem with not being able to operate at full capacity this afternoon and tonight, lol

            • David 6.1.1.1.1.3
              12 March 2021 at 5:12 pm

              https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-auckland-to-move-to-level-2-rest-of-nz-to-level-1/ZVBQ7KKL56JWZVHW5BZM3UB5AQ/

              This from last Friday about an alert level drop over the weekend. A complete stuff up according to Woodart.

              • woodart …
                12 March 2021 at 5:17 pm

                vast difference going from level 3 to 2 versus 2to 1. perhaps you need to read up on the differences, crowdwise.

                • David …
                  12 March 2021 at 5:21 pm

                  Oh jeepers! Not everyone lives in Auckland!!! That last Friday announcement effective over the weekend moved everyone else from 2 to 1!!!! The one you are saying was a stuff up by the government.

                  • woodart …
                    12 March 2021 at 5:32 pm

                    no, you are the one loudly claiming stuffup. and I dont live anywhere near auckland.

                    • David …
                      12 March 2021 at 5:39 pm

                      Ok, so you are not going to admit you made a mistake in your original piece that the government should only provide 30 minutes notice over an alert level change despite a history over 12 months and 4 lockdowns of acting differently!!

                      just shout more abuse to detract from the point you got it wrong. You go for it… fill your boots up…

      • Pat 6.1.2
        12 March 2021 at 3:29 pm

        I would suggest it was obvious reading between the lines that the level was going to revert to one and businesses will have planned accordingly

        • Incognito 6.1.2.1
          12 March 2021 at 3:32 pm

          Not good enough. As we know from the Papatoetoe debacle, which was not as one-sided as some want to believe, what is “obvious” is not always obvious.

          • Pat 6.1.2.1.1
            12 March 2021 at 5:38 pm

            If you are honest you will recognise no matter how they communicated the moving from level to another they were going to be criticised…its your choice whether you wish to be honest with yourself or not.

            as said ..its is a minor issue.

            • Incognito 6.1.2.1.1.1
              12 March 2021 at 9:36 pm

              Of course, Government is going to be criticised, no matter what. I happen to take a certain view on their recent communication(s). Others will have different views. I gave my arguments, others can give theirs. I’m always brutally honest, to my detriment, but have learned to stay silent, at times 😉

              That said, it was somewhat of a shock to read Peter Dunne later today, which is highly unusual for me, almost as unusual as reading Chris Trotter, and find that I agreed with almost everything he said 🙁

              https://www.newsroom.co.nz/meeting-irritation-and-apathy-with-arrogance

              • Muttonbird …
                12 March 2021 at 11:02 pm

                Does Peter Dunne live in Auckland?

                Loved this para from him:

                In western liberal societies like ours governments can only govern effectively with the consent of the public. If the public loses confidence, trust or belief in what a government is doing, the government quickly loses public consent, and consequently finds it increasingly difficult to impose its will on the public.

                He'd know about the public losing confidence, wouldn't he? He ran away from a fight he knew he'd lose and has been bitter about it ever since.

                In large part this was due to complacency. After a year of the Government running a generally successful national virus elimination strategy many people did not see what the problem was – there were no cases to speak of after all, so what was the fuss about?

                Well, fuck me. It's only the most successful national virus elimination strategy in the world. No big deal.

                People lied. People went to work when their household was sick. What kind of idiot does that ion a pandemic? Bowtie didn't even touch on those truths in his opinion piece. Perhaps he blames the government for people being stupid and dangerous?

                I'm picking Bowtie fled politics because he's not very good. This article proves it.

                The OP meshes nicely with Dunne’s TLDR column and the yapping from Collins, Seymour, and David Farrar.

                In fact this post could appear on Kiwiblog and no-one would question it.

                • Incognito …
                  12 March 2021 at 11:33 pm

                  Well, I had to get my inspiration from somewhere. The NZ Left is so boringly stale, I’d to go further afield and find it right there. I expect many up-ticks tomorrow on KB and a personal e-mail from PDF to thank me. Job well done, mission accomplished. BTW, you forgot to mention my best mate Chris Bishop, he’ll be gutted. \sarc

                  Do you want to address anything in or of the OP or just whinge & whine here about a politician from yesteryear? If the former, go ahead. If the latter, please take it to OM or DR, thanks, or write your own bloody post.

              • Pat …
                13 March 2021 at 9:12 am

                "That said, it was somewhat of a shock to read Peter Dunne later today, which is highly unusual for me, almost as unusual as reading Chris Trotter, and find that I agreed with almost everything he said "

                We all have our off days…perhaps a rereading on a new day will produce a different result.

                I read the linked article and found little of pertinence. The government have many problems and are under considerable pressure on many fronts but the handling of the pandemic is one of their few strong points (imo)

        • David 6.1.2.2
          12 March 2021 at 3:33 pm

          “Reading between the lines” is not the way governments should communicate information or businesses make decisions.

          ”Reading between the lines” of last December’s government press releases and we should be two weeks from having quarantine free travel to Australia.

        • Jimmy 6.1.2.3
          12 March 2021 at 4:01 pm

          Rubbish. Yes the majority of people probably assumed a move to level one, but no one knew or could predict it would be in 30 minutes time. She may have announced a move to level one at 12 midnight on Sunday.

          Its a bit risky to run a business on trying to "read between the lines" , do they buy perishable food or not?

          • McFlock 6.1.2.3.1
            12 March 2021 at 4:46 pm

            Of course they do. They were still on level 2. Knowing yesterday there will be a decision and that it will likely be towards less restriction, they could make their bet as to how many perishables to buy.

            I note from my linked article that the indication a week ago was regarding opening on the weekend. So they got an extra half day, three hours after the relevant results came in.

  7. Peter 7
    12 March 2021 at 6:20 pm

    Are the test results important? They waited for final ones to come in? If they weren't to wait for test results to come in they should have opened up a week ago.

    If they'd announced opening level one happening from last night and some untoward test results came in what would the outcry have been like?

    • Drowsy M. Kram 7.1
      12 March 2021 at 7:21 pm

      … what would the outcry have been like?

      Good question – probably something similar to the current brouhaha, if not worse.

      Maybe it would have been best to have announced (on Thursday) the intention to drop down the alert levels at midday Friday, and to have made it clear the drop would be conditional on Friday morning's test results. What I don’t know is whether all those test results were available by 9 am on Friday, which would have allowed the PM to make an announcement at least a full two hours earlier than she did.

      Some followers of the 'Papakura oracle' seem to expect our Government to divine COVID-19 test results ahead of time. Criticism and credit where it's due.

      Ms Ardern said cabinet met on Thursday afternoon and decided to move alert levels, pending any new cases and testing of close contacts – information that was due on Friday morning.

  8. peter sim 8
    12 March 2021 at 6:48 pm

    AWww diddums. Small business 24 hour notice is FAR more important than peoples' health??

    Gimme a break. We are all in this together. Bosley can stop grandstanding.

    • Ed1 8.1
      12 March 2021 at 9:27 pm

      Listening to radio news (I was driving), it seems that in Auckland, the only businesses concerned were bars and cafes/ restaurants – do they do anything else in Auckland? If they had a PR company feeding the media (without needing any real material to provide the service), I hope they were very well paid.

      I suspect they would have been waiting for both individual tests and also tests of waste water, which may have come through later in the morning. One of the Labour ministers did mention yesterday that they wanted some further information. I agree that communication could have been more explicit, but the media were quite unbalanced.

  9. Graeme 9
    13 March 2021 at 8:30 am

    We could look at this counterfactually and consider what would have happened if the level change, pending the Friday test results had been announced after Thursday's cabinet meeting. Most of Auckland would have gone to Level 1 immediately and restaurants and bars stocked up for a big Friday lunch, then positive results come through Friday morning. Try putting that genie back in the bottle.

    I'm fully in agreement with Woodart that the howling just shows who's a good restaurant operator and who's not. The good people will be open on the dot of 12 and have a limited menu that will be changing by the second as stock comes through the door, it'll be a great energy, the punters will be having a ball and the till will be ringing. The others will be stuck with their set menus and apologising to punters that are walking out the door.

    The other side of the coin is that the establishments aren't going to have many punters until late afternoon once everyone gets their social groups together, also on 30min notice.

    Also think 30min notice, both going up Levels and down, is going to be the norm in future thanks to the Tamaki (both the naughty boy and wider environs) effect. Sooner or later one of the rats that flees the outbreak location is going to spread infection and we'll have most of the country in Level 3, or more. 30 minutes is enough to give a clear cutoff for boarding flights and get checkpoints on main roads.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    4 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #48 2023
    Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago

  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    6 days ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    7 days ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    7 days ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    1 week ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
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    3 weeks ago

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