Budget punditry round-up spectacular!

Written By: - Date published: 11:57 pm, May 20th, 2010 - 62 comments
Categories: budget 2010, Media - Tags: , , , ,

“It is easy, in the first blush of excitement about a Budget, to miss a tiny bit of fine print that really matters.

The government says that most people would be better off after taking into account the GST rise and the income tax cuts. Their calculator uses the estimate of 2.02 percent inflation arising from GST alone.

Turn the page and there is the forecast inflation figure for 2011 5.9 percent! Run that number back across household incomes and add in the ECE cuts, and here are some conservative numbers we can hang our hats on:

• An average family with 2 kids at kindy on $76,000 per annum, gets a $25 tax cut, but after GST, ECE costs, inflation and an average wage rise, they are $55 per week worse off.

• Even a higher income family with 3 kids: $140,000 income, $62 tax cut, is $23 per week worse off.

Moral of story: check the fine print before opening the champagne.

Which brings me to debt.

There was once a promise that the tax package would be “broadly fiscally neutral”. Now we know what Bill English means by “broadly” – $450 million a year, or over $1 billion for the forecast period.

Trivial? Not if it were my money! And not when interest servicing costs are due to double and not start declining until 2021.

And on the subject of broken (or at least extremely elastic) promises, lets not forget:

• “I did not raise GST with that electorate”
• “I shall restore superannuation prefunding when the books return to surplus” (No surplus forecast in 2016, prefunding restarts 2019)
• “I will compensate pensioners for the rise in GST” (No it’s a one-off, soon absorbed by the wage indexation they had anyway)
• “Pensioners can have all the benefits they have today or I’ll resign” (Sure…)
• “No cuts to front line health services” (how about the $270 million hole relative to next year’s inflation?)
• “We’ll rebalance the economy to level the property tax playing field” (Really no CGT, no ring fencing, only half the depreciation allowance, no bright line)
• And my personal favourite: “We’ll stop the rorts”. Yeah, right.

This Budget is full of holes.

We will be working alongside Kiwi families to try to understand what the fine print means for them.” David Cunliffe

———

Politically safe, yet economically timid and fiscally vulnerable – that’s the initial verdict on Bill English’s second and perhaps most crucial Budget….

He has also been bold by his standards in cutting company tax from 30 per cent to 28 per cent.

It is after that the Budget suddenly stops dead in its tracks. Those looking for the bright ideas and initiatives to galvanise economic growth are going to be hugely disappointed…

He will also be praying even harder that the world does not teeter back into recession as a result of the current debt turmoil,

To borrow from Oscar Wilde, to postpone tax cuts once could be seen as unfortunate. To have to do it twice might be regarded as carelessness. John Armstrong

———

The Government will save about $400 million over four years in abolishing the top two funding rates for early childhood centres – the funding rates depend on qualified staff.

Officials tell me that will affect about 2000 centres, or about 50 per cent of them.

English justified the cut in the lock-up for journalists by saying funding for the centres had trebled in recent years, even if they had kept the same number of staff and children.

On that basis he figures there are a lot of centres that will have the “freeboard” to absorb the cut in funding.

But exactly how parents will be affected will depend on how their centre responds to the funding cut. If all the costs are passed on in fees, parents will have to pay another $400 million over four years. Audrey Young

———

“If a landlord could put up a rent, wouldn’t they put it up now?” he said.

Real estate firm Bayleys said watch out for rising rents in coming months.

“I believe that property investors will not be happy to, or indeed in many cases be able to, absorb the changes in depreciation expenses claims on their properties,” said John Freeman from Bayleys Valuations Ltd.” Industry warns rents will rise

———
“However by choosing not to increase total tertiary funding, the Government has failed to build a strong sustained recovery and deliver on its vision. It has failed to meaningfully tackle the real issues of underfunding and student debt.” NZUSA Co-President David Do

———

The early childhood education sector is “devastated” by the Government’s decision to remove recognition for fully qualified centres, saying it would “dumb down” early childhood education.

The Labour Party said the change would push costs of up to $25 a week on to parents and affect more than 100,000 children.

Education Minister Anne Tolley today annouced an extra $107 million would be spent on ECE in 2010-11 – about half what had been expected previously.

The savings would come from removing extra funding for centres that had more than 80 per cent qualified staff, Ms Tolley said….

Labour Party early childhood education spokeswoman Sue Moroney said 108,000 children would be affected by the policy change.

Affected centres would be reluctant to fire their qualified staff and would likely pass on extra costs to parents, Ms Moroney said.

Three of five children in ECE centres would be affected, she said.

Labour’s education spokesman, Trevor Mallard, said the $100 million shortfall in ECE funding amounted to about $25 a week per parent.

The teachers’ union, NZEI, said the changes would “dumb down” the sector. Herald reporters

———

“Bill English has written a one-dimensional tax-shuffle Budget… The Government will no doubt still be accused of skewing the cuts to the well-off, bearing in mind that those on high incomes pick up all the cuts from rates lower down. And when someone on the minimum wage gets a net $4.85 a week against $56 for someone on $120,000 it is a free hit for the opposition.” Vernon Small

———

“Those earning over $150,000, the top 2%, pocket $430 million, about 11.5% of the total. This is almost exactly the amount the government has to borrow to fund this package. The people of New Zealand will be saddled with further debt to pay for the greed of the few at the top.

The effects of increased GST will effectively claw back everything gained by those earning under $20,000, and most of what is gained by those earning under $70,000. Only the rich will be better off. And that’s without even getting into the effects of higher ACC charges or reduced government services.

Basically, the vast majority of New Zealanders have just been screwed over for the benefit of a tiny percentage of parasites at the top. John Key is right – we shouldn’t be envious: we should be angry.” No Right Turn

———

“Whatever you think of the budget itself we have to admit that it was a masterpiece of media strategy: they got the issue of tax-cuts for the rich out well in advance, set expectations around it, took the critique from the opposition and then reversed all the expectations. The rich still get massive, MASSIVE tax cuts but the story is around the larger than expected changes to lower and middle income brackets because those are news, the changes to the top end aren’t.

Part of the strategy was a disinformation campaign: English has been solemnly telling us for months that tax changes had to be ‘revenue neutral’. The package he released today is not even remotely revenue neutral. He’s borrowing around half a billion dollars a year (at least) to pay for all of this. Naturally all the the pundits that criticised Labour’s plans to borrow for more government spending as ‘irresponsible’ are falling over themselves to praise English’s ‘solid’, ‘sensible’, etc borrowing for tax cuts. Jackasses.” Dimpost

62 comments on “Budget punditry round-up spectacular! ”

  1. If the increase in the virtual payrise, the tax cuts provide, is for those who make a goodly income…ie the mildly wealthy and well to do. I suppose it’s because they have higher living costs, more expensive food and liquor tastes, dearer private school fees for the kiddlies, flasher cars to pay off and higher mortgage payments to make, not only on their designer house but their investment properties and holiday homes as well.

    fair enough i suppose, cos the working poor don’t need that much more in the way of taxcuts and money in their pocket as they cant afford to buy a house anyway, let alone afford luxury food items, pay school donations or gas up the car as is, so a few dollars more a week isn’t going to make that much difference.

    but for those truly ‘rich pricks’ who need a taxcut least and wont even notice it…good on ya mate, buy yourself a new bigboy toy, shout the missus some blingage and the kids a holiday, you’ve earnt it. Just please stick around, so we can benefit of the huge tax bill you pay as is, and tell ya fatcat mates to move here as well !

    🙂

  2. Margaret 2

    Eddie- the Stuff website had the first article up with a Vernon Small byline but it is actually written by David Cunliffe and they have changed that now…

    • Marty G 2.1

      lolz. When I read that in the post I thought ‘jeez, that’s strongly worded Vernon’. Corrected it for ya Eddie.

      • mickysavage 2.1.1

        Vernon went up in my estimation for a while. Oh well …

        • George D 2.1.1.1

          I was amazed to see some actual critical commentary from Small. I was feeling like the comments I’d made earlier in the day about the NZ media were slightly unfair. Now I feel vindicated again, sadly.

  3. joe bloggs 3

    Interesting selection of commentary, if a little selective – you might as well have quoted a few choice blogs from that bastion of impartiality – The Standard.

    Here are a couple of observations that you omitted:

    Patrick Smellie – What makes the Budget particularly strong is the extraordinary state of the Crown accounts. If net Crown debt is to peak at less than 30% of GDP after the most wrenching debt crisis ever to hit the developed world, then we’re looking in reasonable shape.
    http://business.scoop.co.nz/2010/05/20/smellie-briefly-sniffs-a-successful-budget/

    Interesting phrase that – the most gut-wrenching debt crisis ever to hit the developed world…

    TVNZ – Close Up’s survey found that 80% believed in the new Budget, as opposed to the 20% who voted that they disagreed with it.
    http://tvnz.co.nz/close-up/analysing-budget-your-say-3561301

    What’s also missing from the jaundiced views you’ve selected is that 70% of New Zealanders will now be paying a top personal rate of only 17.5%///

    … and that those rich pricks who use personal trusts as tax dodges don’t have that haven any more.

    Never let the truth get in the way of a good bitch session huh?

    • Marty G 3.1

      Yeah, it’s really lucky that labour didn’t spend the surpluses on tax cuts like you wanted and paid down debt instead

    • Adrian 3.2

      No havens? Form a $100 company, ‘work from home’ and get the a big share of the cars, rates, power, rent etc etc at a 5% discount. Sharpen up, JB.

      • joe bloggs 3.2.1

        If you read my post you will see clearly that I refered to one specific tax haven being removed – that being trusts. Sharpen up Adrian.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.3

      …and that those rich pricks who use personal trusts as tax dodges don’t have that haven any more.

      Actually, NACT ensured that such a tax loophole with the same relative benefits still exists – company tax rates down to 28%. It’s probably a little harder to work than trusts but those 50 in the top 100 highest earners still won’t be paying the top tax rate.

      • Clarke 3.3.1

        This will be a piece of piss to rort if you’re already self-employed … just leave the income in the company, pay tax on it there at 28%, then disburse it to the family trust tax-paid. Anyone who is in the position to arbitrage the rates between personal, trust and company income can continue to do so – and rather than equalising the rates, English has provided an incentive to ensure it happens.

        • joe bloggs 3.3.1.1

          That disbursement (more correctly called a dividend) would be paid to the trust with a 28% tax imputation – the trust is obliged to top up that imputation to total 33% – no advantage obtained.

          Why put it into the trust? Much easier and cheaper to leave it in the company

          • Clarke 3.3.1.1.1

            Yes, you’re right about the imputation – my bad. And you’re also right that most people will simply leave the income in the company, as it’s the cheapest thing to do. Rather undermines the meme that the normalisation of rates was going to solve the arbitrage between different entities, though …

    • Fisiani 3.4

      Here Eddie
      Have another straw to clutch at.
      The vast majority of commentatators are claiming this to be the step change to progress Budget that we dreamed of.
      Arise Sir Bill.

  4. Joe Bloggs

    If net Crown debt is to peak at less than 30% of GDP after the most wrenching debt crisis ever to hit the developed world, then we’re looking in reasonable shape.

    I think we should thank Michael Cullen profusely for the country’s debt situation.

    What’s also missing from the jaundiced views you’ve selected is that 70% of New Zealanders will now be paying a top personal rate of only 17.5%

    And 2.5% GST while their wages will decrease in value by 6% in the next 12 months and if they have kids in a preschool or teenagers wanting to get into University this will be more difficult and if they intend to live past the age of 65 years the chance of a reasonable superannuation scheme being in existence has all but gone.

    Bitchy I know but actually really important.

  5. 70% of New Zealanders will now be paying a top personal rate of only 17.5%

    just seen that apparently means, we are low wage economy/country with 70% on less that 48k a year ?

    • Indiana 5.1

      Your not seriously suggesting we should be a high wage economy/country are you? I mean if I become one of the 30% earning over $48k, I’ll be paying over 17.5% in tax….screw that!

      • pollywog 5.1.1

        So how does one ‘get ahead’ and go from 48k to the above 70 bracket…work harder, work smarter, re-train, become self employed, take risks ?

        It just seems like we’re a nation of sheep and cattle. Give us a prod every now and then, train us to walk to the dairy shed around milking time with little or no fuss or just stick us in a big paddock and move us around to supposedly greener pastures every now and then with everyone playing follow the leader.

        It’s all very well to want to grow the economy but how ? Theres to many NZers with surplus income who have played it safe by investing in property that they couldn’t even think how to grow a business, let alone have the vision to identify a niche market they could exploit to get ahead or risk any capital to give it a good crack in the first place.

        I just can’t see that cutting company tax rates and closing property speculating loopholes is gonna make anyone want to invest in the sharemarket/financial sector or start a business and produce anything or employ anyone.

        we’re just not that type of people, are we ? I mean, give me some examples of new breed leaders who have cracked the 48k bracket and gone on to become captains of industry. I need some inspiring role models.

        • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1.1

          Theres to many NZers with surplus income who have played it safe by investing in property that they couldn’t even think how to grow a business, let alone have the vision to identify a niche market they could exploit to get ahead or risk any capital to give it a good crack in the first place.

          And those people with the vision don’t have access to the capital because it’s all tucked away nice and safe in NACTS rich mates pockets.

          • pollywog 5.1.1.1.1

            Yeah, tell me about it Draco.

            I got visions to burn with not a shit show of ever being able to do anything about them…oh well, at least i’ve still got my health and sanity 🙂

        • Indiana 5.1.1.2

          Brian Tamaki

        • joe bloggs 5.1.1.3

          Graeme Hart left school at 15, became a towie, panel beater, and was named 110th richest man in the world by Forbes in 2009

          • pollywog 5.1.1.3.1

            captcha : doubt (graeme hart could do it in todays economic climate)

            I get the feeling that if you didn’t make it ‘big’ before now you never will, if you dont own a house by now, your best chance is to inherit one and cracking on from 48k a year to the next bracket just got a whole lot harder too.

    • joe bloggs 5.2

      you’re correct Pollywog – we are a low wage economy and have been for a long time

  6. gingercrush 6

    Shut up Mickey Savage. The paying down of debt happened under Bolger and Shipley as did decent growth forecasts and unemployment tracking downwards and surpluses to top it off. Cullen left us with unemployment going upwards, growth rates forecasted gone and no surpluses. Hardly the same thing. For all that Clark and Cullen did well and I’m not going to dispute them. They relied on a massive increase in house prices and an initial low dollar to grow the economy. That isn’t sustainable for long and saw more rent and less own houses. So while paying down government debt they allowed the Current Deficit to grow and grow. Eventually things change and what we got was a self-induced recession. Thanks to the government causing people to gorge themselves personal debts ballooned.

    • Zaphod Beeblebrox 6.1

      Quite true, but you didn’t answer the question- should Cullen have cut personal taxes? What do you think our crown debt/GDP ratio would be now if he did what Brash was advocating?

      Personally, I think they were stupid not to restrict investment in property (therefore pushing up the current account), but you ignore the fact that no-one was advocating doing anything about it. Now that English is taking baby steps, but you have to admit its a pretty tepid response.

      • gingercrush 6.1.1

        I think cutting taxes is a good thing for the economy. But no Cullen should not have cut taxes because he never believed cutting taxes was a good thing. What Cullen failed to do was transform the economy. That is a fact. That’s why we saw vast overinvesting in housing and low investment in our export markets. And this happened in a decade that was our best since the 50s and Cullen failed to do it. That’s disgusting.

        Hence why of everything National have this done this budget I don’t understand the left’s attack on depreciation. If anything the left should be screaming about how they haven’t done enough in this area.

        As for what would have happened under Brash. Remember Brash would have cut a lot of government meaning we’d still be likely to have surpluses though Government debt would have been higher. I find government debt particular interesting since last budget Auckland Economists wrote a post here saying we shouldn’t worry about the level of government debt.

        • Draco T Bastard 6.1.1.1

          What Cullen failed to do was transform the economy. That is a fact.

          True, the 5th Labour government maintained the delusional neo-liberal economic paradigm. The same delusion that the present NACT government is engaging in.

        • Zaphod Beeblebrox 6.1.1.2

          How does cutting government spending help us? Our major problem has been (and still is) the current account deficit. Is English doing anything about that? Not really- treasury is projecting it to keep rising.

          If want to criticise Cullen for letting borrowing blow out, you need to be equally critical of the current government.

    • GC

      Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

      Core Crown Net Debt including NZSF as a proportion of GDP in 1999 – 22%
      Core Crown Net Surplus including NZSF as a proportion of GDP in 2007 – 8%

      Source: http://www.treasury.govt.nz/government/financialstatements/yearend/jun07

      Clark and Cullen chose a massive infrastructure investment by the Crown to get the economy going.

      The current deficit grew because of the actions of individuals and companies. Are you saying they should have been regulated?

      • gingercrush 6.2.1

        Did I criticise Cullen for paying down debt? Where did I do that? I don’t think so. Shut up.

        • Pascal's bookie 6.2.1.1

          “Where did I do that?”

          “Shut up Mickey Savage. The paying down of debt happened under Bolger and Shipley…”

          That’s where you did that. Right there. Or rather, you denied he paid back debt, for some weird reason.

    • Pascal's bookie 6.3

      Nah ginger, your talking shit.

      The economy gives the govt of the day options. Cullen chose to pay down debt with the surpluses and prepare for the coming bust. National, at the time, was screaming for tax cuts and saying that small operating deficits would have been fine and sensible. thank fucking christ they weren’t in power.

      If you want to argue for a command economy where the govt is responsible for private sector debt blowouts and the like then go for it, but don’t pretend that National would have done anything at all to prevent the bust from happenning, and please explain how the govt forced people to gorge themselves on debt.

      • gingercrush 6.3.1

        Cullen wasn’t preparing for a bust he was just preparing to have the coffers bare for when National came into office. Nobody in New Zealand foresaw the 2008/2009 world recession did they? I don’t recall it at the time. But Cullen could have prevented a self-induced recession.

        • Pascal's bookie 6.3.1.1

          Cullen wasn’t preparing for a bust he was just preparing to have the coffers bare for when National came into office

          Wtf? Cullen using a surplus to pay back debt instead of just cutting taxes was a diaboloical plan to leave the cupboards bare?

          Any idea how daft that sounds?

          Nobody in New Zealand foresaw the 2008/2009 world recession did they?

          I’m sure there were some. At the beginning of 08 I was certainly concerned, and there are probably comments around to back that up, but that’s not the point.

          Everyone who isn’t an idiot knows that economies turn south at some point. Therefore, while they are going gangbusters the govt should prepare for that downturn by making sure it’s own books are in good stead, rather than just cutting taxes and assumming deficits will remain manageable.

          But Cullen could have prevented a self-induced recession

          How. Be specific about policy and explain what those policies would have down to the crowns books. At the moment all you’ve got is a stupid talking point. You should know better than to bring that weak shit here.

        • prism 6.3.1.2

          gc What’s this approach, saying shut up for having a different viewpoint than yours?
          “Shut up Mickey Savage. The paying down of debt happened under Bolger and Shipley as did decent growth forecasts and unemployment tracking downwards and surpluses to top it off.”

          Then “Did I criticise Cullen for paying down debt? Where did I do that? I don’t think so. Shut up.”
          You implied that Only Bolger and Shipley paid down debt. That’s how it reads. Did you mean to say that not only did they do this but also achieved…”decent growth forecasts and unemployment tracking downwards and surpluses to top it off.”

        • mickysavage 6.3.1.3

          Nobody in New Zealand foresaw the 2008/2009 world recession did they?

          Cullen did. He kept saying the surpluses were cyclical. Labour also campaigned on the basis the shit was going to hit the fan and it would have been irresponsible to offer either further tax cuts or further expenditure.

          Key and National totally ignored the impending crash. They even offered tax cuts north of $50 per week.

          Talk about irresponsible.

          But Cullen could have prevented a self-induced recession.

          So he was responsible for the drought? Boy he has more powers than even I thought he had.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.4

      Thanks to the government causing people to gorge themselves personal debts ballooned.

      So, you think that capital controls need to be brought back in?

      • gingercrush 6.4.1

        No. I do think we need a better tax regime that rewards savings. It seems pathetic to me that a low income family that is saving say 20 dollars a week (and that would be a real stretch for many) and put that into a savings account week on week then get a shitty low return on that money and having to pay tax on top of it.

        • pollywog 6.4.1.1

          20 dollars doesn’t even pay for an emergency doctors visit and doesn’t cover the cost of a dishonour fee if a direct debit or automatic payment can’t be made due to reprioritisng funds towards a sick child… Banks suck !!!

  7. ianmac 7

    Keith Ng said on Public Address:

    “People on higher income take a bite out of the low bracket cuts *and* the high bracket cuts. Even very high income earners have a “first $14,000″ of income.”

    Thats interesting! So high income earners get not just a cut at the top rates but cuts all the way up from the bottom.

    • gingercrush 7.1

      Well duh that is how all taxes work.

      • ianmac 7.1.1

        Pardon me Ginger but we are not very clever like you. Drawing attention to that is important to we little folk in our struggle to keep up.

        • Pat 7.1.1.1

          Is ianmac David Cunliffe?

          • The Voice of Reason 7.1.1.1.1

            Is Pat a Twat?

            [lprent: Probably not. Is there a point to the ‘question’? Pointless insults violate the policy. ]

            • The Voice of Reason 7.1.1.1.1.1

              Yes, there is a point, LP. The ‘question’ was an sarcastic pop at Pat’s typically moronic comment*, which attempted to trivialise ianmac’s comments above, the first of which is actually quite pertinent to the post. Twat is probably not the most sensitive choice of word, but it rhymes with Pat.

              *I looked Pat up in the search bar and yes, moronic is a fair description. But then I’ve always been fond of this ditty:

              See the happy moron, he doesn’t give a damn.
              I wish I were a moron. My God! … perhaps I am.

              Eugenics Review, July 1929

              See, John? That’s self deprecating, eh.

  8. gingercrush 8

    Because the left seem to have this idea that paying down debt only happened when Clark and Cullen came into government. That isn’t true. Paying back debt happened before they arrived. It was something the Bolger then subsequently the Shipley government had at the forefront of budgets. Its why when Clark and Cullen came into government they had surpluses to work with.

    So next time the left harps on and on about debt and debt repayment just remember it was the National government of the nineties that started the whole thing.

    • Clarke 8.1

      No, it was a National government in the 1980s that started the whole thing – it was Muldoon’s economic incompetence that saw NZ’s debt balloon upwards, by spending money on Think Big projects that never produced an economic return for the country.

      So the National politicians you’re praising were really only paying back the debt from an early generation of National politicians.

    • Surplus in 1997 $1.1b
      Surplus in 1998 $1.3b
      Surplus in 1999 $1.1b
      Surplus in 2004 $8b
      Surplus in 2005 $6.2b
      Surplus in 2006 $11b
      Surplus in 2007 $9b

      They started it but not by much.

  9. WH 9

    To clarify for a number of confused people – Cullen never paid down debt – what did happen was the the size of the economy grew (GDP) but the dollar amount of debt remained the same. Therefore the percentage of debt to gdp decreased, however when the recession kicked in (2008 before the elections) and GDP plunged and borrow costs increased the size of debt relative to GDP grew. Dr Cullen did many good things, investment in NZSF, infrastructure expenditure and other stuff, but it is largely mythology that actual debt was paid back. We just stopped borrowing against the house.

    • lprent 9.1

      You’re incorrect – and it is obvious if you bothered to engage your brain before using your fingers.

      Debt carries interest which invariably exceeds the rate of inflation of whatever currency it is denominated in. Otherwise the people doing the lending don’t make a profit. What you’re asserting is that the interest rates on government debt was less than the rate of GDP growth when inflation is removed. Bearing in mind that GDP growth has very small percentages in NZ – typically 2-3% at maximum, and the real interest rate after inflation is in a similar range for government debt, there simply wasn’t time for that kind of drag to happen in a decade.

      So either you’re spinning a bullshit line with no substance, or you don’t use your brains. I suspect that it is the latter.

      (I’m sure you’ll get more erudite responses. But I’m in a hurry on a moderation sweep..)

      • WH 9.1.1

        Welcome to the world of large and small numbers and percentages. If you have a large number – lets take a large number say GDP and it grows by 1-3% pa real (that is after inflation is deducted) and then you have a small (but still big number) which we call debt- we can assume it increases at the same pa real rate as GDP or even slightly more. Now back to the argument – Debt in real dollar amounts remained the same – but and this is important we didn’t borrow more and ten year bond rates dropped in the period 1999 – 2008. This meant that as a country we had a slightly rising income (GDP) where even with a small percentage increase, in dollar terms that was large. Therefore size of GDP increased significantly compared to Debt. Or another way too look at it, A 10% increase on $100 is $10, a 10% increase on $10 is $1. So the effect on the large number outweighs the effect on the relatively smaller number.

        So my argument (and the evidence) holds true. Maybe if your in less of a hurry you might have realised this, I realise that this is a problem due to having to moderate quickly and sometimes mistakes occur.

        What really matters is what we do next – but its useful first to have the history straight, otherwise we end up seeing the 1970’s and early 1980’s as a golden era and miss the point that Rob Muldoon borrowed massively to create the pretense it was a golden era. We need to avoid future Rob Muldoons.

        • lprent 9.1.1.1

          You said that the debt didn’t get paid down in the last Labour government, but that the debt reduction was by attrition by GDP growth.

          It doesn’t matter which way you cut it – there wasn’t time for effective attrition of the debt during those 9 years. Even if you ignore all other factors, there wasn’t sufficient growth rate in GDP during that period to even start to achieve what you’re asserting.

          If you want to prove your assertions – put some checkable numbers (or better still a link) up showing the total government debt and total GDP for those 9 years.

          At present, you sound like a pontificating dickhead. No amount of bullshit verbiage can disguise that.

          • WH 9.1.1.1.1

            Well as a starter try the DMO debt programme for 2007 outlining the 2007 debt programme
            http://www.nzdmo.govt.nz/publications/mediastatements/debtprogramme/2007-12-18/

            or better try RBNZ historical series of government securities for Jan 1990 to Apr 2010 http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/govfin/d1/hd1.xls you might notice column S (being total government securities) for Dec 1999 there is $31.933 B in securities (that is debt) and in Dec 2008 there is $31.626 B debt.

            now for GDP we can use statistics National accounts series http://www.stats.govt.nz/methods_and_services/information-releases/national-accounts.aspx – using year ending March (and only for 2004 – 2009 so I don’t crowd the comment, but it illustrates the point.
            we have the following GDP $m
            2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

            141,702 151,701 160,273 168,328 181,259 184,802
            So in 2004 GDP is $141B and it rises to $184B in 2009 – see a large number getting larger

            Whereas as shown above the debt number is largely the same – so Debt to GDP reduces, but the Debt still existed and was not paid down.

            I’m trying to be polite but suggest your reply aggression is missed placed and unhelpful to informed commentary.

            • Puddleglum 9.1.1.1.1.1

              Hi WH,

              Apart from pedantry, I’m not really sure what your point is. Are you advocating any particular action that Cullen should have made or that Bill English should now make? For example, given that, in literal dollar terms, Cullen did not ‘pay down debt’, should he have done so (in literal dollar terms)? Should the general aim of fiscal management be to eliminate the issuing of government stock and treasury bonds?

              Is your point of clarification anything more than a concern with the precise use of ordinary language terms? If it isn’t, then do you perhaps object to reducing the debt to GDP ratio because it is only ‘smoke and mirrors’ and is not a substantive achievement in and of itself??? Presumably if a private company reduced it’s debt to assett/income ratio banks at least would see that as reasonably ‘good’? Similarly for countries and credit rating agencies?

              Where are you going with this?

              • WH

                Hi Puddlegum – good questions and what has been missing from the debate. Governments have choices (just like a homeowner) when they have an expenditure surplus or use it to a) pay down debt, b)consume, c) investment in other activities. Now investment might provide a better long term return for the government/household e.g., retirement savings, better capital equipment so the business is more productive or education to increase human capital – all of this being done to increase productivity. However the risk is that the underlying debt remains so in making the tradeoff there is a legitimate question that if you think the future is more risky then maybe paying down debt would be a better option as it reduces your interest costs and also makes sure your less subject to the whims of the financial sector.

                Currently the main parties are simply using a debt to gdp ratio in order to determine how much they are willing to spend (tax cuts or more services), but what is missing is the debate (when we are concerned about the future) of whether that is the best choice, or if short term we should actually pay off the debt and be in a better position in the event of a further recession and thereby being able to invest.

                Otherwise we can fool ourselves into thinking that the water is warm and a house by the beach is going out and miss the fact that the water is receeding and your waterfront property is now going to be built out by a multiplex.

              • Pascal's bookie

                They do have choices, just like a household or a business. But they have broader range of choices, because they are not, in fact, anything like a household or a business.

                One problem with assuming they are similar things, is that you can fall into
                the trap of thinking it’s rational for them to make to the same choices at any given point in time.

                That’s part of why the ratio to gdp is used over the raw number, because all the questions that matter, are about the options available. The raw number doesn’t tell us anything about that really, as only shifting the ratio adjusts the options.

                I guess you’d agree that it would be foolish for a govt to focus on paying back all the dollar debt, if to do so caused gdp to shrink through reducing aggregate demand at a time when the private business sector was itself trying to pay off it’s own debts, consumers were doing the same, and export markets were fragile?

    • prism 9.2

      Wikipedia – I think this will be factual –
      Further, New Zealand has a very large current account deficit of 8-9% of GDP. However, despite this, its public debt stands at only 21.2% (2006 est.) [5] of the total GDP, which is small compared to many developed nations.
      However, It has also been noted that net foreign debt has increased 11-fold between 1984 and 2006, now reaching NZ $182 billion, NZ $45,000 for each person.[1]
      The combination of a modest public debt and a large net foreign debt reflects that most of the net foreign debt is held by the private sector.
      One reason why New Zealand runs persistent current account deficits, that drives the net foreign debt upwards, is that earnings from agricultural exports and tourism fail to cover the imports of advanced manufactured goods and other imports (such as imported fuels) required to sustain the New Zealand economy. However, this trade imbalance is much smaller than the investment income imbalance which makes up the vast majority of New Zealand’s current account deficit.[

      Those talking about national debt should make it clear whether they are referring to public debt (government) or net foreign debt held by private interests.

  10. I dreamed a dream 10

    In addition to borrowing, English has gambled on economic recovery to pay for the tax cuts for the rich. But today several headlines screamed at me:

    – Global markets in tailspin – http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/market-data/3723146/Global-markets-in-tailspin

    – NZ dollar continues downward slide – http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/market-data/currencies/3723123/NZ-dollar-continues-downward-slide

    – Tax changes could lead to rate hikes – http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/budget-2010/3723745/Tax-changes-could-lead-to-rate-hikes

    It’ll be interesting to see if his gamble will pay off by Election 2011.

  11. prism 11

    Like John Bridges joke on Radnz about the budget. His confused gran thought King John was talking about budgies, but she was closer than you might think.
    It wouldn’t fly and made a large mess down your newspaper.

  12. ianmac 12

    Was hoping that when John Key was talking about closing Trust loopholes, someone would ask how much of his $50+ million was in trusts and how much avoided tax? Suppose you can’t ask that – can you?

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    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 ...
    4 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    7 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    8 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    8 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    9 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    13 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    15 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    17 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    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
    13 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
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    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,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 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. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T10:06:58+00:00