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Latest Politics Headlines [Page 3]
April 10 Is A Dramatic Day In New Zealand’s History
Thursday, 11 April 2024, 8:48 am | Peter Dunne
On April 10, 1919, the preliminary results of a referendum showed that New Zealanders had narrowly voted for prohibition by a majority of around 13,000 votes. However, when the votes of soldiers still overseas after World War I were later added in, ... More >>
DOC Job Cuts Will Have Long-term Consequences For Nature
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 4:28 pm | Forest and Bird
Forest & Bird is warning of long-term consequences for nature and the economy following today’s announcement of 131 proposed jobs losses at DOC. This comes on top of proposed redundancies in other government organisations that have roles to ... More >>
TVNZ’s Consultation Process Legally Challenged By E Tū
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 3:39 pm | E tu
E tū has filed a claim with the Employment Relations Authority against TVNZ, as the company did not follow their consultation requirements that are guaranteed for workers in their collective agreement. The filing comes as TVNZ makes formal announcements ... More >>
Sexual Orientation Should Be Protected Under Hate Speech Laws
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 3:31 pm | Human Rights Commission
Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission addressed whether New Zealand’s hate speech law is discriminatory, in court yesterday. The Court of Appeal heard the case brought by Russell Hoban, who is seeking a declaration from the Court that ... More >>
Govt Forces DOC To Shed 130 Jobs Despite Fragile State Of Natural Environment
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 3:16 pm | PSA
The reckless nature of the Government’s cost cutting drive has again been exposed with DOC forced to make big cuts at a time when it is struggling to protect the conservation estate - the jewel in our tourism crown. DOC told staff today the Government had ... More >>
Greenpeace Slams Government’s Fast-track Advisory Panel Announcement
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 2:51 pm | Greenpeace New Zealand
Greenpeace says that today's announcement of a fast-track advisory group with no discernible environmental expertise adds insult to injury and shows just how little regard the Luxon Government has for the environment. The coalition Government claims ... More >>
OCR 5.50% - Official Cash Rate Remains Unchanged
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 2:12 pm | The Reserve Bank of New Zealand
The Monetary Policy Committee today agreed to leave the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at 5.50 percent. More >>
Sky-high Interest Rates Show Kiwi Families Need Government To Show Some Fiscal Responsibility
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 2:12 pm | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
Responding to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s decision to hold the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at 5.5%, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: “High interest rates stifle growth and punish Kiwi families. They’re ... More >>
Government Must Clamp Down Harder On Managerial Class With Public Service Cuts
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 12:32 pm | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
Responding to concerns from public servants that managers seem to be ‘immune’ from staffing cuts, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman, Alex Murphy, said: "The whole point of the Government's spending cuts was to axe the back-office bureaucracy and ... More >>
Midwifery Petition Presented To Parliament on 09 April
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 11:40 am | Women's Rights Party
Mrs Hayes said the replacement of the words “woman” and “mother” with the broader term “whānau” was among other changes to the current midwifery scope of practice opposed by 90% of respondents in a feedback document released by the ... More >>
New Report Highlights Importance Of Natural Assets And Infrastructure To People And The Economy
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 11:37 am | Statistics New Zealand
Our communities and economies are at risk if we do not protect our natural ecosystems and landscapes. That is a key message of the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and Stats NZ’s latest, three-yearly update about the state of land in Aotearoa New ... More >>
Autism New Zealand’s Autism Acceptance Month Breakfast At Parliament
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 11:15 am | Autism NZ
The Autistic and wider Autism communities will be represented en masse at parliament on April 11th, 2024. This year the annual World Autism Acceptance Month Parliamentary breakfast will focus on housing for Autistic people. Recent research completed by ... More >>
‘Our Land’ Report Highlights Dire State Of NZ’s Freshwater
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 10:53 am | Greenpeace New Zealand
Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling on the Luxon Government to stop the rollback of freshwater protections following the release of the Ministry for the Environment’s Our Land 2024 report. Greenpeace spokesperson Amanda Larsson says, "Rivers, wetlands, ... More >>
Understanding The Data - Benefits Are Being Cut In Value In Real Terms - But Why?
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 10:18 am | Mike Treen
It seems that there is no direct relationship between the level of benefits (or minimum wages for that manner) and the number of people unemployed. New Zealand benefit levels (and minimum wages) were much higher when unemployment was low from the period after ... More >>
Heritage Homeowners Make Plea Direct To RMA Minister
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 9:43 am | Voluntary Heritage Group
The Voluntary Heritage Group has formally issued a “plea for help” to the RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop, asking him to enshrine in law the right to refuse heritage designation. Following Wellington City Council dropping heritage status on disputed ... More >>
Kiwis Asked To Have Their Say On New Draft Rules For Using Biometrics
Wednesday, 10 April 2024, 9:10 am | Office of the Privacy Commissioner
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has developed draft rules for the use of biometric technologies and is now asking what people think of those. Biometrics is the automated processing of physical and behavioural characteristics (face scans, ... More >>
NZDF Personnel Commemorate Sinking Of HMNZS Moa In Solomon Islands
Tuesday, 9 April 2024, 4:15 pm | New Zealand Defence Force
New Zealanders have gathered for a moment of reflection in Solomon Islands to commemorate the Second World War sinking of HMNZS Moa in Tulagi Harbour. <img src="https://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/2404/b42d0a3900f4388dda7b.jpeg" width="720" height="491"> Personnel from three New Zealand ... More >>
KASM Taking Complaint Over Seabed Miner Misleading Australia’s ASX
Tuesday, 9 April 2024, 3:56 pm | KASM
Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, Inc. (KASM) is lodging a complaint to the Australian Securities Investment Commission about the seabed mining company Tran Tasman Resources’ parent company Manuka Resources Ltd for misleading the ASX. "That TTR's owner ... More >>
New Campaign Confronts Culture Of Silence On Abuse, Empowering Children To Speak Out
Tuesday, 9 April 2024, 3:33 pm | Save The Children
A new campaign designed to empower the "brave voices" of children by encouraging them to speak out and find help if they experience abuse will launch today. Supported by Life Education Trust , Save the Children , and Women’s Refuge , the campaign ... More >>
Press Release From New Zealand Asian Lawyers
Tuesday, 9 April 2024, 1:44 pm | Asian Lawyers
New Zealand Asian Lawyers is pleased to announce the establishment of a panel to assist the New Zealand courts by applying to intervene in cases of wider public interest where Asian parties are concerned. The panel will recommend that New Zealand Asian ... More >>
NEW POLL: More Bad News For Centre-Right As Government Parties Drop In Support
Tuesday, 9 April 2024, 1:40 pm | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
National is down on last month to 37.1% (-0.3 points) while Labour is up slightly to 25.7% (+0.4 points). The Greens take third place on 14.6% (+3.3 points) while ACT drops back to 7.2% (-2.8 points). The smaller parties are NZ First on 6.3% (-1.1 ... More >>
Shifting Focus From Race To Culture: Preserving Trust With Indigenous Communities
Tuesday, 9 April 2024, 11:14 am | D C Harding
In an attempt to dispel any intention of racism, I am writing this op/ed to help move the dial from a focus on race, to a focus on cultural norms and sensitivities. More >>
Another Dark Day For Science And Climate - 90 Jobs To Go At NIWA
Tuesday, 9 April 2024, 10:51 am | Public Service Association
NIWA, one of New Zealand’s leading climate research agencies, is set to lose up to 90 jobs, at a time when our climate crisis is worsening. "This is utter madness at this critical time for New Zealand," said Duane Leo, National Secretary for ... More >>
Comments About Ethnic ‘priority’ For Surgical Waitlists Ruled Misleading And Discriminatory
Tuesday, 9 April 2024, 10:20 am | Broadcasting Standards Authority
Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. The Authority has upheld a complaint ... More >>
Suicide Prevention Office Debacle - Parents Of Nicky Stevens Say Ministry Will 'have Blood On Its Hands' If It Proceeds
Tuesday, 9 April 2024, 10:02 am | Dave Macpherson
The parents of Nicky Stevens, a victim of suicide in 2015, have slammed Te Whatu Ora/The Ministry of Health for its proposal to disestablish the Suicide Prevention Office as part of its Government-mandated cuts to health services. “Both the Ministry ... More >>
UN Human Rights Expert To Shine Global Spotlight On Nelson Tenths
Tuesday, 9 April 2024, 6:49 am | Wakatu Incorporation
On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, Mr Francisco Calí Tzay, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, will visit Nelson to learn about the Nelson Tenths and the ongoing litigation against the Crown. More >>
MPs Must Not Take Pay Hike While Kiwis Go Backwards
Tuesday, 9 April 2024, 6:29 am | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on MPs to put their money where their mouths are and implement a pay freeze rather than accept a taxpayer-funded pay hike at a time when many families are going backwards. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor ... More >>
Government KPIs Show Progress But Lack Ambition
Tuesday, 9 April 2024, 6:22 am | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
Responding to the release of nine Government key performance targets to be achieved by 2030, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: “Kiwis won’t need reminding that despite public spending jumping 84% since 2017, ... More >>
Have Your Say - How Can Aotearoa New Zealand Best Tackle Greenhouse Gases?
Monday, 8 April 2024, 10:31 pm | Climate Change Commission
From today [Monday 8 April] He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission is running an 8-week public consultation to help it develop advice to the Government. More >>
Myanmar Community Leading Rally At Parliament In Opposition To Junta Visit
Monday, 8 April 2024, 10:27 pm | NZCTU
Local Myanmar community organisations are leading a rally at Parliament in opposition to the Myanmar military junta joining the ASEAN-NZ Dialogue meeting scheduled for 18-19 April in Wellington. More >>
Fast-track Won’t Mean Easy Ride For Seabed Miners - Greenpeace
Monday, 8 April 2024, 10:21 pm | Greenpeace
If it goes ahead, the fast-track approval process will enable TTR to proceed with its destructive seabed mining project despite repeated legal defeats and the opposition of Ngāti Ruanui, environment groups, scientists, fishing companies and the local ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Taiwan Earthquake A Wake-Up Call For New Zealand
Monday, 8 April 2024, 5:43 pm | Peter Dunne
Taiwan and New Zealand are two small island states with much in common. Both are vibrant, independent democracies, living in the shadow of an overbearing neighbour. (Admittedly, Taiwan’s overbearing neighbour has far more aggressive tendencies ... More >>
Our Intentions: Cyber Security Governance In Public Organisations
Monday, 8 April 2024, 5:41 pm | Office of the Auditor-General
We have published some information about work we are carrying out to examine whether cyber security risks are governed effectively in selected public organisations. This work was signalled in our 2023/24 annual plan . Effective cyber security is essential ... More >>
Kahungunu Iwi Condemns Weekend Violence
Monday, 8 April 2024, 3:47 pm | Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Inc
Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Chair, Bayden Barber has condemned the shooting that took place after a rugby game between Tamatea and the Young Māori Party (YMP) over the weekend, “This sort of behaviour has no place in our community. Our sports ... More >>
Green List Changes Disrespectful And Ignorant – MTA
Monday, 8 April 2024, 3:05 pm | Motor Trade Association
The Government’s axing of key automotive roles from the immigration Green List is a shock and an insult to the collision repair industry, the Motor Trade Association (MTA) says. The Minister of Immigration announced yesterday that the roles of Panel ... More >>
Revealed: Callaghan Innovation Wastes Over $170,000 On Rebrand As Staff Call Out Job Cuts.
Monday, 8 April 2024, 3:01 pm | Taxpayers' Union
The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that Callaghan Innovation has blown $170,000 on a rebranding exercise at a time when taxpayer-funded agencies were being told to curb spending. Information obtained under the Official Information Act reveals that ... More >>
Personal Grievance Filed Against IRD For Suppressing Employee’s Speech
Monday, 8 April 2024, 2:50 pm | Free Speech Union
The Free Speech Union has supported a member in filing a personal grievance against IRD with the Employment Relations Authority after an employee was threatened with disciplinary action for sharing particular opinions in a social media chat, says ... More >>
Now Tax Cuts Put Ahead Of Climate - Jobs To Go At Environment Ministry
Monday, 8 April 2024, 2:16 pm | PSA
Job losses at the Ministry for the Environment to meet the Government’s cost cutting drive risks New Zealand’s ability to manage our many environmental challenges. Today the Ministry for the Environment called for voluntary redundancies across the ... More >>
Court Of Appeal To Consider Whether Hate Speech Law Is Discriminatory
Monday, 8 April 2024, 1:56 pm | Human Rights Commission
On Tuesday 9 April 2024 the Court of Appeal in Wellington will hear a case brought by Russell Hoban against the Crown in Hoban v Attorney General . Mr Hoban is seeking a declaration that New Zealand’s hate speech law under s 61 of the Human Rights ... More >>
New Report: Fire And Emergency Levy Increase Unjustified, Performance Review Needed
Monday, 8 April 2024, 1:16 pm | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
The Taxpayers’ Union is today releasing a r eport highlighting the significant failure of Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) to realise the expected efficiency gains following the 2017 mega-merger of fire services. The report concludes ... More >>
#Notatarget: Humanitarian Organisations Call For Upholding Of International Humanitarian Law In Gaza Crisis
Saturday, 6 April 2024, 12:24 pm | Council for International Development
With over 32,000 Palestinians killed and more than 100,000 wounded since the crisis began, and an estimated 1.1 million individuals on the brink of famine, urgent action is imperative. A permanent ceasefire is the only way to prevent further atrocities. More >>
Government Cuts Reduce Staff Working On MBIE’s "Frontline Information Channels"
Saturday, 6 April 2024, 12:15 pm | Public Service Association
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has proposed reducing its Information and Education (I&E) team by 30 roles, out of approximately 120 roles covered by its change proposal released on Thursday (April 4). More >>
New Zealand Government Must Stand Up For Humanitarian Law
Saturday, 6 April 2024, 5:43 am | Child Fund
If the staff who work for charities like ChildFund and their partners in-country are to continue doing the vital work of getting aid into places like Gaza, then governments like New Zealand must be prepared to stand up for the rule of law that protects humanitarian ... More >>
Queer Theologian Russell Hoban To Tackle Aoteraoa New Zealand’s Discriminatory Hate Speech Laws At The Court Of Appeal
Friday, 5 April 2024, 2:35 pm | Anton Blank
Hoban is asking the court to declare that the legislative exclusion of hate speech protection on the ground of sexual orientation (in the Human Rights Act 1993) is inconsistent with the right to be free from discrimination (in the NZ Bill of Rights ... More >>
Government Puts An End To Labour’s Hijack On Local Democracy
Friday, 5 April 2024, 1:40 pm | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
“Electors should be able to vote on, and veto, fundamental changes to their local voting system. It’s refreshing to see the new Government restoring this necessary democratic convention. More >>
CTU Stands In Solidarity With Public Service Workers
Friday, 5 April 2024, 11:03 am | Council of Trade Unions
“It is the role of government to invest in services and prevent rising unemployment. Yet here we have a government that is actively pushing people into unemployment in their ideological pursuit of tax cuts for landlords and high-income earners. More >>
Draft Voluntary Lobbying Code Of Conduct Lacks Substance | Lobbyists Prove The Need For Regulation
Friday, 5 April 2024, 8:47 am | Transparency International NZ
Transparency International New Zealand says that it is so watered down from an initial reasonable Ministry draft, to now totally lack substance, even though it is voluntary and non-binding. More >>
Māori Wards Improve Our Democracy, Say Advocates
Friday, 5 April 2024, 7:01 am | ActionStation
Advocates from people-powered organisation, ActionStation condemn the recent announcement by National Party’s Simeon Brown that the Coalition Government will re-introduce referendums for Māori wards at local councils. More >>
Complete Overreach By Govt On Māori Wards And Constituencies
Thursday, 4 April 2024, 3:05 pm | Local Government NZ
“Empowering local government to make decisions about their own communities is what this Government campaigned on and is not being delivered today. More >>
Farmers Replace Teachers In NZ Parliament, But White-collar Professionals Dominate
Thursday, 4 April 2024, 12:49 pm | BlacklandPR
Analysis of Members of Parliament’s careers has revealed that although farmers have replaced teachers in the new Parliament, office work and politics remain the dominant career experience of the 54th Parliament. More >>
Kiwi MPs “highly, But Disproportionately, Educated"
Thursday, 4 April 2024, 12:26 pm | BlacklandPR
A new analysis of MP qualifications reveals New Zealand’s Parliament is highly educated, in disproportion to the public, and with arts and law, and private schooling, over-represented. More >>
Voluntary Redundancies At MSD Will Make It Harder For Clients And Communities
Thursday, 4 April 2024, 11:29 am | PSA
The opening of wide scale voluntary redundancies at MSD to meet the Government’s cost cutting drive means thousands of New Zealanders are likely to have the service they receive from MSD compromised. Today the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) ... More >>
NZDF Contingent Arrives In Solomon Islands For Election Support
Thursday, 4 April 2024, 11:24 am | New Zealand Defence Force
“New Zealand has always had a close relationship with Solomon Islands - most recently when the country hosted the Pacific Games last year, as well as our ongoing Solomon Islands assistance mission. More >>
Unelected Commissioners Need To Learn Their Place
Thursday, 4 April 2024, 10:28 am | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
“If Anne Tolley and the other commissioners believe they are running the city well, they should stand for election and put their case to the voters rather than trampling over local democracy.” More >>
National Action Plan Against Racism Must Include Māori Experiences Of Racism
Thursday, 4 April 2024, 10:03 am | Te Kahui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission
“Racism in Aotearoa has deep historical economic, cultural, social, political, and spiritual roots, enabled by individuals and within institutions. The ongoing harms to and losses for Māori, must therefore be addressed in a NAPAR if we truly ... More >>
Gang Patch Ban Further Erosion Of Kiwis’ Speech Rights: FSU Submits To Justice Select Committee
Thursday, 4 April 2024, 5:20 am | Free Speech Union
Banning gang patches and insignia may be a politically popular decision in some communities, but is a troubling precedent further eroding Kiwis’ freedom of expression. More >>
Public Webinar: The Crisis Of Political Perspective Of The Gaza Protests
Wednesday, 3 April 2024, 11:25 am | IYSSE
Online public meeting - 6:00 pm April 16 | This public Zoom webinar is being held to outline the socialist and internationalist perspective required to stop the unfolding genocide. More >>
National Iwi Chairs Tangata Whenua Caucus Withdraws From National Action Plan Against Racism
Wednesday, 3 April 2024, 6:07 am | National Iwi Chairs Forum
The Tangata Whenua caucus will still carry on with an independent anti-racism plan that it intends to bring out to communities in the near future, noting that anti-racism action at the community level need not wait for the government. More >>
Gaza Famine March Silences Queen Street
Wednesday, 3 April 2024, 4:54 am | Palestinian Youth Movement
Auckland, New Zealand – On Sunday 31 March at 3 pm, over a thousand protesters with empty plates marched in silence along Queen Street to raise awareness for the 2.2 million people in Gaza facing imminent famine and highlight the widespread suppression ... More >>
Petition Challenging Midwifery Scope Of Practice Heads To Parliament
Tuesday, 2 April 2024, 6:02 pm | The Conservative Network
A petition asking Parliament to investigate the New Zealand Midwifery Council’s removal of the words ‘woman’ and ‘baby’ from the revised Scope of Practice for Midwives is being presented to Parliament at 1pm, Tuesday, 9 April. More >>
