The political power and wealth of New Zealand’s business elite is on display in two important media publications this week – the NBR’s 2013 Rich List and the New Zealand Herald’s ‘Mood of the Boardroom’ survey of CEOs. Both publications illustrate the immense power and wealth that is concentrated amongst a miniscule group of businesspeople. Read more
Whitewash is the only word to describe the deputy auditor-general’s report on the Government’s relationship with SkyCity. The report dumps all the blame on civil servants. But its description of events makes it very clear the prime minister, his office, his Tourism Ministry, and the Ministry of Economic Development spent a year trying to stitch Read more
Archbishop John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington New Zealand, and President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference says he supports the Royal Commission into institutionalised child abuse by priests announced in Australia. Archbishop Dew said the NZCBC would support any similar investigation in New Zealand. But the Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key says he Read more
In a Radio Interview the Prime Minister, Mr Key, said he understands the argument legalising euthanasia could put pressure on the elderly to end their lives early, however he did not buy into it. “I think there’s a lot of euthanasia that effectively happens in our hospitals.” The director of the Association of Salaried Medical Read more
Samoans could be brought into Christchurch to aid the city’s rebuild following top-level talks between the Samoan and New Zealand Prime Ministers. At a press conference on Thursday New Zealand Prime Minster, John Key, said he and Samoan Prime minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi had discussed the possibility of expanding the existing Recognised Seasonal Employer Read more
The Queen will use a private audience with Prime Minister John Key to seek assurances over Christ Church Cathedral after being inundated with pleas from New Zealand to save the building. Mr Key confirmed the Queen’s lady-in-waiting had briefed him that Queen Elizabeth wanted to talk about the future of the Cathedral after a flood Read more
Prime Minister John Key has announced the rolling out of what he termed “tough new measures to deter potential mass arrivals of illegal immigrants and people smuggling to New Zealand.” Did the visit of the US Secretary for Homeland Security (1-3 May) have anything to do with this hasty amendment to the 2009 Immigration Law? Read more
Soon after the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, our Prime Minister, John Key, spoke of the resurrection of Christchurch. He meant the rebuilding and regeneration of the city. As a Christchurch man himself, this came from the heart. In talking of resurrection, he wanted to give people hope amidst the terrible damage the city had sustained. Read more
Family First says the Government is undervaluing mothers by not allowing a bill, proposing to extend paid parental leave, to proceed to a first reading. In the week before Easter a member’s bill which aims to extend paid parental leave in New Zealand from 14 to 26 weeks came up in the ballot. It is being proposed by Labour’s Sue Read more
It was made very clear in polls before the November 2011 election that more than 70% of respondents wanted our publicly-owned state assets retained in NZ ownership, not 49% sold off to the highest bidder. The incoming National government chose to ignore this expression of New Zealanders’ views, and has been taking steps to change Read more