Jason Walls Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has warned her ministers that New Zealand is at “greater risk” of another terrorist attack in the aftermath of March 15, 2020. She also told the Cabinet that in order to bolster New Zealand’s counter-terrorism efforts, more money may be needed in this year’s Budget. Combating extremism Ardern’s comments came in a Cabinet paper…
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Dry weather puts a spell on water supply, but we are coping
Phil Goff Since my last update, Auckland has continued to experience hot and dry weather conditions, and while there have been some isolated bursts of rain, Watercare’s storage levels remain at 66 %, significantly lower than the 80% level that is normal for this time of year. Careful management by Watercare has meant that we have still not been required…
Read MorePolls put Election 2020 on a knife’s edge
Peter Wilson Another opinion poll shows a knife-edge result, Northland could decide the election and National goes after NZ First. A second opinion poll has shown the election result balanced on a knife-edge. A recent One News Colmar-Brunton poll gave National and ACT a scrape-through majority while Newshub Reid Research survey was the reverse, a narrow win for Labour and the…
Read MoreSparse interest of ethnic women in politics probed
Venkat Raman While New Zealand’s ethnic women have made their mark in business and various other fields of activity, their participation in politics, especially by women of Indian origin, has been somewhat limited. Associate Professor Rachel Simon-Kumar of University of Auckland and Professor Priya Kurian of Waikato University are jointly conducting a research on the role of ethnic women in…
Read MoreRise in minimum wage will harm all New Zealanders
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi The Labour-led coalition government has announced its decision to raise the minimum wage. Once again this appears to be a policy like that of Kiwibuild or the Capital’s Gains Tax (CGT), seems to have been thought on the fly rather than after a thorough analysis. Analysis undertaken by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Enterprise (MBIE) concludes…
Read MoreNational rules out working with NZ First
Supplied Content National Party Leader Simon Bridges has ruled out working with New Zealand First to form a Government after the 2020 election. “A vote for NZ First is a vote for Labour and the Greens,” Mr Bridges said. He issued the following Statement: National wants New Zealanders to have a clear choice and certainty about what they are getting…
Read MoreWaste not, want not, as water shortage looms large
Phil Goff From Christmas through New Year and Waitangi Day, Auckland has enjoyed a long and sunny Summer. Most of us have enjoyed the long evenings, BBQs and visits to our beaches and parks. The dry weather, however, has put pressure on our water supply, with Auckland in January receiving only around 10% of the normal rainfall for the month.…
Read MoreWe lose another great Kiwi in Mike Moore
Staff Reporter New Zealand lost another great son in the passing of Mike Moore on February 2, 2020. The former Prime Minister was 71 years old. His wife Yvonne Moore said that he died at home. A special service, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, was held in his memory at Dilworth School in Auckland on February 14, 2020. Health…
Read MoreNew Conservatives call Ihumatao a fork on the road
Staff Reporter The New Conservative Party has described the Ihumatao issue as a ‘fork on the road,’ meaning that it is time to decide the future of the country. Party Deputy Leader Elliot Ikilei believes that reopening the issue would be harmful to the country’s future and strike at the heart of the Treaty of Waitangi itself. He said that…
Read MoreSubstantial Politics should be the order of the day
Alex Penk Who is the real “Party of infrastructure?” Is it Labour, who just announced that they will spend billions on roads and rail, or is it National, who claim that Labour is just implementing their old policies? It is one example of how hard it is to separate our two major political parties, which was also shown by the…
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