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Wellington Rail Network Budget Funding Welcome, But More Needed
Tuesday, 20 May 2025, 2:50 pm | Greater Wellington Te Pane Matua Taiao
Cr Ponter says the funding is essential for fixing broken down track assets and infrastructure that are plaguing the reliability of Metlink passenger services. More >>
Budget Day 2025: What You Need To Know
Tuesday, 20 May 2025, 2:32 pm | RNZ
Explainer - Budget Day is coming on Thursday, but what does it all mean? RNZ is here to tell you what you need to know. More >>
Te Pāti Māori's Haka Punishment Labelled Extreme, But Labour Unlikely To Filibuster
Tuesday, 20 May 2025, 2:26 pm | RNZ
Labour's not keen on a filibuster, while Te Pāti Māori's president says more tikanga Māori should be incorporated in the House. More >>
Celebration On Court, Censure In The House: Te Pāti Māori MPs' Suspension Sparks Kōrero
Tuesday, 20 May 2025, 2:20 pm | RNZ
While tikanga Māori is being sanctioned in Te Whare Pāremata, te reo Māori is alive and thriving on the netball courts of Tāmaki Makaurau. More >>
Protesters At Parliament Call For Lowering Of Age For Free Bowel Cancer Screening
Tuesday, 20 May 2025, 2:05 pm | RNZ
Dozens at Parliament are calling for a lowering of the age of eligibility for free bowel screening tests to 45. More >>
Budget 2025 - What Vote Health Needs Just To Stay Afloat
Tuesday, 20 May 2025, 1:03 pm | Association of Salaried Medical Specialists
"Year on year specialists in our public hospitals are being asked to do more and more," says ASMS policy director Harriet Wild. More >>
Coalition Government Is Misleading Survivors Of Abuse
Tuesday, 20 May 2025, 10:15 am | Cooper Legal
The announcement itself was disappointing enough for survivors. Now they are being told parts of the announcement were just smoke and mirrors. Quite frankly, it’s shocking, but it is nothing less than we have come to expect. More >>
Rebuke And Resistance: Te Pāti Māori’s Protest, Abstentionism, And ThePath To Indigenous Sovereignty
Monday, 19 May 2025, 8:47 pm | Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement
Te Pāti Māori’s protest and the punitive response it provoked expose the colonial foundations of New Zealand’s parliamentary system. More >>
Budget 2025: How Does Government Spending Actually Work?
Monday, 19 May 2025, 4:31 pm | RNZ
There will be a lot of talk about government spending this week, but how does it actually work? Where does the money come from, and where does it go? More >>
Banks To Kiwis: Heads We Win, Tails You Lose
Monday, 19 May 2025, 2:28 pm | CAFCA
Figures for the 2024 fiscal year show that bank profits have reached an all-time high. At the same time, despite lower interest rates, more and more customers of the big four Australian banks (BNZ, ANZ, ASB and Westpac) are overdue in their mortgage More >>
Former NZ Associate Minister Of Foreign Affairs Calls On NZ Government To Uphold International Law
Monday, 19 May 2025, 1:06 pm | Hon Matthew Robson
“The Hon Winston Peters should place New Zealand on the side of the vast majority of countries supporting international law and condemn the United States for its illegal persecution of a developing country.” More >>
Budget Week Blow - Govt Axes Experts Backing Innovative Kiwi Start-Ups
Monday, 19 May 2025, 9:11 am | PSA
This Friday, 15 highly skilled business innovation advisers at Callaghan Innovation will be shown the door. These are industry experts hired from the private sector who’ve been helping young companies navigate the commercial world and prepare them ... More >>
Leading Environmental Organisations Call On The PM To Reject The Regulatory Standards Bill
Monday, 19 May 2025, 7:21 am | Greenpeace
The open letter, signed by the executive directors of Forest & Bird, Greenpeace Aotearoa, EDS, and WWF-NZ, describes the Regulatory Standards Bill as "an unprecedented threat" to environmental protection, climate action, and the country’s democratic and constitutional ... More >>
Trans-Tasman Resources' Taranaki Seabed Mining Project Clears First Phase Of Fast-Track Process
Sunday, 18 May 2025, 7:47 pm | RNZ
Trans-Tasman Resources wants to mine the South Taranaki Bight seabed every year for three decades. More >>
Government Must Commit To Pay Equity For Funded Health Sector: NZNO
Sunday, 18 May 2025, 5:59 pm | NZNO
NZNO Primary Health Care Nurses College chair Tracey Morgan says the scrapping of the primary and community health care claim was devastating to nurses in the sector. More >>
Save The Children Says Budget 2025 Must Commit To Improving Children’s Wellbeing
Sunday, 18 May 2025, 11:05 am | Save The Children
"Government budget decisions have a direct impact on the lives and wellbeing of every New Zealander," says Save the Children New Zealand’s Advocacy and Research Director Jacqui Southey. More >>
The Pay Equity Puzzle: Can We Compare Effort, Skill And Risk Between Different Industries?
Saturday, 17 May 2025, 4:34 pm | The Conversation
Pay equity is not the same as equal pay, and is harder to calculate because women’s work is concentrated in low-paying industries. But without pay equity, all New Zealanders pay. More >>
Pasifika Leaders, Influencers Weigh In On Proposed Social Media Ban For Under 16s
Saturday, 17 May 2025, 3:40 pm | RNZ
They have shared a mix of views, from cautious support to concern, and even strong opposition. More >>
The House: Parliamentary Privileges - Race As An Aggravating Factor?
Saturday, 17 May 2025, 3:16 pm | RNZ
Analysis: Reactions and advice from Parliament's Clerk, Speaker and even the committee chair show it has recommended indefensibly harsh punishments. More >>
The House: Wake-Up Call To MPs Over Building Relationships After Treaty Settlements
Friday, 16 May 2025, 5:18 pm | RNZ
Public organisations are treating Treaty commitments like transactions, not relationships, the Auditor-General says. More >>
Social Services React To Damning Report Into Oranga Tamariki
Friday, 16 May 2025, 5:16 pm | RNZ
The Auditor-General said not knowing the impact cuts would have on children and their families was "unacceptable". More >>
A Surplus Of Defence Riches, But Lack Of Skill And Experience
Friday, 16 May 2025, 5:10 pm | RNZ
Analysis - The minister of defence, space and spies has at least $9b of new money to spend, and a defence force demonstrably not ready to spend it. More >>
Public Submissions Are Now Being Called For The Valuers Bill And Amendment Paper 286
Friday, 16 May 2025, 4:59 pm | Primary Production Committee
This bill would not make any substantial policy changes to the Act. It would make minor changes to the Act to correct inconsistencies and omissions. It is intended to rewrite the law using plain language and modern drafting style. More >>
Ngāti Kahungunu Appalled By Pulling Of Te Reo Signage
Friday, 16 May 2025, 4:15 pm | Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Inc
Ngāti Kahungunu demands the immediate reinstatement of bilingual signage and a full rewrite of Waka Kotahi’s rulebook so that this never happens again. More >>
Greenpeace Slams Acceptance Of Seabed Miner’s Application
Friday, 16 May 2025, 3:22 pm | Greenpeace
Experts say that seabed mining in the South Taranaki Bight would damage rich ecosystems and threaten precious marine life such as the pygmy blue whale, Māui and Hector’s dolphins and kororā. More >>
Human Rights Commissioner Says The Cost Of Limiting Gender Rights Under Legislation will be people's lives
Friday, 16 May 2025, 1:43 pm | Human Rights Commission
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on May 17 is a global day to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of LGBTQIA+people. This year's theme is ‘The power of communities’. More >>
New Zealand Government Seeks To Ban Social Media For Under-16s
Friday, 16 May 2025, 9:03 am | Socialist Equality Group
Luxon and other politicians and media pundits have spent the past fortnight professing concern for the mental health and safety of young people. More >>
Greenwashed Capitalism: The Limits Of The Green Party’s 2025Budget
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 8:01 pm | Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement
For anarcho-communists, the Green Budget raises fundamental questions about the limitations of parliamentary politics, the persistence of capitalist logics under a green veneer, and the ongoing domestication of radical political potential by electoral parties. More >>
Oranga Tamariki Lost Sight Of The Children And Whānau It Was There To Serve
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 6:00 pm | Te Pai Ora SSPA
Response to Auditor General’s inquiry into Oranga Tamariki procurement and contract management. More >>
Brooke Van Velden Meets With Council Of Trade Unions After Pay Equity Changes
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 5:23 pm | RNZ
A 'frank' half-hour meeting was Brooke van Velden's first with the Council of Trade Unions since 2023. More >>
Privileges Committee Report On Te Pāti Māori's Haka To Be Debated, Voted On Next Tuesday
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 5:21 pm | RNZ
The Privileges Committee report on Te Pāti Māori's haka last year will be debated and voted on next Tuesday. More >>
Labour Defends Raising Column As C-word Debate Spirals
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 5:19 pm | RNZ
Meanwhile, Labour has rejected the idea that it was a poor political judgment to reference a column using the word in Parliament. More >>
Lack Of Debate Fans Pay Equity Fury
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 5:15 pm | RNZ
The government's shock and awe approach to changing the legislation has fanned the flames of anger. More >>
Auditor-General Releases Scathing Report On Oranga Tamariki
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 5:08 pm | RNZ
The Office of the Auditor-General said last year it would investigate the procurement and contract management practices of Oranga Tamariki. More >>
Have Your Say On The Ngāti Hāua Claims Settlement Bill
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 4:51 pm | Maori Affairs Committee
The bill seeks to give effect to certain matters contained in Te Pua o Te Riri Kore, the Ngāti Hāua deed of settlement of historical claims. More >>
Govt Squeeze On Funding Will See Another 68 Roles Go At DOC
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 3:47 pm | PSA
Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the proposal will see a hollowing out of DOC’s regional conservation capability over time. More >>
Chief Children’s Commissioner Says Oranga Tamariki Must Action Auditor-General’s Recommendations On Contract Management
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 3:45 pm | Mana Mokopuna
It is vital that Oranga Tamariki actions the Auditor-General’s recommendations, to ensure that the rights and wellbeing of children, young people and their families are front and centre of funding decisions that affect them. More >>
Submissions Are Now Open For The Education And Training Amendment Bill (No 2)
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 3:34 pm | The Education and Workforce Committee
The bill would amend the Education and Training Act 2020 to give effect to new policy decisions. More >>
PSA Strongly Opposes Decisions Released By Health NZ - Further Dismantling Of Our Public Health System By Government
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 3:16 pm | PSA
The union filed these legal proceedings in the Employment Relations Authority in February because several proposed restructures breached the Code of Good Faith for the public health sector, the Employment Relations Act 2000, collective agreements ... More >>
Children Pay Price Of Oranga Tamariki Contracting Fiasco - Auditor-General Issues Damning Indictment Of Govt Cuts
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 3:13 pm | PSA
The report confirms what we have said all along - the Government has totally botched its rushed spending cuts with little regard to the consequences - children are the casualties of these decisions. More >>
First Reading On Academic Freedom Bill Big Step In Ensuring Universities Stay In Their Lane
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 3:01 pm | Free Speech Union
The requirements for ‘Institutional Neutrality’ are a vital feature that constrains the institution’s voice in favour of ensuring that it is actually academics (who are the bearers of academic freedom) who get to make up their own minds on contested ... More >>
Kindergartens Support Green Policy On Early Childhood Education
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 12:03 pm | Kindergartens Aotearoa
The Greens propose 20-hours free care and education children from 6 months up to school age with a $10 per day cap on fees for hours above that. Under the plan, the entitlement would increase to 35 hours in 2029. More >>
PSA Takes More Legal Action To Stop The Govt Cutting Health Further
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 11:14 am | PSA
The PSA remains strongly opposed to all job cuts at Health NZ which are being rushed through regardless of their impacts on frontline health services. It’s all about saving money in the short term, not supporting our health system. More >>
Budget ‘25 Needs To Prioritise A Thriving And Resilient Pacific Region
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 11:03 am | World Vision New Zealand
New Zealand has a leadership role to play and that requires us to step up and support our Pacific neighbours in the face of a changing climate, growing poverty, and changing geo-political alliances. More >>
Government Wants Fiordland Wapiti A Special Herd - Forest And Bird Is Appalled
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 10:56 am | Ben Hope
Even Forest and Bird’s founder amateur botanist Leonard Cockayne acknowledged New Zealand’s vegetation is aggressive in growth and regeneration,” he said. Management of a special wapiti herd embraces management of numbers and quality. More >>
New Zealand Ranked 32nd Out Of 36 Countries For Child Wellbeing Is Unacceptable
Wednesday, 14 May 2025, 8:11 pm | Mana Mokopuna
The report card shows New Zealand has the highest suicide rate for children out of the world’s wealthy countries, at a rate of almost three times higher than the average. More >>
Chairs, Board Members Named For New Science Mergers
Wednesday, 14 May 2025, 5:59 pm | RNZ
NIWA and GNS Science's chairs have been named to lead two of the new research institutes. More >>
18,000 Register Support For Tribunal Claim Against Regulatory Standards Bill
Wednesday, 14 May 2025, 5:55 pm | RNZ
Toitū Te Tiriti, the group behind last year's Hīkoi, is leading the claim over the Regulatory Standards Bill. More >>
Waitangi Tribunal Already Doing Exactly What It Was Originally Intended To Do, Treaty Law Experts Say
Wednesday, 14 May 2025, 5:53 pm | RNZ
A government review announced last week the Tribunal will be refocused back to its 'original intent', but Treaty law experts say it's already doing that. More >>
RNZ Obtains Two OIA's - One Redacted, One Not
Wednesday, 14 May 2025, 5:25 pm | RNZ
Analysis: What official documents should be shown to the public? It might depend on which part of government you ask. More >>
New Public Research Organisation Boards Dominated By Men
Wednesday, 14 May 2025, 5:12 pm | PSA
The gains that women have made in science over the past few decades are in no way reflected here. How can we possibly expect women to join STEM professions when our public institutions don’t represent them or their interests? More >>
New Global Data: New Zealand Ranks Alarmingly Low For Child Wellbeing, Mental Health
Wednesday, 14 May 2025, 1:57 pm | UNICEF Aotearoa NZ
UNICEF Aotearoa CEO Michelle Sharp says the data should be a wake-up call and the upcoming Budget is an opportunity for the government to create positive change. More >>
Green's Budget Gets Thumbs Up From Tax Reform Group
Wednesday, 14 May 2025, 1:33 pm | Better Taxes for a Better Future
“The Green Budget recognises that we face enormous challenges as a country and we need to fund government better in order to respond to them,” says Glenn Barclay, spokesperson for the Better Taxes Campaign. More >>
PSA Welcomes Green Budget Which Restores Funding To The Public Service
Wednesday, 14 May 2025, 11:48 am | PSA
The Green Budget, released today, reinstates funding to the public service including areas the Government has sharply cut and underfunded - primary health care, Oranga Tamariki and public housing. More >>
Greenpeace Slams Govt For Failure To Commit To Protecting Rivers
Wednesday, 14 May 2025, 11:45 am | Greenpeace
"People across the country are standing up for better protection for lakes, rivers, and drinking water. If the politicians won’t take action, then they should expect resistance." More >>
Ngāti Hāua Treaty Settlement Begins Journey Through Parliament
Tuesday, 13 May 2025, 6:49 pm | Moana Ellis - Local Democracy Reporter
A small delegation of tribal members will travel to Wellington on behalf of Ngāti Hāua to attend the first reading of the Bill on Thursday. More >>
Public Service Work From Home Policies Dispute Heading To Employment Relations Authority
Tuesday, 13 May 2025, 5:22 pm | PSA
Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi National Secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons, said they were dismayed to have not settled the matter quickly for public sector workers. More >>
National, Labour Clash Over Who's Lying About Pay Equity Changes
Tuesday, 13 May 2025, 4:28 pm | RNZ
Labour's been calling the move a pay cut, but National says that's a lie. More >>
Anti Bases Campaign Congratulates Methodists For Divesting From Rocket Lab
Tuesday, 13 May 2025, 3:56 pm | Anti Bases Campaign
Rocket Lab no longer pretends to be anything other than an increasingly vital part of that war machine. Recent headlines trumpet that it is ready to "serve the Pentagon" and that it is going to help the US and UK develop hypersonic missiles. More >>
Minister Mark Mitchell Defends Police Amidst Jevon McSkimming's Pornography Scandal
Tuesday, 13 May 2025, 3:18 pm | RNZ
Jevon McSkimming has resigned from deputy police commissioner. More >>
