Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 20/12/24

A bit like the news about those KiwiRail ferries, we must wait for the details about decentralising our polytechnics

It has been coming for a while and it has arrived just before Christmas – or some of it has arrived.

The government has confirmed its plan for breaking up the national institute of technology and re-establishing independent polytechnics.

Geoffrey Miller: Trump victory could spark New Zealand rethink at APEC in Peru

Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory has set the stage for this year’s APEC summit in Peru.

At least 14 leaders have so far confirmed their attendance at the leaders’ summit in Lima from November 15-16. China’s Xi Jinping, Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Canada’s Justin Trudeau will all be in Peru – as will New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 23/11/23

We are unsure of Damien O’Connor’s whereabouts, but he brings news today of European vote on the NZ-EU FTA

Great news.

No, not the great news you most likely are waiting for, which is the announcement of coalition negotiations being completed, what has been agreed, who has landed which jobs – and so on.

It is great news nevertheless because it suggests there is life in the Beehive.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 14/11/23

Abuzz with conjecture

No, nothing new on the government’s official website again today.

But the media are abuzz with conjecture about the whereabouts of someone who – in all likelihood – is bound to become an inhabitant of a Beehive ministerial office before long.

The Stuff website typically was asking:

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 13/11/23

Luxon looks likely to miss APEC talks – and protests – but his mining stance triggers greenie pledge to raise a fuss here

While Christopher Luxon is meeting with ACT and New Zealand First leaders, trying to sort out a new government, it looks like our caretaker Prime Minister will be in San Francisco, representing this country at APEC.

Geoffrey Miller: Should New Zealand build bridges with the BRICS?

The BRICS are back.

Johannesburg will this week host the 15th annual summit of the BRICS, an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The loose grouping may be about to become tighter – and bigger.

Some 40 countries have expressed interest in joining the BRICS, which already represent over 40 per cent of the world’s population and 30 per cent of global GDP when measured using purchasing power parity (PPP).

Point of Order: Clark enlightens us about open banking

While Sio throws light (through a Maori world lens) on what once was blind justice

It’s the announcement we saw coming when Newshub revealed the Government was poised to announce a major change to banking, “which experts say will slash their profits”.

This news was broadcast as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was adding her voice to the populist chorus of disapproval about those profits.

It so happened the government was working on a concept called “open banking”, whereby customers can move their bank accounts, direct debits and what-have-you between banks.