Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 3/12/24

Yes, Givealittle has its fund-raising place – but it’s Christmas, and a govt-backed campaign will urge us to give a little bit more

Oops – a failure to press the right button yesterday followed by a failure to check what had (or hadn’t) been posted resulted in this Beehive Buzz report sitting in technical limbo overnight. Here it is. Meanwhile our team is working on the ministerial releases posted since then…

It looks like someone in the Luxon Government has lost the memo about keeping an eye on public spending and – imbued with festive-season spirit – is giving effect to how-to-be-kind guidance left behind by the Labour bunch.

David Farrar: Minister saves Cathedral Cove

Conservation Minister Tama Påtaka announced:

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has made the reinstatement of the walking access to Coromandels Cathedral Cove/Te Whanganui-a-Hei before next summer a priority.

David Farrar: The Cathedral Cove scandal

Radio NZ reports:

The Department of Conservation has conceded there is no guarantee a walkway to cathedral cove will ever reopen but expects to know what may be possible by the middle of the year.

The walking track to the popular coromandel tourist destination was closed in February 2023 after it was badly damaged in extreme weather, including cyclone gabrielle.