Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 19/9/24

While Peters deals with war in the Middle East, our Transport Minister (armed with data) aims to rid us of those potholes

There were just two press releases on the Government’s official website when Point of Order checked on what our ministers have been doing earlier today. Women’s Affairs Minister Nicola Grigg was telling us she knew what day this is (Suffrage Day) and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was announcing his intention to fly to New York next week to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, then visit French Polynesia.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 23/7/24

Come back, Sir Donald – the govt needs a Special Envoy for a funeral in Saigon

More travel plans have been set out on the government’s official website over the past 24 hours.

They tell us not only what current ministers are doing. Foreign Minister Winston Peters – for example – will travel to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.

Point of Order: Discriminatory health services

Hipkins plays the “racism” card to duck question about who lives in cities and in rural areas

Remember when Act’s deputy leader, Brooke van Velden, gave the Government’s Willow-Jean Prime some discomforting moments at Question Time in Parliament?

Van Velden questioned the Associate Health Minister about pregnant mothers being given $50 Prezzy cards simply for turning up to pregnancy assessments, and then – after the child is born – for the six-week assessment.

But wait. Not all pregnant mothers will be treated to Prezzy cards – they are doled out only to women who identify as Māori.

Point of Order: Mahuta was finding a job for Goff and keeping miners off the seabed

So what does she make of further dismantling of our democracy?

The news we expected to hear from Nanaia Mahuta, as Minister of Local Government, was not to be found on the Beehive website when we checked around noon.

We refer to the far-from-surprising but nevertheless deeply disturbing news that the Government-appointed review of local government is recommending the further dismantling of democratic governance in New Zealand