Matua Kahurangi: $49 Million for kapa haka

What exactly Is this money for?

New Zealanders should be asking some very hard questions about where their money is going. The government has committed over $49 million in funding for Te Matatini, the national kapa haka festival, through to the 2027/28 financial year. That includes a $48.7 million three-year allocation announced in Budget 2024. To put this into perspective, recent annual funding has been around $17 million. This is a huge jump for what is essentially a performance festival, and it really does raise some serious questions about priorities.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 2/7/24

Media moguls might need prodding to cough up under news law, but Melissa Lee easily found $7m for ‘choir games’

Melissa Lee – remember her? – was replaced as Minister of Media and Communications after just seven months in the role in which she promised new policy to tackle the media sector’s complex challenges.

At that time job losses were looming within the Newshub and TVNZ newsrooms and TVNZ – troubled by “commercial viability” considerations – had confirmed that the future of Shortland Street was under review.

Guest Post: Diversity in NZ

A guest post by a reader on Kiwiblog:

I’m a naturalized citizen in NZ. Meaning my kids are aware of and somewhat interested in their American heritage as well as their NZ history. So my daughter’s school was having a Diversity Day where students from different backgrounds were encouraged to show off parts of their culture. Parents were invited to see the event and explore what diverse cultures were at the school.

Point of Order: Megan Woods stays mum about levy-fetching energy bill.....

.....but she brings out megaphone for news of million-dollar handouts

Point of Order looked again on the government’s official website for statements from Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods about two energy-related bills that were rushed into law last week.

We can’t say she has been silent, because she had lots to say in parliament about the need for urgency in enacting these bills.

But she has yet to post press statements on the government’s official website to explain what she has been doing, apparently putting the onus on the public to wade through Hansard’s record of parliamentary proceedings to find out what she is up to.