Ryan Bridge: NZ's isolation is a blessing and a curse

It'd be easy to draw comparisons and parallels between our upcoming election and the local and federal upsets in Australia and the UK at the weekend.

But New Zealand is a totally different kettle of fish. In part, because, unlike the Brits and the Aussies, we run an MMP system.

Zachary Collier: What Gives Something Value?

Understanding how trade works.

It’s spring, which is bad news if you have pollen allergies, but is good news if you are planning to buy or sell a home: this is typically the busiest season for home sales. If you are buying a home or selling a home, the concept of value is one that is very important to keep in mind. Why is one buyer willing to offer more than another for the same house? Or why would a seller be willing to lower the price of their home?

JC: Luxon on Song – Labour off Key

The headline to this posting reflects the contents of two articles in the business section of the Weekend Herald. One was from Fran O’Sullivan who joined the NZUS Council on Luxon’s overseas trip. The other was written by Jenée Tibshraeny who is the Herald business editor in Wellington. Fran’s article was on a positive note, while Jenée’s, on the subject of Labour’s capital gains tax, had a slightly negative tone to it.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: Europe’s capitulation to Trump

When NATO was founded in 1949, Europe and America worked as genuine partners. Sure, the Europeans needed American security guarantees more than Washington needed another military commitment. But there was mutual respect and shared purpose. Both sides knew the transatlantic relationship meant give and take.

How times have changed.

Michael Reddell: Tariff madness and monetary policy

We’ve seen this morning the latest step up in the Trump-initiated trade war, with the additional 50 per cent tariffs imposed on imports from China. If the tariff madness persists – but in fact even if were wound back in some places (eg some of the particularly absurd tariffs on supposed US allies in east Asia, or 48 per cent tariffs on Madagascar’s vanilla) – it is going to be extremely damaging to global economic activity in the (probably protracted) transition.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 4/11/24

A tariffying prospect for Kiwi exporters: Trump plans to tax imports – but a Harris presidency would be not much better

Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay today announced he will lead a large trade delegation to the 7th annual China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai next week, followed by a visit to Guangzhou. Maybe he should be preparing instead to head for the United States to do his best to counter American threats to this country’s trading interests.

The prospect of a second Trump presidency bodes ill for this country’s exports to the US – but, more ominously, his plans to slap stiff taxes on imports to protect American producers portend the sparking of trade wars around the globe.

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

Shooting at targets – and firing rockets into space – have the govt’s blessing but Putin is being further punished with sanctions

It depends on what you do with your armaments that determines the Government’s attitude.

Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine a year or so ago and shows no signs of withdrawing his troops or putting his missiles back in their holsters.

Professor Robert MacCulloch: Bizarre Claims

On Richard Prebble and Don Brash's Bizarre Claims about the link between Trade and Military Alliances

Last week, former ACT Party leader & Labour Minister, Richard Prebble, who reads this blog, wrote an opinion piece for Main Steam Media behemoth, the NZ Herald, with the blazing headline, "It is lunacy to join a military alliance aimed at our biggest trading partner". Don Brash, former National Party Leader & RBNZ Governor, together with Helen Clark, our former PM, have been writing articles with the same theme.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 19/3/24

Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thumper and diplomat

Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities.

He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 18/12/23

Trade Minister gets into gear while colleagues put the brakes on Wellington transport scheme

Our Minister of Trade is going places. He is headed for India and Singapore this week and for Abu Dhabi next year.

Wellington’s highly controversial Let’s Get Wellington Moving, on the other hand, is going nowhere. It is headed for oblivion.

Alexander Gillespie: Foreign policy has been missing from NZ’s election campaign

Tax cuts, crime, the cost of living, potholes and co-governance … these and various other issues are now familiar to most voters. But there has been one major election area missing the serious debate it needs: foreign policy.

Whichever parties form the next government, and whoever becomes prime minister, they will also be charged with negotiating New Zealand’s place in a dynamic and changing world.

Adrian Beaumont: Foreign policy has been missing from NZ’s election campaign

Tax cuts, crime, the cost of living, potholes and co-governance … these and various other issues are now familiar to most voters. But there has been one major election area missing the serious debate it needs: foreign policy.

Whichever parties form the next government, and whoever becomes prime minister, they will also be charged with negotiating New Zealand’s place in a dynamic and changing world.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 8/7/23

O’Connor draws attention to CPTPP ministerial meeting in Auckland while the PM flies out for EU FTA signing

Foreign affairs and trade were the focus of the only fresh posts on the government’s official website, since Point of Order’s previous monitoring of what our ministers are up to and how they are spending our money.

Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor announced that in Auckland next weekend New Zealand will host the 7th Commission Meeting of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Point of Order: Was the balancing act a mission impossible?

Having told the world Xi Jinping is not a dictator, it is not surprising PM Chris Hipkins was greeted warmly by the Chinese leader at their meeting in Beijing this week. It may be it does the trick and secures a boost for NZ exports to China.

Certainly NZ needs it, with the gap between the value of our imports and exports the widest it has been for three decades. Unless the deficit shrinks fairly rapidly, the international credit agencies could lower NZ’s sovereign credit rating.

Point of Order: Code of conduct for school board members is announced.....

.....by a minister whose grasp of Parliament’s rules is in question

Education Minister Jan Tinetti brings news of a book of rules for school board members at the same time as her own grasp of Parliament’s rule book has been brought into question.

Tinetti has announced a compulsory code of conduct to “ensure school board members are crystal clear on their responsibilities and expected standard of behaviour”.

How crystal clear she might be on her responsibilities as a minister and the standard of behaviour expected of her is questionable.

Point of Order: Dogs decision delayed.....

......but the horse-racing industry looks like a good bet (at least for now) after TAB’s competitors are nobbled

Money was profusely flowing or generously being committed in a raft of ministerial announcements and speeches over the past 24 hours.

If we tallied all the dollar signs in all the new press statements on the government’s official website, billions would be involved.

But in some cases, the ministers didn’t bother to tell the public how much their projects are costing. Maybe they don’t know.

Peter Winsley: How our defence investment decisions can help lift New Zealand’s economic complexity and performance

China and the United States are the world’s two superpowers and New Zealand needs good relations with both. We look to the United States to uphold liberal democracy and the international rule of law. New Zealand is part of the Five Powers (“Five Eyes”) arrangement which largely focuses on surveillance and intelligence gathering and involves combat capabilities. The $2.4B cost for the P8-A Poseidons to replace the Orions is part of the price we pay for Five Powers membership. It is a good political investment.

Australia is New Zealand’s closest ally. Our current defence expenditure is about 1.5% of GDP, compared to Australia at about 2% (2020 figures). Australia expects New Zealand to invest more in defence, and support for this seems to be growing in Parliament. However, we also need to uphold our nuclear-free policy, given Australia’s plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

Despite shared values and close defence ties, the United States and other democracies restrict New Zealand’s primary industry exports. In contrast, our free trade agreement means China is by far our largest export market.

Don Brash: In defence of an independent foreign policy

The Prime Minister’s recent visit to Washington, during which she seemed to have signed New Zealand up as a strongly pro-US outpost in the South Pacific – and her forthcoming (at time of writing) attendance at a major NATO meeting in Europe in the next few weeks – should prompt some serious thought about our long-term interests.

After all, it was the US which unceremoniously withdrew from the Trans Pacific Partnership shortly after Trump became President at the beginning of 2017, thus turning its back on the open Pacific trading group which seemed to promise so much for the other 11 counties which had signed up to it.

Historically, New Zealand was closely aligned with the United Kingdom – “where Britain goes, we go too” was the largely unquestioned assumption on which we built our foreign policy for decades. This was an automatic, indeed reflexive, stance which very few New Zealanders questioned. We sent troops to support Britain in the Boer War, and without question in the First World War.

Geoffrey Miller: Is Jacinda Ardern rethinking her China strategy?

Is New Zealand suddenly softening its more pro-Western foreign policy – and its tougher line on China?

After months of inching towards the West, Jacinda Ardern’s set-piece speeches on her Europe trip last week seem to have been crafted to try and keep observers guessing.

At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Madrid, the New Zealand Prime Minister gave a speech that – in tone at least – seemed designed to evoke memories of the direction that her Labour predecessor David Lange had taken in the 1980s.

Bryce Edwards: The problem of “blindly following” the US against China

New Zealand may have finally jumped off its foreign policy tightrope act between China and the US. Last week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern effectively chose sides, leaping into the arms of the US, at the expense of the country’s crucial relationship with China.

That’s the growing consensus amongst observers of New Zealand’s foreign policy, following Ardern’s visit to the White House and her government’s strong stance against China’s increased diplomatic presence in the Pacific region.

Blindly following traditional allies

Observers are now questioning whether Ardern’s obsequence to American power will badly damage New Zealand’s national interests, and there is criticism that the Government is “blindly following” the US against the interests of both New Zealand and the Pacific.