Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 15/5/24

The PM promises tax relief in the Budget – but will it be enough to satisfy the Taxpayers’ Union?

The promise of tax relief loomed large in his considerations when the PM delivered a pre-Budget speech to the Auckland Business Chamber.

The job back in Wellington is getting government spending back under control, he said, bandying figures which show that in per capita terms, the economy is just 3 per cent larger than it was at the end of 2017, but government spending per capita has grown by more than 50 per cent.

Point of Order: Buried beneath avalanche of new laws and bills there’s news from the Cyclone Taskforce

Whoa, there – we can’t keep up! Suddenly, the PM’s ministerial team has unleashed a slew of press statements.

Sixteen announcements have been posted on the Beehive website since our last check.

This burst of activity (we wondered) might be the result of them responding positively to having a team member red-carded.

Point of Order: While the PM and O’Connor were announcing VIP visits......

......Mahuta was pouring out some thoughts on the wretched water bill

News of the government hoovering the red carpet for VIP visits and cleaning up the environment by advancing the green cause emerged from the Beehive yesterday, including another announcement of Māori mātauranga being to the fore in the government’s conservation programme.

And there was a speech from Nanaia Mahuta which affirmed the Water Services Entities Bill is a done deal and (she expects) the bosses of the four new co-governed water entities will be appointed before the end of the year.