Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
The Productivity Commission has released an issues paper calling for submissions to its inquiry into state sector productivity.
"State sector productivity matters because it tells us how many public services are delivered for the government’s investment in them. That might sound simple, but measuring government productivity is notoriously difficult," says Inquiry Director, Judy Kavanagh.
The Government has asked the Commission to investigate how to improve measurement of state sector productivity in the health, education, justice and social development sectors.
Ms Kavanagh says the inquiry process will also investigate what capability, culture and systems are necessary to support government agencies to better measure, understand and improve productivity.
"We know that performance measurement frameworks exist across all core agencies. The Commission is interested in what is currently in place, what works well, and what measures can be used to improve productivity and efficiency."
Ms Kavanagh says the success of the inquiry will rely on the input, knowledge and advice of the sectors concerned. "This issues paper raises a number of technical questions about measuring productivity in core public services. We’re looking for submissions from anyone with an interest in how public sector productivity is measured, and how productivity improvement can be supported."
The issues paper is now available at www.productivity.govt.nz and anyone interested in the topic can subscribe to receive regular updates. Submissions on the inquiry are due by 8 September 2017. The Productivity Commission’s final report to the Government is due on 30 August 2018.
For further information see the state sector productivity inquiry page, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Robyn Sadlier on 04 903 5167.
| A Productivity Commission release || July 27, 2017 |||
Corrections Minister Louise Upston is impressed at the results being achieved by the Department’s Employer Partnerships initiatives and is looking forward to them continuing to make a positive difference to people’s lives.
“Finding steady employment for offenders when they leave prison is a critical step to helping these people turn their lives around. The work Corrections has been doing with offenders and potential employers in this area is very promising,” says Ms Upston.
“The decision to recruit eight Offender Recruitment Consultants nationwide has proved particularly successful. Since they began making placements in November, 482 offenders have successfully moved into employment.”
The Employer Partnerships initiatives are designed to support offenders into employment with opportunities provided both inside and outside prison.
Offenders can obtain qualifications through education and training courses offered whilst in prison and this provides them with the first step towards employment when they are released.
Corrections then works with potential employers to match prisoners with positions relevant to their experience and qualifications. So far 125 employers have signed MOUs (Memorandums of Understanding) with the Department.
“We have hosted three successful Employer’s breakfasts already this year in Hamilton, Christchurch and Wellington. The feedback from employers has been positive and has enabled us to engage, and build relationships, with employers, informing them of the opportunities available by working with Corrections.”
“There is a natural hesitancy for employers to take on offenders but the work that is being undertaken by Corrections is helping to break down those perceptions and is delivering work ready employees,” says Ms Upston.
Corrections is developing an enhanced strategy to build on the early success of the programme. This includes both a national and regional focus and an initiative to encourage current partners to bring a ‘friend’ to future events to understand the work being done by Corrections in industry, education and training.
| A Beehive release || July 27, 2017 |||
Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed further engagement between New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
“The establishment of a people-to-people dialogue has been announced during Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s visit to New Zealand,” Mr Brownlee says.
“New Zealand and the United Kingdom enjoy a broad and enduring partnership. At its foundation are the connections between the people of our two countries.
“The Foreign Secretary and I agreed that enhancing those connections will help support a stronger political and economic relationship between New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
“The dialogue will provide a forum for discussing a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including how we might improve the opportunities that exist for our citizens to live and work in each other’s countries.
“The relationship New Zealand shares with the United Kingdom is an important one. The UK is our fifth largest trading partner and one of our closest international security partners.
“As the United Kingdom looks to reshape its relationships around the world following its decision to leave the European Union, we see enhanced engagement as an opportunity to further strengthen the friendship the UK and New Zealand have enjoyed for so long,” Mr Brownlee says.
The people-to-people dialogue will be convened at officials’ level at six monthly intervals. It will complement the existing trade policy dialogue, and strategic dialogue on foreign policy.
| A Beehive release || July 26, 2017 |||
Trade Minister Todd McClay will make the first official visit to Thailand by a New Zealand Minister since 2013 to engage with key ministers and business leaders on trade.
“Thailand is now our eighth largest trading partner. Since the Thailand New Zealand Closer Economic Partnership came into force, total goods trade has increased almost 150 per cent to more than $3 billion in 2016,” Mr McClay says.
“Many New Zealand companies have benefited from better access, but there is opportunity to further increase goods and services exports.”
During the two day visit, Mr McClay will sign an agreement increasing the volume of New Zealand dairy products that can enter Thailand under a preferential tariff rate.
Mr McClay will also sign the official book of condolence on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand, for the late King, His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej.
“New Zealand has a 60 year diplomatic relationship with Thailand, but our economic relationship has been growing rapidly. We look forward to deepening our economic relationship with this important member of the ASEAN region,” Mr McClay says.
| A Beehive release || July 23, 2017 |||
The Reserve Bank has released a Bulletin article reviewing the outcomes of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) for New Zealand. An FSAP is a comprehensive review of a country’s financial system against international standards, with a particular focus on the quality of financial sector regulation. The Bulletin article explains the considerable amount of preparatory work that the Reserve Bank and other New Zealand agencies undertook to support the IMF’s two missions to New Zealand in 2016. The results of the IMF’s assessment were released in early May 2017. They included more than 100 recommendations, many of them directed at the Reserve Bank given its broad range of financial system responsibilities. The Reserve Bank is actively considering the recommendations in its areas of responsibility and the extent to which these would support the Reserve Bank's statutory purpose of promoting and maintaining a sound and efficient financial system. Many of the specific FSAP recommendations dovetail with on-going policy and supervisory initiatives. Examples include the bank director attestation review, the review of registered bank capital requirements, legislative reform for the financial markets infrastructure regime, the review of the Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Act, and the five-year anniversary review of the macro-prudential policy framework in 2018. More information· Bulletin - Outcomes of the 2016 New Zealand Financial Sector Assessment Programme· Financial Sector Assessment Programme· IMF Financial System Stability Assessment (PDF 1.6MB)
| ARBNZ release || July 20, 2017 |||
The Taxpayers' Union can reveal that another $2.4 million has been paid by the NZ Aid programme to the controversial 'Clinton Health Initiative', a subsidiary of the Clinton Foundation, which President Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea Clinton sits on the board of.
The payment of $2,352,869 NZD was paid in May and revealed in a response to a Taxpayers' Union Official Information Act request to Foreign Affairs Minister Gerry Brownlee. Mr Brownlee's response has been uploaded to www.taxpayers.org.nz/2017_clinton_payment
Jordan Williams, Executive Director of the Taxpayers' Union, says "Back in January, the Australian Government cut all ties with the very fund our Government is still pumping millions of taxpayers' money into. Mr Brownlee can say all he likes about the money apparently doing work in Africa, but no one really believes that a charity run by Chelsea Clinton is the best way to deliver that."
"Of real concern is Gerry Brownlee's claim that the Clinton Health Initiative is independent and not a subsidiary of the Clinton Foundation. That is simply not true. We've gone back to the Minister pointing out the Initiative's public filings showing that the Clinton Foundation has full control, including appointing the board - which includes President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton. Under international accounting standards, the power to appoint the board is determinative of that organisation being a 'subsidiary'."
"The Minister is either misleading the public in claiming the fund is not a subsidiary of the Clinton Foundation, or his advisors are incompetent. If it is the latter, it seems $9.1 million of our money has been handed out on a false premise. From a taxpayer perspective, it's not clear which of those is worse."
"In addition to the constitutional objections to NZ Aid giving money to a foreign politician's foundation, if the Clinton Foundation was so effective at delivering aid outcomes, why have our Aussie neighbours pulled out?"
"If this was a charity run by President Donald Trump and daughter Ivanka Trump, then we have no doubt we would not be funding it. So why are we funding the Clintons?"
Notes:
In the letter to the Taxpayers' Union, Foreign Affairs Minister Gerry Brownlee claims that the Clinton Health Initiative is not a subsidiary of the Clinton Foundation. This is wrong.
The Initiative’s “1023” Form – Application for recognition of Exemption under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code shows that the Foundation has full rights of appointment of the members board of the Initiative. As these non-profit groups do not have equity allocation (shareholders) the definition of subsidiary and groups (to the extent that the Initiative must be included in the Foundation’s group or consolidated financial statements) depend on the ability of the Foundation to exercise control over the Initiative. There can be no greater way to do this than the rights to appoint members of the board.
Because the Clinton Foundation has the power to appoint the Board of the Initiative:
The letter from the Minister, and the Taxpayers' Union's response are available at: www.taxpayers.org.nz/2017_clinton_payment.
| A taxpayers Union release || July 18, 2017 |||
Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee has confirmed that United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will visit New Zealand from 23-25 July.
“New Zealand and the United Kingdom enjoy a close and enduring friendship,” Mr Brownlee says.
“We share extensive defence and security links as well as significant business and investment ties.
“We also have a common interest in a range of international peace and security matters.
“We welcome Secretary Johnson’s visit as an opportunity to strengthen our close relationship at a time when the United Kingdom is seeking to reshape its relationships around the world following its decision to leave the European Union,” Mr Brownlee says.
While in New Zealand, Secretary Johnson will meet with Prime Minister Bill English and senior ministers, the Leader of the Opposition and participate in a ceremony to dedicate the United Kingdom memorial at the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park.
| A release from the Beehive || July 14, 2017 |||
New regulations gazetted today will help revolutionise the way New Zealand’s commercial fisheries are managed and monitored, says Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.
The regulations require the use of geospatial position reporting (GPR), e-logbooks, and cameras across the commercial fishing industry and are being rolled out from 1 October this year.
“Digital monitoring is going to revolutionise the way we make fisheries management decisions, and help ensure that we are protecting the sustainability of New Zealand’s fisheries. It will give us arguably the most transparent and accountable commercial fishery anywhere in the world,” says Mr Guy.
“This new technology will provide more accurate and up-to-date information allowing us to make quicker and better-informed management decisions.”
Digital monitoring replaces the paper-based catch and effort reporting system for commercial fishing, which was too inefficient. Fishers will be required to provide more detailed information in their reporting and all data will be integrated by MPI so that what is reported can be compared to the GPR data and camera footage.
“The reality of the industry has too often meant that what happens at sea has been out of sight. We expect this new system will act as a significant deterrent to illegal activity, as the information it captures can and will be used by MPI for prosecutions when the rules are broken.”
The first two stages of digital monitoring – GPR and catch reporting via new e-logbooks – will be brought in from 1 October this year, with cameras phased in to each fishery from 1 October 2018.
Trawl vessels 28 metres and over will be using the GPR and e-logbooks from 1 October, representing over 70 percent of the commercial catch volume. All other operators will have a 6 month period to install the new systems.
“This is the biggest change to the commercial fishing industry since the introduction of the Quota Management System, and I have instructed MPI to support the industry to achieve full implementation and compliance over a six-month period.
“By 1 April 2018 all fishing permit holders will be required to be fully compliant with the GPR and e-logbook systems.”
Digital monitoring is part of the Future of our Fisheries programme, which is strengthening the fisheries management system and making it fit-for-the future. The programme also includes ongoing policy work to help ensure sustainable fisheries.
This year’s Budget included a boost of $30.5 million in funding over the next four years to support these improvements.
More information on this new system and the Future of our Fisheries programme is available at www.mpi.govt.nz/futureofourfisheries.
| A Beehive release || July 13, 2017 |||
Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith today announced a new Regional Research Institute based in Greymouth that will use innovative research and manufacturing techniques to unlock the potential of New Zealand’s minerals resources.
The New Zealand Institute for Minerals to Materials Research led by industry organisation Minerals West Coast Trust, is the third successful proposal under the Government’s initiative to establish new Regional Research Institutes.
“Mining is and will continue to be an important part of the West Coast’s economy, its history, and its DNA,” Mr Goldsmith says.
“The new institute’s strategic vision is to reposition this traditional sector using innovation to convert minerals into higher-value products which will begin a new chapter in the history of the West Coast.”
The Government will provide funding of $11 million over four years for the new institute. With additional funding from industry, it will operate as a private, independently governed organisation.
The institute will explore three research areas initially, including purifying rare earth elements for use in magnets and lasers, extracting tungsten from gold mining waste and developing a carbon foam pilot plant.
“This research has the potential for significant commercial outcomes and economic benefits for the West Coast region including jobs, new infrastructure and export revenue,” Mr Goldsmith says.
“The institute will bring together players from the minerals and materials sectors, an economic development agency, Ngāi Tahu, and research organisations. All of which demonstrates a strong, cohesive collaboration with significant support from the wider community and iwi.
“I look forward to seeing the institute get started and what innovations it can produce for the benefit of the Coast,” Mr Goldsmith says.
The announcement of the new institute through the Regional Research Institute initiative comes as the West Coast launches its Tai Poutini West Coast Economic Development Action Plan. The West Coast was included in the Government’s Regional Growth Programme in November 2015. The programme aims to increase jobs, income and investment in regional New Zealand. More information can be found on the MBIE website, HERE.
| A Beehive release || July 13, 2017 |||
After a long tour of duty the National government again demonstrates erratic and quirky behaviour
Trans Tasman commentator Spiro Zavos observed that toward the end of one of their long periods of time in power that successive National governments become erratic, sometimes eccentrically so. They would, proclaimed the maven, succumb to a type of long distance fatigue and start to weave across their own political road. Here are a trio of notable and quite recent examples…..
Example 1. The John Key Knighthood.
Purpose of the ennoblement: To demonstrate that the National Party appreciated upon his retirement the shrewd and personable leader who had led them to their triumphs, and indirectly, remind its aspirational followers what he had done for them.
Where it went wrong: The K looked like part of Mr Key’s severance package. It was bestowed far too soon, almost immediately after his departure. Also the immediate bestowing looked as if Mr Key wanted it now, rather than waiting for just a few more months. But at which time the Party might not be in a position to give it to him because it was out of power and thus out of the patronage business.
What should have happened: The party should have leaked the notion that their former boss deserved the K. But in the event had turned it down. The leak would then have encompassed the very groups that the Nationals wish to draw into their fold. The leak should have let it be known that the former Premier believed that there were others who deserved the K much more, especially those in let us say education, health, climate, foreign aid, and race relations.
This omission was a major boner and the National marketing apparatus is still unaware that it was pulled in the first place.
Mr Key could then, a few months later, and having correctly foreseen the National win, and indirectly plugged some of the sectors it badly needs to win it, and after suitable expressions of the very, very deepest state of being humbled,, have safely collected his K in the New Year.
If the National spin apparatus has failed to see the contradictory nature of all this, it will, of course, have been identified by New Zealand First’s Winston Peters and sometime very soon will be used as a bargaining chip.
Unintended impression: That Mr Key is uncertain that his party will win the imminent general election
Example 2. The Southland Clutha candidate affair
Purpose of the selection: To demonstrate an uncompromising faith in youth, in this case in their early 20s.
Where it went wrong: The candidate selected had little real life experience especially in the matter of handling local committees and their procedures, particularly important in an electorate so remote from Wellington headquarters
What should have happened: There were plenty of seasoned candidates to choose from in this ultra safe seat who would have contributed to National’s enduring appeal which is centred on experience.
Unintended impression: Revealed an obvious and as it turned out foolish grab at the youth look. Also that the National Party’s once vaunted control over its rural electorates is slipping
Example 3. Premier John Key’s Campaign to change the New Zealand flag.
Purpose of the campaign: To demonstrate that the National Party was sensitive and caring about nationhood and renewal and thus sought a country-wide sharing consensus in devising a new emblem to express this caring, sharing etc…
Where it went wrong: The change-the-flag campaign ran parallel with the commemoration of the centenary of Gallipoli and the Anzac era.
What should have happened: The National government having re-scheduled the flag changing referendum play until before or ideally after the Gallipoli and Anzac centenary should have stated a practical and coherent reason behind what still appears a bizarre event that did not conform to any of its stated policies.
In practical terms it remains a mystery why nobody stressed the mooted change being a solution to the problem many have in telling the difference between the New Zealand flag and the Australian version which at a glance look identical.
Unintended impression: That the National government was prepared to ride roughshod over its backbone patriot support in order to pander to the ephemeral whims of the anti-monarchist, middle class guilt transfer crowd.
| From the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. || Thursday 13 July 2017 |||
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
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