Seymour readies to regulate regulation
An interim CEO has been appointed to lead the Ministry of Regulation. It's one of a number of roles filled or soon to be filled as a seachange begins in Wellington.
Mōrena, and welcome to The Bulletin for Tuesday, March 12, written by Anna Rawhiti-Connell.
In today’s edition: faster phase in bumps cost of landlord tax break by $800m; what the evidence says about free school lunches and bootcamps; police mulling industrial action over pay offer; but first, a new ministry is born as vacant roles across the public service give new government chance to make its mark
Ministry of Regulation to be one of four central agencies
Featuring an image of Act leader and minister of regulation David Seymour atop a horse (from an Act video in 2022), Newsroom’s Emma Hatton reports that the Ministry of Regulation has left the starting gate. The ministry and accompanying Regulatory Standards legislation (slated to be passed by the end of the year) were key planks in Act’s election campaign and part of its coalition agreement with National. Introduced at the party’s conference in June last year, it was billed as three-pronged: the new act, the ministry and enforcement to ensure “bad law” was cut out of the system. As Hatton writes, the ministry will be one of four “central agencies” alongside Treasury, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Public Service Commission.
Interim CEO appointed
Grainne Moss, formerly CEO of Oranga Tamariki, and private residential aged care provider, Bupa, has been appointed interim chief executive. As Hatton notes, Moss’s departure from Bupa was sudden, and her time at Oranga Tamariki was shortlived. The new ministry will be partly funded by the disestablishment of the Productivity Commission, which closed at the end of February. The Herald’s Kate MacNamara reports (paywalled) that it will have three times the staff of the Commission and is “likely to be considerably more well-funded”. MacNamara suggests that the “optics” are likely to be uncomfortable amid the election promises of less government spending and the pressure on the public service to save money.
Bridges appointed as transport chair
Simon Bridges has been appointed Chair of Waka Kotahi, the New Zealand Transport Agency. Bridges was transport minister between 2014 and 2017. The 2015/2016 government policy statement on land transport, which Bridges fronted, prioritised “economic growth and productivity, road safety, and value for money.” The new draft government policy statement on land transport released last week names four key strategic priorities: economic growth and productivity, safety, value for money and increased maintenance and resilience.
Vacancies in key roles allow new government to make mark
As Jem Traylen reports for BusinessDesk (paywalled), key roles are currently vacant in two of the four “central agencies” named above. A chief is being sought for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the role of public service commissioner is also vacant after Peter Hughes finished at the end of February. Top job vacancies also exist at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and for Defence Force. Peter Boshier is also stepping down as Chief Ombudsman for no reason, it seems, other than a very old law that dictates any Ombudsman must step down once that have “attained the age of 72”.
Finally, in truly coincidental departure-related news, after two years as editor of The Bulletin, I will step down from this extraordinary role in the next couple of months. In happy news, I am sticking around as Head of Audience at The Spinoff and will also be writing for the site. I will properly sign off in due course but applications are now open for the role of editor of The Bulletin.
Aotearoa's first ever Māori law professor is making history once again
Professor Jacinta Ruru is set to become University of Otago’s inaugural deputy vice-chancellor Māori. With 20 years as an academic under her belt, she has big goals for the new role, saying she wants to "ensure that Otago is a culturally safe, inspiring, incredible experience for Māori students, and for all of our students."Read more about her appointment, and the mahi that led to it, on The Spinoff now, brought to you in paid partnership with the University of Otago.
Cost of landlord tax break jumps
As the Herald’s Thomas Coughlan reports, reinstating full interest deductibility for residential property investors will cost $800m more than initially flagged in National’s pre-election fiscal and tax plans. The total cost over four years will be $2.9b. The increase is largely related to the coalition agreement with the Act and the percentage amounts able to be deducted over the phase-in period, with a change to those as part of coalition negotiations. It’s all very well explained by 1News’s Anna Murray here.
Evidence gathering on school lunches and boot camps
A couple of useful reads this morning after all the talk of needing more evidence of the merits of free school lunches and the evidence-based opposition to boot camps. Newsroom’s Laura Walters takes a look at the relationship between free school lunches and attendance. Walters concludes it’s complicated but that “both sides of the political debate have to varying degrees cherry-picked or exaggerated the evidence.”
The Herald's Jamie Morton takes a look at the evidence on boot camps (paywalled) rounding up research to date.
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Click and Collect
Police Association describes latest pay offer as “an affront” and “insult”.
Number of threats against MPs fell in 2023
50 people treated by St John’s after sudden plunge on flight from Auckland.
All the Oscar winners and all the Oscar moments, including a homage to Marilyn, Messi the dog and a barely concealed tribute to costume design
In unhelpful news for the Royal family and all who’ve spent too much time thinking about Kate Middleton lately (me), several news agencies issued a “kill notification” (that is what it’s actually called) on a photo of the Princess of Wales and her children after claims it had been edited. The Princess has now said she made the edits.
Feeling clever? Click here to play 1Q, Aotearoa’s newest, shortest daily quiz.
Alice Soper explains why a bit of politics in sport can go a long way. Byron C Clark on why a Groundswell-sponsored speaking tour during the 2023 election is a case study in disinformation. Gabi Lardies writes a handy email template to request your landlord use their tax break to reduce your rent. We round up everything coming to streaming services this week. Stewart Sowman-Lund loved the Pink concert at Eden Park but not the transport chaos afterwards. Jonathan Manns argues that we need to have better conversations about our cities.
Sporting snippets
Close but no cigar as Australia wins the second cricket test against the Black Caps in Christchurch.
The Herald’s Chris Rattue speaks to Bill Foley (paywalled), the owner of Auckland’s new A-league football team.
Jamie Wall asks whether this Super Rugby Pacific season is this the most interesting in a long time.
Recommended reading: Israel’s close ties with our Pacific neighbours
I remember looking at the vote tally on the UN resolution supporting a ceasefire in Gaza last year and being surprised at the number of Pacific Island countries on the list of those who voted against a ceasefire or abstained. 1News’s Indira Stewart has taken an in-depth look at why Israel cultivates close ties with Pacific nations and why Pacific nations are eager to back Israel.
Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.
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And by "bad law" we of course mean "any law that restricts my ability to monopolise, overuse, extract or otherwise put my own profits ahead of the good of anyone or anything else that is not me personally."
As much as a despise Seymour this is one initiative I am quietly hopeful will sort out a lot of issues affecting NZ as a whole. In my industry at least regulations get made that are determined within AU/NZ standards that are never up to date, requires someone (in some cases exclusively appointed by that administration) who can charge what they like and take as long as they like to sign off or are all encompassing and leave fringe developing sectors unable to confirm, in some cases stopping them even starting. Administrators are caught by having to abide by the law while knowing all the time that productivity and competitiveness grinds itself ever lower and lower as a consequence. The public really do not understand how much of this goes on, affecting small businesses around the country and there has been nowhere to bring it to anyone's attention. Im ready to start writing letters as soon as this gets off the ground. If this gives us someone who can shine a light on these problems, that's a start.