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Government

5 hours ago

Seymour wants to slash ‘bloated’ ministerial line-up

ACT leader and soon-to-be deputy prime minister David Seymour has criticised the ministerial line-up as looking “bloated” and full of “meaningless titles”, as he calls for a smaller team of ministers, portfolios and departments. In a speech to the Tauranga Business Chamber, Seymour made the case for streamlining the executive government, saying the current set-up was “a big, complicated bureaucratic beast” and an example of “national paralysis”. “We currently have 82 ministerial portfolios... held by 28 ministers. And under them, we have 41 separate government departments,“ Seymour said.

RNZ

5 hours ago

Second yellow-bellied sea snake found on West Coast

A venomous sea snake has been found on the South Island’s West Coast – the second one to be found on New Zealand’s shores in less than a week. Hokitika resident Vicki Breeze was walking her dog at the beach on Friday when she found a live yellow-bellied sea snake. Breeze initially mistook the snake for a interesting piece of wood to take home to her grandchildren.

RNZ

6 hours ago

‘Showing weakness to Trump is a major, major mistake’

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has criticised New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters over his decision to fire New Zealand’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Phil Goff, describing the move as surprising and a sign of weakness in the face of Donald Trump’s foreign policy threats. In an interview on 30 With Guyon Espiner, Turnbull said he was taken aback by Peters’ sacking of Goff following comments the diplomat made questioning Trump’s understanding of history at a Chatham House event.

RNZ

8 hours ago

Rail-enabled ferry to be retired

Interislander’s only rail-enabled ferry, the Arartere, will be retired this year to make way for the construction of new port infrastructure, seeing some jobs cut. The ship which first entered service on Cook Strait in 1999 made headlines last year when it ran aground near Picton which began with an autopilot mistake. The Aratere requires specific loading and unloading infrastructure so it cannot use the other Interislander wharf in Picton while port upgrades there and in Wellington are underway for two new ferries, set to arrive in 2029.

RNZ

30 Apr 2025

Auckland mayor seeks visitor bed tax

Auckland’s mayor is urging the government to approve his plan for a bed tax for visitors, after public feedback showed majority support for the proposal. Consultation on Auckland Council’s annual plan, which includes the proposal for a bed night visitor levy, received more than 13,000 pieces of feedback. Council said 60 percent of individuals who responded on the issue supported the bed tax.

RNZ