Latest news with #McAnulty
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
MP calls out govt inaction on homelessness
Housing First, a government-funded, charity-run scheme that finds people permanent homes with continued wraparound support, was also part of the solution, but it had not yet made it to Dunedin, he said. Pausing a 41-home Kāinga Ora development on a cleared site in Carroll St, planned to be one and two-bed homes, was also a "real shame", he said. Mr McAnulty also attended a meeting of leaders in Dunedin's housing sector yesterday, and said he had come away "incredibly heartened that they are doing whatever they possibly can — but there is a limit when the resourcing and support from central government is being progressively withdrawn". He also applauded the business community for raising concerns, saying it showed recognition that everyonelost when homelessnessgrew. It led to crime, demand on the health system and children being less likely to learn at school. "Whether you look at it from a moral or economic perspective, it is bad news all round." Night Shelter manager David McKenzie, who was at the meeting, said he did not think it was likely the minister would change his mind, but it had been "refreshing" to talk to Mr McAnulty. "He was prepared to listen and understood the issues behind the obvious." Presbyterian Support Otago general manager for Family Works Nicole Devereux said the scale of homelessness in Dunedin was underestimated by government. "This means that we are disadvantaged when central government funding for housing support is considered." At a Dunedin City Council meeting on Tuesday, a motion was carried that the Mayor Jules Radich write to Housing Minister Christopher Bishop, asking the government to reconsider funding the restoration of Aaron Lodge, the abandoned holiday park in Kaikorai Valley, to be temporary homeless accommodation with specialist care on site. DCC principal housing adviser Gill Brown has a vision of achieving functional zero — more people coming out of homelessness than entering it. A DCC spokesperson said the letter to the minister was being drafted.
NZ Herald
08-08-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
NZ infrastructure: Bishop, McAnulty seek consensus for long-term planning – Fran O'Sullivan
Successive governments have announced unfunded projects, allowed business-case costs to balloon and cancelled each other's pet projects. National's National Roads of Significance was gone under Labour after the 2017 election. Auckland Light Rail was cancelled after National formed its Government in 2023. Sunk costs are lost. Break fees also result when it comes to a major cancellation like the Cook Strait ferry contract. This impacts on the taxpayer, who is 'tailend Charlie' for this money-wasting nonsense. But it also has an impact on how potential investors view New Zealand. So, it is long past time to grow up. Refreshingly, it appears this younger generation of political opponents are prepared to do exactly that. The two politicians are of a similar age, Bishop being 41 and McAnulty 40. While it may be a step too far (for their bosses) to characterise their relationship as a political bromance, they do deal with each other frequently. Bishop is Leader of the House and McAnulty holds the Shadow Leader role. At the conference, McAnulty kicked off by saying Labour has been consistent in the stance it will honour any contract that has been entered into if it becomes Government after the 2026 election. Bishop distinguished bipartisanship from forming a 'bipartisan pipeline'. 'Instead, move towards the idea that we need bipartisan consensus on the idea that governments of all flavours should use best practice to plan, select, fund and finance, deliver and look after infrastructure. 'That's not the case at the moment, and that's what I'm working hard to fix.' Both committed to finding a consensus, Bishop saying the National Infrastructure Plan will only be successful if it's accepted and adopted across successive governments over the long term. McAnulty replied: 'We can't be naive about it. You're never going to get a situation where the National and Labour parties are going to agree on every single aspect and every detail of every project.' However, they could find bipartisanship when it comes to the overall framework. One confronting issue is the short election cycle of three years. Former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar sympathised with New Zealand politicians' plight of having to shepherd major projects through within a three-year parliamentary cycle. 'Four years is better. I think five is probably optimum,' he told the symposium, pointing out that when you're a year out from an election, 'all that politicians are thinking about is the election, understandably'. 'So that really gives you two years to govern, and it might take the first few months just to get things up and running … I believe there's some discussions about making it four. I think you should do that. You should definitely make it five if you can.' New Zealand is likely to get a chance to vote next year in a referendum on the introduction of a four-year term. Varadkar – who spoke via video link - served two terms as Taoiseach, from 2017-20 and 2022-24. Through the Project Ireland 2040 plan, the budget for investment in public infrastructure more than doubled during his time as Prime Minister from under €6 billion (about $9.5b at 2017 exchange rates) a year to more than €12b a year with major investments in transport, rural broadband, energy, climate action, healthcare and education. Like Varadkar, Singapore's Andrew Tan also advised that a bipartisan approach to forming national infrastructure strategies and an associated programme is essential. Tan is a former managing director at Temasek International, a former chief executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and a former Principal Private Secretary to former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. 'Like Singapore, New Zealand's ability to attract foreign investments, talent and innovation to the new areas of the economy will be key drivers of future growth. 'You can't win across every field, but you can focus on some key sectors where you have the right to win. 'Government can and should take the lead in setting national objectives with the backing of the private sector.' If rationality can be injected here, why stop with infrastructure? At the Herald's Mood of the Boardroom last year, Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Labour's finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds agreed to have a discussion about the sustainability of New Zealand's current superannuation system. That came unstuck when it became clear Willis wanted to put the age of eligibility on the table. Time for more adults in the room?
Scoop
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
TVNZ Unveils 2025's Biggest Streaming Hits
TVNZ proudly presents the 20 most-streamed shows on TVNZ+ for the first half of 2025, showcasing an impressive array of local and international content. This year, TVNZ+ has captivated 2.17 million viewers, who have collectively engaged with 205 million minutes of content each week. Brent McAnulty, TVNZ's Interim Chief News & Content Officer, expressed enthusiasm for the platform's achievements. "I couldn't be prouder of the incredible content we're delivering to Kiwi audiences on TVNZ+. From local shows to captivating international series and movies, we are thrilled the diverse range of entertainment we offer resonates so well with viewers,' he says. "The engagement we are seeing is a testament to the quality and variety of our offerings. It's great to witness audiences not only finding new favourites but also coming back for more, week after week,' McAnulty adds. Leading the pack is 1News at Six, the most streamed show on TVNZ+, reaching 698,000 logged in viewers and firmly positioning the show as the nation's top choice for trusted television news. Demi Moore's Golden Globe-winning performance in The Substance has captivated audiences, securing the second spot and reaching 251,300 viewers. Premium dramas such as Rogue Heroes and The Day of The Jackal continue to enthral with gripping narratives and international titles, which remain highly popular, include Protection, Bergerac, The Hardacres, The Crow Girl, Code of Silence, and Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, all of which have made it onto the Top 20 list. The popular US dramedy The Rookie holds strong at third place, while Bluey continues to dominate as the most-watched children's show, boasting an impressive 21.4 million streams this year. Local favourites shine, with *Shortland Street, *Hyundai Country Calendar, and Off the Grid with Colin and Manu securing enviable spots on the list. Reality formats Travel Guides and Love Island: All Stars maintain their popularity, and Love Island UK has already earned a place in the Top 20, despite being just three weeks into the new season on TVNZ+. Moreover, TVNZ+ Sports Hub has delighted cricket fans, with BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS matches reaching 402,800 viewers, ensuring front-row seats to an exciting summer of sixes. TVNZ+ continues to deliver unparalleled news and entertainment to Kiwi audiences, reflecting the diverse tastes and preferences of viewers across the country. TOP 20 SHOWS ** 1. 1News at Six 2. The Substance 3. The Rookie 4. Rogue Heroes 5. Bluey 6. NZ Cricket 7. The Day of the Jackal 8. Bergerac 9. Protection 10. Code of Silence 11. *Shortland Street 12. Travel Guides 13. Love Island: All Stars 14. *Hyundai Country Calendar 15. The Hardacres 16. Off the Grid with Colin and Manu 17. The Crow Girl 18. Lockerbie: A Search for Truth 19. Love Island UK 20. Dope Girls *Made with the Support of NZ On Air
Scoop
20-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Government, Opposition Scrap Over Common Infrastructure Ground
Article – RNZ Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop has agreed to work with his counterparts on the 30-year plan, but the discussion got heated. A reference to $250,000 was corrected to $250 million in this story. Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop has committed to working directly with the Opposition, when putting together the Government's response to the 30-year infrastructure plan due out next week. He says that co-operation comes on the proviso that infrastructure decisions are always political in nature – and it did not stop the discussion from repeatedly descending into a fingerpointing tit-for-tat over which government was to blame for what. Labour housing, infrastructure and public investment spokesperson Kieran McAnulty kicked off the scrutiny week select committee hearing on Thursday afternoon, making an effort to 'start on a positive note' on how bipartisanship could work for infrastructure policy, suggesting that would provide more certainty to the sector. 'I agree,' Bishop said. 'That's part of the reason why we campaigned on a 30-year national infrastructure plan being developed in government.' The plan has been developed independently by the Infrastructure Commission since late 2023 and is due to be launched at Parliament next week, with the government required to respond within six months. Bishop said he planned a Parliamentary debate, so all the political parties' views could be included in that response, but McAnulty wanted more. 'At the moment, frankly, the attitude of some ministers of bipartisanship is, 'We'll work with you, if you agree with us', and I don't think that's good enough,' he said, garnering an emphatic 'yeah' from Green MP Julie Anne Genter. Bishop said completely depoliticising infrastructure was not possible, which was to be expected in a democracy. 'You know, if we all agreed, this would be a fairly boring place,' he said. McAnulty agreed with an agreement to disagree. 'We think some of the things you've done are stupid… what I would like to see is a commitment,' he said. 'There's an opportunity there to work with the other side to actually identify where there is broad agreement and include that in your response.' More than just a debate, he wanted the response to include an explanation of which infrastructure projects the government and opposition parties agreed on. Bishop: 'I'm happy to commit to that now. Just making the obvious point … we may not always agree. 'For example, you guys have got to figure out where you're at on PPPs, for example, because you've had about nine different positions. McAnulty: 'We know where we're at with that.' Bishop: 'You sure?' McAnulty: 'Yes, I am actually… this is one of the things that I'm actually trying to avoid, right, is that we can't help ourselves. 'This is the game we're in. We talk about bipartisanship, but we also take every opportunity to have a crack at each other.' Bishop: 'Well, you just said some of the stuff we've done was stupid.' McAnulty: 'Exactly my point, we can't help ourselves.' Bishop said parties could agree on a lot, when it came to infrastructure, and 'sometimes there's a bit more heat than light in this debate'. McAnulty said he did not think the public would know that. The minister pressed on, deferring to Infrastructure Commission chief executive Geoff Cooper to explain the projects expected across the country from about 110 organisations, including all but 14 of the country's councils. The result was a list showing investment worth $206 billion, broken down by region and sector, which Cooper said started to paint a much clearer picture of investment. 'The point is to have… almost a single source of truth for what's in the pipeline,' Bishop said. Committee chair Andy Foster – a former Wellington mayor – said the information should be included in councils' long-term plans and they should be contributing. Bishop had an easy solution. 'Well, if they don't do it, we can just mandate that they do it – but I'd rather not, because that takes time and money,' he said. 'I'd rather they just do it.' 'Enough of those mandates for councils,' interjected Labour local government spokesperson Tangi Utikere. 'We make them do all sorts of things for the right reasons and this would be the same thing,' Bishop responded. Clashes over cancellations While the first half hour was not entirely bonhomie, unicorns and rainbows, the verbal finger pointing was surely on show in the second half of Bishop's appearance. McAnulty asked if the minister accepted cancelling projects across successive governments had affected sector confidence. 'Depends exactly what you're talking about,' Bishop said. 'I accept that, after 2017, the radical change in direction of the National Land Transport Plan at the time had a significant impact.' 'So you're willing to say that one government cancelled projects that had an effect, but you're not willing to concede that you guys cancelling projects has?' McAnulty responded. Bishop said it showed the limits of bipartisanship. 'Our view was that they're the wrong projects for the country, he said. 'Depends which one, but generally too expensive, not good value for money, in some cases undeliverable. 'It was the right thing to do to say, 'You know what, we're actually just not going to proceed with that'.' Genter said many council projects were also defunded under the coalition and the iReX ferry replacement could have been rescoped, rather than dumped. Predictably, this kicked off a four-minute cancellation-measuring contest – which government cancelled more projects? Who cancelled more projects that were already contracted? 'You can have an intention to do something, it doesn't mean it will end up happening,' Bishop concluded – or seemed to. 'The last government lived in fiscal fantasy land.' 'Only because your government made a decision to give billions of dollars to landlords,' Genter fired back. Foster was eager to move on, asking Bishop about whether Kāinga Ora had managed to bring social housing build costs down to the same level as private developers – a topic well traversed in the last scrutiny week in December. The minister did not have the latest numbers, 'because this is not the vote Housing and Urban Development estimates', but the agency was making 'good progress' and would report back on that publicly. He and Utikere then argued some more over the roughly $250 million allocated for cancellation of the ferries contract – whether that was part of Bishop's responsibilities – with Bishop saying it belonged to Rail Minister Winston Peters and Utikere saying, when they'd asked Peters, he'd referred it to Bishop. Utikere: 'And the minister doesn't even know … that's very disappointing.' Bishop: 'Yes. So's your behaviour.' Utikere: 'No, it's not actually, minister, my behaviour is about scrutinising the executive – that is our responsibility. 'It is disappointing that you don't know the answer to just over a quarter of a billion dollars' worth of taxpayers money that has been set aside in your Budget.' Foster stepped in again, suggesting Bishop's answer was that it was best for his ministerial staff to provide an answer and they did. Treasury deputy secretary Leilani Frew said negotiations for the ferry contract exit were still continuing, as well as wind-down costs. The discussion soon wound down too – after a series of patsy questions and a discussion about the causes of 15,000 fewer people being employed in construction. Bishop argued it was an expected side-effect of bringing down the official cash rate, which would – in turn – have the biggest effect on reinvigorating the sector, McAnulty argued housing could be an avenue for stimulating growth. In the end, the public got a commitment to bipartisanship. Whether it lasts remains to be seen, but investors watching this scrappy select committee may be hesitant to bet the house on it.
Scoop
20-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Government, Opposition Scrap Over Common Infrastructure Ground
A reference to $250,000 was corrected to $250 million in this story. Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop has committed to working directly with the Opposition, when putting together the Government's response to the 30-year infrastructure plan due out next week. He says that co-operation comes on the proviso that infrastructure decisions are always political in nature - and it did not stop the discussion from repeatedly descending into a fingerpointing tit-for-tat over which government was to blame for what. Labour housing, infrastructure and public investment spokesperson Kieran McAnulty kicked off the scrutiny week select committee hearing on Thursday afternoon, making an effort to "start on a positive note" on how bipartisanship could work for infrastructure policy, suggesting that would provide more certainty to the sector. "I agree," Bishop said. "That's part of the reason why we campaigned on a 30-year national infrastructure plan being developed in government." The plan has been developed independently by the Infrastructure Commission since late 2023 and is due to be launched at Parliament next week, with the government required to respond within six months. Bishop said he planned a Parliamentary debate, so all the political parties' views could be included in that response, but McAnulty wanted more. "At the moment, frankly, the attitude of some ministers of bipartisanship is, 'We'll work with you, if you agree with us', and I don't think that's good enough," he said, garnering an emphatic "yeah" from Green MP Julie Anne Genter. Bishop said completely depoliticising infrastructure was not possible, which was to be expected in a democracy. "You know, if we all agreed, this would be a fairly boring place," he said. McAnulty agreed with an agreement to disagree. "We think some of the things you've done are stupid... what I would like to see is a commitment," he said. "There's an opportunity there to work with the other side to actually identify where there is broad agreement and include that in your response." More than just a debate, he wanted the response to include an explanation of which infrastructure projects the government and opposition parties agreed on. Bishop: "I'm happy to commit to that now. Just making the obvious point ... we may not always agree. "For example, you guys have got to figure out where you're at on PPPs, for example, because you've had about nine different positions. McAnulty: "We know where we're at with that." Bishop: "You sure?" McAnulty: "Yes, I am actually... this is one of the things that I'm actually trying to avoid, right, is that we can't help ourselves. "This is the game we're in. We talk about bipartisanship, but we also take every opportunity to have a crack at each other." Bishop: "Well, you just said some of the stuff we've done was stupid." McAnulty: "Exactly my point, we can't help ourselves." Bishop said parties could agree on a lot, when it came to infrastructure, and "sometimes there's a bit more heat than light in this debate". McAnulty said he did not think the public would know that. The minister pressed on, deferring to Infrastructure Commission chief executive Geoff Cooper to explain the projects expected across the country from about 110 organisations, including all but 14 of the country's councils. The result was a list showing investment worth $206 billion, broken down by region and sector, which Cooper said started to paint a much clearer picture of investment. "The point is to have... almost a single source of truth for what's in the pipeline," Bishop said. Committee chair Andy Foster - a former Wellington mayor - said the information should be included in councils' long-term plans and they should be contributing. Bishop had an easy solution. "Well, if they don't do it, we can just mandate that they do it - but I'd rather not, because that takes time and money," he said. "I'd rather they just do it." "Enough of those mandates for councils," interjected Labour local government spokesperson Tangi Utikere. "We make them do all sorts of things for the right reasons and this would be the same thing," Bishop responded. Clashes over cancellations While the first half hour was not entirely bonhomie, unicorns and rainbows, the verbal finger pointing was surely on show in the second half of Bishop's appearance. McAnulty asked if the minister accepted cancelling projects across successive governments had affected sector confidence. "Depends exactly what you're talking about," Bishop said. "I accept that, after 2017, the radical change in direction of the National Land Transport Plan at the time had a significant impact." "So you're willing to say that one government cancelled projects that had an effect, but you're not willing to concede that you guys cancelling projects has?" McAnulty responded. Bishop said it showed the limits of bipartisanship. "Our view was that they're the wrong projects for the country, he said. "Depends which one, but generally too expensive, not good value for money, in some cases undeliverable. "It was the right thing to do to say, 'You know what, we're actually just not going to proceed with that'." Genter said many council projects were also defunded under the coalition and the iReX ferry replacement could have been rescoped, rather than dumped. Predictably, this kicked off a four-minute cancellation-measuring contest - which government cancelled more projects? Who cancelled more projects that were already contracted? "You can have an intention to do something, it doesn't mean it will end up happening," Bishop concluded - or seemed to. "The last government lived in fiscal fantasy land." "Only because your government made a decision to give billions of dollars to landlords," Genter fired back. Foster was eager to move on, asking Bishop about whether Kāinga Ora had managed to bring social housing build costs down to the same level as private developers - a topic well traversed in the last scrutiny week in December. The minister did not have the latest numbers, "because this is not the vote Housing and Urban Development estimates", but the agency was making "good progress" and would report back on that publicly. He and Utikere then argued some more over the roughly $250 million allocated for cancellation of the ferries contract - whether that was part of Bishop's responsibilities - with Bishop saying it belonged to Rail Minister Winston Peters and Utikere saying, when they'd asked Peters, he'd referred it to Bishop. Utikere: "And the minister doesn't even know ... that's very disappointing." Bishop: "Yes. So's your behaviour." Utikere:"No, it's not actually, minister, my behaviour is about scrutinising the executive - that is our responsibility. "It is disappointing that you don't know the answer to just over a quarter of a billion dollars' worth of taxpayers money that has been set aside in your Budget." Foster stepped in again, suggesting Bishop's answer was that it was best for his ministerial staff to provide an answer and they did. Treasury deputy secretary Leilani Frew said negotiations for the ferry contract exit were still continuing, as well as wind-down costs. The discussion soon wound down too - after a series of patsy questions and a discussion about the causes of 15,000 fewer people being employed in construction. Bishop argued it was an expected side-effect of bringing down the official cash rate, which would - in turn - have the biggest effect on reinvigorating the sector, McAnulty argued housing could be an avenue for stimulating growth. In the end, the public got a commitment to bipartisanship. Whether it lasts remains to be seen, but investors watching this scrappy select committee may be hesitant to bet the house on it.
