Monthly Archives: August 2022

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Mondaysspeechby New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to the China Business Summit in Auckland was full of soothing words for Beijing.

The headline-grabber was Arderns comment that a few plans are afoot for New Zealand ministers to return to China and that the prime minister herself hopes to return to the country to renew and refresh in-person connections.

This might come sooner than we think. While Chinas current elimination approach to COVID-19 heavily restricts in-person travel, New Zealands own experience shows how quickly these settings can change. After abandoning its own zero-COVID policy, New Zealand this week fully re-opens to all visitors.

Ardern expressing a willingness to travel to China even if it is not currently possible to so is a signal in itself.

Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.

A recurring theme during Arderns speech and the subsequent Q&A was the importance of marking this years 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Beijing and Wellington.

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Calling New Zealands relationship with China one of our most important, Ardern pointed to the long history of engagement, and of beneficial interactions between our governments, our people, cultures and in commerce.

Indeed, throughout the speech, Ardern was mild with her criticism of China and optimistic about the health and future of the bilateral relationship.

This does not mean that the speech was entirely a one-way street Ardern said that New Zealand would continue to speak out on contentious issues such as economic coercion, human rights, Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

But none of this was new; Ardern has cited these same issues in similarspeechesbefore. And in the context of an address that was overwhelmingly positive toward China, the enumeration of the thorny issues on which Beijing and Wellington do not see eye-to-eye felt more like an obligatory recitation than a serious attempt at criticism.

In the speech itself, Ardern made only a single reference to Taiwan, on which she called New Zealands approach consistent a rather placative word she also deployed at several other times during the speech. But unsurprisingly, the Taiwan issue also topped the Q&A session afterwards, especially in relation to rumors of a potential visit there this week by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In response, Ardern noted that dialogue and diplomacy remain key. And she continued to deploy these and other China-friendly phrasings such as de-escalation to stave off the more sensitive sections of the interactive session. These very tactical d-words also made multiple appearances in the speech itself.

Taken as a whole, then, Arderns speech seemed to strike a softer and friendlier tone toward China than might be expected given the overall deterioration in bilateral relations between Wellington and Beijing this year.

Of all of New Zealands shifts toward the West this year and there have been many Beijing seemed most irked by the prime ministersparticipationat the NATO summit in Madrid in late June and by the hawkishjoint statementissued after Ardern met U.S. President Joe Biden in the White House at the end of May.

Both actions met withswiftandsharprebukes from China. While Beijing imposed no further penalty, there is no guarantee that New Zealand will keep escaping punishment if it continues down this bolder path.

Of course, Ardern is adept at tailoring her speeches to her audiences. Todays summit would have been a chance to express a more China-friendly position. After all, Wang Xiaolong, Chinas ambassador to New Zealand, was listening in the front of the audience and Ardern greeted him as she left the stage.

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Still, the prime ministers speech today continued an attempt at rhetorical recalibration that seemed to begin with her addresses in early July toChatham Housein London and theLowy Institutein Sydney.

In London, Ardern defended Chinas right to be involved in the Pacific and talked up the need for diplomacy and dialogue. In Sydney, she rejected the idea of a democracy vs autocracy contest in the aftermath of Russias war on Ukraine.

Arderns Lowy Institute speech also heavily emphasized the notion of New Zealand having an independent foreign policy the phrase or variations of it were deployed no fewer than seven times and her address to the China Business Summit today continued this theme.

Noting once again that New Zealand aimed to be consistent, Ardern said the country had for decades adopted a fiercely independent foreign policy driven by our assessment of our interests and values.

This will go down well with Beijing: Several recent official Chinese statements on the bilateral relationship have approvingly cited the phrase. The embassys account of a virtual meeting held between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta in mid-June when tensions were particularly high citedBeijings respect for New Zealands independent foreign policy.

Chinas liking for the phrase is not without good reason. After all, the origins of the independent foreign policy lie in New Zealands rift with the United States in the 1980s over the Fourth Labor Governments nuclear-free policy.

Wellington may have largely patched up its relations with Washington since then, but New Zealand has never been fully reintegrated into the ANZUS defense alliance a situation that Beijing would no doubt like to see continue.

Thethemeof the China Business Summit this year is A Balancing Act. And certainly, the softer line on China today and in recent speeches could be driven by a realization on the part of Ardern that New Zealand had gone too far with its pro-Western foreign policy in the first half of the year.

The bigger international picture might also provide an opening for a less hardline and more nuanced approach to relations between East and West. In July, Wangsignaleda potential thaw in tensions between China and Australia, saying the Chinese side is willing to take the pulse, recalibrate, and set sail again. And Bidens virtualmeetingwith Xi Jinping last week was the first direct communication between the pair since March.

Of course, this more positive rhetoric needs to be set against the substance. And on that front, the picture looks rather bleak. After all, Xi used his phone call to tell Biden, Those who play with fire will perish by it a reference to the rumors that Pelosi will visit Taiwan this week.

Against this grim global backdrop, Arderns more generous approach toward China will be popular with Beijing. But time will tell whether it is anything more than just talk.

This article was originallypublished by the Democracy Project,which aims to enhance New Zealand democracy and public life by promoting critical thinking, analysis, debate, and engagement on politics and society.

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Jacinda Ardern Strikes a Softer Tone on China - The Diplomat

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the cost of trying to recover the $350 cost of living payment from New Zealanders living overseas would outstrip the benefits.

Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The government is backing the way the payment is being rolled out despite knowing that some people who are ineligible will receive it.

The first instalment - of $116 - will be paid today to New Zealand tax residents over the age of 18 who earned up to $70,000 in the last financial year and are not entitled to the winter energy payment.

An unknown number of New Zealanders living overseas have received letters from Inland Revenue (IRD) saying they qualify for the cost of living bonus, even though they are not New Zealand tax residents.

Ardern said the vast majority of those who would receive the payment were New Zealand taxpayers who were based in New Zealand.

"But we have also moved quickly and so there will be some who are captured by the system, who aren't part of the criteria that's been designed but who may well receive it."

The payment would be distributed by IRD using an automated system so it was not always possible to work out if people were living in New Zealand and the cost of doing so would outweigh any benefits, she said.

The alternative to having these individuals receive the payment would have been an application based process which would have taken too long and it may not have reached those who were most vulnerable, Ardern said.

"The alternative in creating a perfect system would be in creating a less timely payment and potentially those who need it most not being reached."

The payment was one of the measures the government was using to help New Zealanders deal with the cost of living increases in the aftermath of the Covid economic recovery, she said.

"Yes, we've moved quickly, but so has the economic situation."

The payment was still more limited and more targeted than a broad based tax cut, Ardern said.

A tax cut would also likely contribute to inflation but offering a targeted, time-limited payment would limit the possibility of that according to Treasury, she said.

Ardern could not say how many people who did not qualify for the allowance had received it but said that Inland Revenue (IRD) may have that number.

Ardern said she had asked IRD whether individuals who were overseas could be identified based on the interest they were paying on their student loans.

National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis said it was impossible to know the scale of the problem, but she had a sense it was bigger than just a few thousand dollars.

It was not just ex-pat New Zealanders but also former migrants, she said.

"We've been contacted by a man who left New Zealand in 2014, he's now living in India and he got a letter from the IRD advising him he'd be getting the payment."

National had also been contacted by French-working former visa holders and a man who left in 2019 but is now in the Philippines who had also received letters, she said.

"My sense is this is very widespread, it's a major muck-up, it's like the government pressed 'send all' - it's certainly not targeted and for ministers to be dismissive of it is I think quite disrespectful," she said.

"What a slap in the face to hardworking Kiwi taxpayers who pay tax only for that to be given to people around the world who haven't been in New Zealand paying tax for many years in some cases."

Willis said the problems have occurred because it was a policy made on the fly and she had a lot of sympathy for IRD which is having to administer it.

"Both the Treasury and the IRD explicitly warned the government against this approach, they advised them that this was not a good way to go, they said 'some people who are ineligible will end up getting it, it'll be very administratively complex, we don't want to do this' and yet the government pressed play anyway and now we're seeing the results."

National would favour using tax cuts over a government handout since the only people who would get the money would have earned it in the first place, Willis said.

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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern admits some people overseas will receive the cost of living payment - RNZ

We have an economy which is at risk of tipping into recession. Things are a bit tough, Jones said.

There is just a general sense that things are really hard at the moment in New Zealand so youd expect an incumbent government to be faced with difficulties.

A key proxy for government performance - whether New Zealanders believe the country is headed in the right or wrong direction - is also trending badly for Ardern.

We have an economy which is at risk of tipping into recession. Things are a bit tough.

For the first time in her prime ministership, more Kiwis are answering no to that question.

Still, Ardern cast a confident figure when asked about polling this week.

The leader, who celebrated her 42nd birthday on Tuesday, batted away a question suggesting National had momentum, saying it doesnt square with the polling Ive seen.

To a suggestion that Labour was on track to lose seats at the 2023 poll, she responded sharply Which polling is that? before ignoring the question.

Ardern may be drawing confidence from preferred prime minister polling, which has her in front of Luxon by a double-digit margin.

Grant Robertson, Arderns attack-dog deputy, alluded to this in parliament on Wednesday by declaring Luxons standings dropped five points following a nationwide debate on reproductive rights, when he agreed abortion was tantamount to murder.

Her polling has come down from its peak but Jacinda Ardern remains an incredibly popular prime minister, Jones said.

Compare her, say, to [US President] Joe Biden [whose] personal ratings are rock bottom and look at what happened in the UK, and the departure of [Australias] Scott Morrison.

PMs Jacinda Ardern and Anthony Albanese in Sydney earlier this month.Credit:NCA

Jacinda Ardern is actually polling very well for someone whos well into their second term and is facing a series of major challenges, including COVID, cost of living and the economy.

The shape of the political contest will come into sharper context in the coming months as Ardern puts a series of international trips behind her to knuckle down at home.

The prime minister spent much of the colder months on the road, with back-to-back trips to Singapore-Japan, the USA, Australia (twice), Europe and Fiji.

By any stretch, those missions have been extraordinarily successful.

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She sealed a trade deal with the EU and she met Biden at the White House, as her foreign policy subtly pivots towards the US after Chinas tacit support for Russias invasion of Ukraine.

And in Australia, she won a commitment from Anthony Albaneses government to look at improving citizenship pathways, a move that would grant many Kiwis more rights in Australia, and ease NZs long-standing deportations complaint.

Jones said Arderns first overseas travel in two years demonstrated to Kiwis theres more to her than being the COVID prime minister.

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As she steps out of the COVID-19 shadow, Thomas said the government needed to refute the oppositions charges of incompetence to win in 2023.

That means easing cost of living pressures, lowering crime, and landing pledged reforms in health and infrastructure.

Labour were really in a rut, being accused of failing to deliver prior to the pandemic, Thomas said.

Once you remove the pandemic response, theyre back with the lack of delivery narrative on a lot of key promises. Crime has become more of an issue, and particularly more visible, gang crime and organised crime.

The nature of MMP elections in New Zealand is that they are always close, the last election being the exception that proved the rule ... and both parties are now right in the hunt.

Meanwhile, a New Zealand media company has been forced to settle with Arderns partner Clarke Gayford after broadcasting unfounded rumours of criminality.

On Friday, Gayford issued a statement confirming NZME would make a confidential payout following a broadcast from its youth broadcaster KICK in March.

Jacinda Ardern is congratulated by her partner Clarke Gayford after she won a second term as New Zealand Prime Minister last year.Credit:AP

The statements were based on rumours about Mr Gayford that are baseless lies, it said.

NZME Radio has apologised to Mr Gayford for these publications and the hurt and distress they have caused and accepts that he has never been the subject of criminal charges and is not now the subject of criminal charges in any court in New Zealand.

The KICK broadcast, also available as a podcast, has been taken down although the tagline for the episode can still be seen.

New ep of FRESH MUSIC FRIDAY is out now! Joel tables another conspiracy theory and Kate confesses her love for Enrique Iglesias of all people, it reads.

It is not clear precisely what was broadcast about Gayford, but both he and Ardern have been increasingly targeted by conspiracy theorists following lengthy COVID-19 lockdowns.

Anti-vaccine movements are awash with unsubstantiated rumours about Gayfords supposed lawbreaking or infidelity.

In April, a plane flew over Auckland with a banner reading Where is Clarke? , a reference to an alleged court appearance for Gayford. Such was the weight of public interest, police issued a statement saying he had not been charged nor was the subject of any investigation.

Gayford was a well-known figure in New Zealand before becoming first bloke, as a popular DJ and radio and television host, including on the popular Fish Of The Day program.

He and Ardern had a child in 2018, Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford.

The pair were engaged in 2019, though difficulties in planning events during the pandemic mean they have not yet tied the knot.

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Which polling is that?: Jacinda Ardern confident despite bumps - Sydney Morning Herald

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will speak to the media during a visit to the Kapiti Coast today. Video / Mark Mitchell

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has responded to the resignation of TVNZ's news head Paul Yurisich and the report on the recruitment processes that led to the appointment of presenter Kamahl Santamaria, saying the Government had an expectation TVNZ would follow the processes needed in a modern workplace.

Yurisich has resigned as head of news and current affairs at TVNZ after a review into the recruitment processes used by TVNZ both in general and in the case of former Breakfast host Kamahl Santamaria was released.

Santamaria resigned in May after only a month as host, following allegations of inappropriate behaviour directed at multiple women - including at TVNZ. TVNZ CEO Simon Power said it stated the recruitment policy did not apply to the hiring of key presenters and so was not followed in Santamaria's case.

Asked if there was a case to be made for shoulder-tapping for some positions rather than standard recruitment processes, Ardern said all employers should be mindful of the staff already at a company who might want the same opportunity.

"What you have to keep in mind, regardless of the environment, is you have to be mindful of those already in the workplace, those who might also be aspiring to a particular role, and always make sure you've got enough rigour around your processes to ensure that whether it is politics, whether it is broadcasting, whatever, that you're looking after existing staff."

She said people should be able to see that the process being used was robust.

Asked if there had been a failure of a duty of care, Ardern said the Government had an expectation for TVNZ to follow processes needed in a modern workplace, but it was up to the broadcaster to put those into practice.

"What makes a big difference to people is their wellbeing in a place they spend the majority of their time."

Ardern also commented on Inland Revenue's attempts to track down bank details for about 160,000 people who are eligible for the new cost of living payments, which start from August 1.

It will give $350 paid out over three months to all those on incomes of less than $70,000 an estimated 2.1 million people.

It will be paid out automatically but Inland Revenue has struggled to get bank account details for about 160,000 people.

Ardern said the payments would be particularly useful for households in which there were two earners on less than $70,000 - the payment does not take into account household income. Ardern said basing it on individual incomes meant it could start to be paid more quickly. She urged people who were eligible to check that Inland Revenue had their bank details.

It is a key plank of Labour's response to high inflation, along with temporary cuts to fuel excise duties which have now been extended to next January.

Excerpt from:

PM Jacinda Ardern on TVNZ resignation and recruitment - New Zealand Herald