TL;DR: Restlessness about the lack of a new Government is growing as PM-elect Christopher Luxon has been forced to admit he probably won’t be able to go to APEC later this week. Delays to decisions about transport, infrastructure and councils are increasingly frustrating for businesses and other decision-makers.
Reports of major stumbling blocks between National, ACT and New Zealand First over National’s foreign buyer tax ban and ACT’s Treaty referendum call are emerging, raising questions about how quickly Luxon can ‘get his hustle on’ to ‘open up New Zealand for business.’
Elsewhere in the news this morning:
Another Emissions Trading Scheme auction looks set to fail next month, blowing another $1 billion hole in the Government’s Budget; NZ Herald-$$$ Jenee Tibshraeny
The tourism and events industries are pleading for a bed tax to raise funds to promote events and fill a mostly-empty pipeline after a series of council development agency budget cuts, due to broken financial relations between central and local Government; and,
Local National MP Shane Reti has warned the delay in forming the Government could see NZTA-Waka Kotahi completely close State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyns for two months. Shane Reti via X
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Coalition talks dragging, keeping Luxon away from APEC
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