How we got where we are
Written By:
- Date published:
7:35 am, November 24th, 2011 - 39 comments
Categories: economy, employment, labour, national -
Tags: clueless, economic management, lies
I think it’s worth reminding ourselves that we had a choice at the last election between competent economic management and a bunch of hollow promises. We made a poor choice then, and every indication is that we’re about to repeat it. Perhaps if we consider the history of how we got where we are on the economy (updating a post from last year), there’s still time to avoid making the same mistake again:
Labour’s legacy
Labour left the economy in good shape in 2008. Treasury said so at the time in their briefing to the incoming government:
A stable macroeconomic environment gives investors confidence in the New Zealand economy as a place to invest. It gives New Zealand businesses a degree of certainty for making business decisions. Successive governments have done a good job of getting the New Zealand economy in a position where it can respond well to economic shocks. Low levels of public debt allow freedom to look through short-term cyclical fluctuations and there is room to adjust monetary policy to support demand.
Bill English said so too, on Dec 18 2008:
“I want to stress that New Zealand starts from a reasonable position in dealing with the uncertainty of our economic outlook.” “In New Zealand we have room to respond. This is the rainy day that Government has been saving up for,” he told reporters at the Treasury briefing on the state of the economy and forecasts.
Bill was still saying the same, in May 2010. The IMF agreed:
[New Zealand] was better placed, in terms of its starting point going into the crisis, than many countries. The basic nature of its banking system, the floating exchange rate, and low Government debt should stand it in good stead. … As well, “significant” stimulus from monetary and fiscal policy was happening, even if its full benefits had yet to be felt. “The average advanced country is starting with [government] debt of around 80 per cent of GDP,” Mr Brooks said. “New Zealand’s gross debt is around 20 per cent and in net terms it has positive financial assets. That’s important.”
Labour oversaw a decade of growth. According to Reserve bank Governor Dr Allan Bollard in 2008…
“We have enjoyed a decade of growth, the longest period of economic growth since the post-World War 2 era. Inflation has been low, averaging 2.2 per cent since 1998.
Labour paid off debt from the past, grew the economy quicker than comparable countries, stopped the widening pay gap with Australia, took unemployment to 30 year lows, alleviated poverty with Working for Families, and started planning for the future (and stimulating the economy) with Kiwisaver and the Cullen fund. That’s an economic record to be proud of.
2008 recession
For a variety if reasons – none of them economic mismanagement – the New Zealand economy technically went in to recession in 2008. Reserve Bank Governor Dr Bollard sums up:
The international financial crisis actually played little role in the early part of New Zealand’s economic recession. Rather, it was drought, falling house prices and high petrol prices that dragged New Zealand GDP growth negative over the first three quarters of 2008.
Despite being then caught up in the unfolding global recession, the resilient economy left by Labour recovered, and we were technically out of recession by the June quarter 2009. In other words the recovery was underway before the new National government’s first budget. National claim the credit of course, but we were out of recession before they even so much as twitched the reins of the economy. But National wasted the opportunity for a stronger rebound. Wasted it, because (unlike Australia) they had no idea and no plan for growth.
2008 election
It was obvious before the election that Labour both understood the magnitude of the global recession, and had a detailed plan and stimulus package ready for the economy. National, in contrast, was only focused on buying the election with irresponsible promises of massive tax cuts (a promise dropped as soon as their bums hit the ministerial seats). They had no realistic plan. John Armstrong summed up:
If actions speak louder than words, Labour was the winner on Day One of the official election campaign – game, set and match. In the fight over which of the two major parties is best at running the economy, Labour scored a significant tactical victory. …
Key’s earlier speech at National’s campaign opening in Auckland’s SkyCity Convention Centre said nothing new on economic policy. In fact, it said nothing new about anything.
If that was not bad enough, Labour was getting ready to lay out something really meaty just a few blocks away in the Auckland Town Hall. There, Helen Clark trumped Key by delivering the recovery package he had been demanding, including contingency plans to save jobs and the promise of a mini-budget in December. The upshot was that Labour looked like it was governing; National looked complacent and flat-footed.
The new National government
In the face of the worst global recession in decades, the incoming National government infamously went on holiday:
Govt’s ’100 days of action’ includes 28-day holiday
It was supposed to be “100 days of action” … . but the new Government’s urgent agenda includes 28 days of a skeleton holiday-time operation. Despite the global economic crisis, Prime Minister John Key is on leave at his Hawaii getaway and – as in past summers – other ministers have been acting as the lone “duty minister”.
Not that it mattered much, because there’s very little difference between Nats on holiday and Nats asleep at the wheel. They had no plan of their own, so they tried to claim credit for the outgoing Labour government’s economic stimulus. Superb reporting by Tim Watkin at Pundit caught them out:
The $9 billion bait and switch
National claims its $9 billion stimulus package is one of the largest in the world and will protect New Zealand from the worst of the recession. But much of package is in fact old spending re-announced, including most of the previous government’s 2008 Budget and the purchase of KiwiRail that National so vehemently opposed
News sites and radio bulletins today are full of the government’s $500 million infrastructure spending plans, as part of its $9 billion stimulus plan for the economy. What they’re not telling you how the government is cutting and pasting old numbers under new headlines to make itself look more pro-active than it really is. … In truth, it’s a bunch of already budgeted-for spending plans re-announced and labelled a stimulus package. …
Tim finally got the truth:
The truth about National’s so-called stimulus: not a penny more
… Yesterday afternoon I got an answer and an admirably detailed answer at that from Bill English’s office. The short version is this: Last December the government confirmed that its new spending combined with Labour’s already committed spending would total $9b over the next three years. Every spending announcement since the business tax reform, the new bridges and schools hasn’t been about new money, it’s merely been telling us how that $9b would be spent. While the economy tanks and the rest of the world commits hundreds of billions in new spending, New Zealand hasn’t changed its fiscal plans one iota.
Desperate to be seen to be doing something, Key came up with a talk-fest “Jobs Summit”, and his astounding plan to fight the global recession with a cycleway. How’s that working out again? National have now had three budgets, in economic terms all of them wasted. Or actually damaging. Oh and by the way, unemployment is still high and the wage gap with Australia is growing ever greater too.
Signs of recovery
Not because of but in spite of the bumbling National government, the battered NZ economy is trying to battle itself back to good health. There are occasional signs of hope. As usual the Nats are desperate to claim the credit. But none of the “green shoots” are due to the government. Here’s a typical example:
Rising commodities have supported New Zealand’s economic recovery over the past 12 months after it climbed out of its deepest recession in 18 years in the June quarter last year. Central bank Governor Alan Bollard said New Zealand’s trading partners had recovered faster than expected and this had filtered through to the country’s exports.
Thanks commodity prices! Thanks trading partners! No thanks National. Similarly:
The outlook for the financial system has improved over recent months, reflecting a recovery in the New Zealand economy driven by stronger trading partner activity and a sharp lift in the terms of trade, Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard said today…
Thanks terms of trade! Thanks again trading partners! No thanks National. But it’s not all down to international factors – consider:
Deficit Falls Further The Government’s deficit has decreased further, with the Crown’s operating balance for the nine months to March 31 coming in $2,006 million smaller than forecast at $1,327 million mainly due to gains on the Crown’s investment portfolios held by the NZS Fund, ACC and EQC.
Thanks Super Fund, ACC and EQC, or in other words thanks Labour governments (2001, 1974, 1947)! No thanks National. Overall our performance coming out of the recession was anaemic:
June 2010 rebound much slower than usual:
The Reserve Bank is expected to keep raising interest rates, despite figures showing a much slower recovery than seen in past rebounds from recession. … The pace of this recovery is only a fraction of other rebounds seen in the past 20 years, as the economy slowly picks up after the global financial crisis.
Expansionary Austerity
The reason that the recover in NZ is taking longer than it should is that the Nats’ economic policies are stifling it. They think that the answer is for the government to cut cut cut. Cut spending, cut jobs, cut everything (except their own pet projects of course). This austerity is supposed to impress “the market” and “inspire confidence”, thus “causing growth”. This theory, known as “expansionary austerity”, has a tiny problem. It’s bollocks. And it’s been shown to be bollocks in both the UK and the USA. Here’s an example of us coming to the same realisation here in NZ:
Frozen family support blamed for economy
Reducing support to lower and middle income families worsens the impact of recession and contributes to the widening gap with Australia, Auckland University’s retirement think tank says.
The Retirement Policy and Research Centre investigated whether New Zealand and Australia’s economies have grown further apart since the global financial crisis.
Tax shenanegans
Many of the Nats’ economic problems arise from their irresponsible 2008 election bribe of tax cuts “North of $50” per week. While they broke that promise they did deliver some tax cuts. This was supposedly in the form of a “fiscally neutral” tax switch, where Key broke another promise and raised GST to 15%. But the tax cuts didn’t deliver growth, and they weren’t fiscally neutral at all. The Nats have borrowed $1.1 billion in the first nine months to pay for their tax cuts (most of which went to the already wealthy). This extra borrowing helped contribute to the credit downgrades…
Double downgrade = Epic fail
The Nats made avoiding a credit downgrade the litmus test of their budgets. They failed, not once but twice, receiving credit downgrades from both S&P and Fitch. That’s an international vote of no confidence in the Nats’ handling of the economy. Here’s economist Bernard Hickey:
Ratings agencies don’t accidentally or routinely downgrade sovereign credit ratings. This is New Zealand’s first downgrade in 13 years. They matter. An ANZ study showed how previous downgrades preceded significant downward pressure on the currency and the economy.
No one should forget also that the government argued in the 2009 and 2011 budgets that its supposedly tough measures were designed to avoid a credit rating downgrade. This is clearly an ‘epic fail’ as the programmers might say.
Muddling through to PREFU
So the Nats have been just muddling through. There’s no real leadership:
The John Key Government’s own growth strategy is a case in point. For example, the shambles over the mining strategy and the failure to put some ballast under the PM’s financial services hub project. Until recently, NZTE has been a relative shambles … the list goes on.
It’s unfathomable that a private sector operator like Key doesn’t put a few more skilled ministers alongside Steven Joyce and Tony Ryall to form a speed team to get major change bedded down.
After three years of economic crises, endlessly debating is no longer an option.
Sometimes they try pretending that they’re doing something – but they get caught:
Govt admits no new details in $17 billion infrastructure plan
UPDATED: Bill English has admitted the government infrastructure plan released today does not contain detail on any infrastructure project that had not already been announced over the past 2-3 years.
(And most of that, you’ll recall, was actually Labour’s work.) No wonder that most businesses think that the government has no plan for the economy. But that brings us up to date, and up to the PREFU (Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update). Here’s one summary (and warning):
Grim forecast for New Zealand’s finances
After Treasury opened the books on yet another gloomy forecast, it is tempting to ask whether things could get any worse. Well, yes, is the short answer. In a case study presented by Treasury in today’s Pre-election Fiscal Update (prefu) as one extreme scenario, we are caught in a downward spiral that ultimately results in the Government being so bust it can’t pay its bills. …
And here’s Labour’s well researched summary of where we’re at in the run up to the election:
- Unemployment has increased by 50 per cent, leaving 157,000 New Zealanders out of work.
(Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey)- 100,000 New Zealanders have left for Australia after he promised he would stop the brain drain.
(Source: Statistics New Zealand, International Travel and Migration)- Prices have gone up nearly four times faster than incomes over the past 3 years. John Key increased prices by hiking GST after promising not to.
(Source: Statistics New Zealand, New Zealand Income Survey and Consumer Price Index)- The first credit rating downgrade in 13 years and a double downgrade at that.
(Source: Westpac, Weekly Commentary: Sign of the times, 3 October 2011)- There are 60,000 more people on benefits costing an extra $1 billion a year.
(Sources: MSD, National Benefit Factsheet and Monthly Benefit Data; and Treasury, Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update 2011)- The wage gap with Australia has increased by $32 a week.
(Sources: Statistics New Zealand, Quarterly Employment Survey and Australian Bureau of Statistics, Average Weekly Earnings, PPP adjusted)- There are 55,200 15 to 24 year olds not in education, employment or training and the number of young people on the unemployment benefit long term has increased by over 700 per cent.
(Sources: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey, NEETs and Hon Paula Bennett, Question for Written Answer 6058 )- The economy has grown by just 0.4 per cent since John Key took office.
(Source: Statistics New Zealand, Gross Domestic Product)- National’s tax cuts for the most well off were supposed to be paid for with the GST. They actually cost an extra $1.1 billion in their first nine months.
(Source: Treasury, Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand for the year ended 30 June 2011)- The underclass has grown with the number of children living in benefit dependent households increasing by over 32,000 in the past 3 years.
(Source: New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services, Vulnerability Report, Sept 2009 and Sept 2011)
Summing up
The last Labour government had an economic record to be proud of, and left the country well placed to weather the global recession. National squandered that legacy. They had no plan before the 2008 election, and they still have no plan to this day. All they can do is try and illegitimately claim the credit for every minor upward blip in an indicator, and watch helplessly as they fall further and further behind on every measure for their self appointed goal of catching up with Australia.
The Nats blame their multiple failures on the financial crisis, and of course it’s true that events have made things difficult globally. But this was known before the last election. National promised us a fully costed plan and a quick recovery. It didn’t happen. Not this election they’re making similar empty promises (and telling similar lies). We shouldn’t make the mistake of believing them again.
We don’t need excuses, we need solutions. We’ve tried National and so we’ve wasted three years. Time for a real government. Bring back Labour!
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You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...3 days ago - What is Mexico doing about climate change?This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...3 days ago
- State of humanity, 2024
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...3 days ago - Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...4 days ago
- The case for cultural connectednessA recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...4 days ago
- Useful context on public sector job cutsDavid Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...4 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racismRemember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...4 days ago
- Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal4 days ago
- True Blue.
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...4 days ago - Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...4 days ago
- 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #15A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...4 days ago
- Feline Friends and Fragile Fauna The Complexities of Cats in New Zealand’s Conservation Efforts
Cats, with their independent spirit and beguiling purrs, have captured the hearts of humans for millennia. In New Zealand, felines are no exception, boasting the highest national cat ownership rate globally [definition cat nz cat foundation]. An estimated 1.134 million pet cats grace Kiwi households, compared to 683,000 dogs ...
4 days ago - Or is that just they want us to think?
Nice guy, that Peter Williams. Amiable, a calm air of no-nonsense capability, a winning smile. Everything you look for in a TV presenter and newsreader.I used to see him sometimes when I went to TVNZ to be a talking head or a panellist and we would yarn. Nice guy, that ...5 days ago - Fact Brief – Did global warming stop in 1998?Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Did global warming stop in ...5 days ago
- Arguing over a moot point.I have been following recent debates in the corporate and social media about whether it is a good idea for NZ to join what is known as “AUKUS Pillar Two.” AUKUS is the Australian-UK-US nuclear submarine building agreement in which … Continue reading ...5 days ago
- No Longer Trusted: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.5 days ago
- Mortgage rates at 10% anyone?
No – nothing about that in PM Luxon’s nine-point plan to improve the lives of New Zealanders. But beyond our shores Jamie Dimon, the long-serving head of global bank J.P. Morgan Chase, reckons that the chances of a goldilocks soft landing for the economy are “a lot lower” than the ...6 days ago - Sad tales from the leftMichael Bassett writes – Have you noticed the odd way in which the media are handling the government’s crackdown on surplus employees in the Public Service? Very few reporters mention the crazy way in which State Service numbers rocketed ahead by more than 16,000 during Labour’s six years, ...6 days ago
- In Whose Best Interests?On The Spot: The question Q+A host, Jack Tame, put to the Workplace & Safety Minister, Act’s Brooke van Velden, was disarmingly simple: “Are income tax cuts right now in the best interests of lowering inflation?”JACK TAME has tested another MP on his Sunday morning current affairs show, Q+A. Minister for Workplace ...6 days ago
- Don’t Question, Don’t Complain.
It has to start somewhereIt has to start sometimeWhat better place than here?What better time than now?So it turns out that I owe you all an apology.It seems that all of the terrible things this government is doing, impacting the lives of many, aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ per se. Those things ...6 days ago - Auckland faces 25% water inflation shock
Three Waters became a focus of anti-Government protests under Labour, but its dumping by the new Government hasn’t solved councils’ funding problems and will eventually hit the back pockets of everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 8:06 am today are:The Government ...6 days ago - Small accomplishments and large ironies
6 days ago - The Song of Saqua: Volume VII
In order to catch up to the actual progress of the D&D campaign, I present you with another couple of sessions. These were actually held back to back, on a Monday and Tuesday evening. Session XV Alas, Goatslayer had another lycanthropic transformation… though this time, he ran off into the ...6 days ago - Accelerating the Growth Rate?
There is a constant theme from the economic commentariat that New Zealand needs to lift its economic growth rate, coupled with policies which they are certain will attain that objective. Their prescriptions are usually characterised by two features. First, they tend to be in their advocate’s self-interest. Second, they are ...6 days ago - The only thing we have to fear is tenants themselves
1. Which of these acronyms describes the experience of travelling on a Cook Strait ferry?a. ROROb. FOMOc. RAROd. FMLAramoana, first boat ever boarded by More Than A Feilding, four weeks after the Wahine disaster2. What is the acronym for the experience of watching the government risking a $200 million break ...7 days ago - Peters talks of NZ “renewing its connections with the world” – but who knew we had been discon...Buzz from the Beehive The thrust of the country’s foreign affairs policy and its relationship with the United States have been addressed in four statements from the Beehive over the past 24 hours. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters somewhat curiously spoke of New Zealand “renewing its connections with a world ...7 days ago
- Release: Dark day for Kiwi kids as a third of Govt cuts affect them
News that 1000 jobs at the Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki could go is devastating for future generations of New Zealanders. ...2 days ago - Release: Alarm as Government signals further blow to school lunchesMore essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...2 days ago
- Release: Quick, submit – stop Govt’s dodgy approvals billThe Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...3 days ago
- Government throws coal on the climate crisis fire
The Government’s policy announced today to ease consenting for coal mining will have a lasting impact across generations. ...3 days ago - Release: Public transport costs to double as National looks at unaffordable roading project insteadCancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...3 days ago
- Release: Cost of living in Auckland still not a priorityA laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...4 days ago
- Greens look to fast-track submissions on harmful lawThe Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...7 days ago
- Release: Govt should stop making people’s lives harder and build more homesThe National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...1 week ago
- Release: Melissa Lee missing in action on mediaThe action Melissa Lee promised to protect democracy and the media sector is missing, Media and Communications spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...1 week ago
- Landlord Government leaves little hope for rentersThe Government’s announcement on tenancy rules prove that it does not care about renters. ...1 week ago
- Opportunity to build a more sustainable economyGreen Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...1 week ago
- Significant step forward in fixing cruel and unjust pastA significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...1 week ago
- Missed opportunity but NZ will surely one day recognise the right to a sustainable environmentNew Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...1 week ago
- Release: Don’t cut our lunches – clear message sent to GovernmentTens of thousands of people are demanding the Government commits to fully funding free and healthy school lunches. ...1 week ago
- Release: Govt makes U-turn on Suicide Prevention OfficeLabour welcomes the Government’s U-turn on the closure of the Suicide Prevention Office, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...1 week ago
- CCC issues warning over further climate delayToday’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...1 week ago
- Luxon targets lame and lousy example of leadershipIf talk is cheap, Chris Luxon’s “targets” are bankrupt. ...1 week ago
- Luxon targets are lousy example of leadershipIf talk is cheap, Chris Luxon’s “targets” are bankrupt. ...1 week ago
- Release: Commitment to disability communities missing from Govt prioritiesMinister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...2 weeks ago
- Methane target review is dangerous duplicationThe Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Government must commit to school building project for disabled studentsThe Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National must take mental health seriouslyMental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...2 weeks ago
- Referendums for Māori wards a racist step backwardsThe Government's imposed referendum on Māori wards is a racist step backwards for Māori representation, and disregards Te Tiriti o Waitangi. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Job losses at Health not worth it for tax cutsNew Zealand will feel the harm of the National Government’s reckless cuts to jobs at the health ministry for generations, says Ayesha Verrall. ...2 weeks ago
- Press release: No Māori initiatives in Government’s nothing planMāori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...2 weeks ago
- Thirty six point PR spinThe Government’s ‘36 point’ plan for the next three months is as pointless as it is hollow. ...2 weeks ago
- Thirty six point PR spinThe Government’s ‘36 point’ plan for the next three months is as pointless as it is hollow. ...2 weeks ago
- Thirty six point PR spinThe Government’s ‘36 point’ plan for the next three months is as pointless as it is hollow. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Social housing off Government’s to-do listThe Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Less money in most people’s pockets this AprilChanges to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...3 weeks ago
- Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...5 hours ago - Government commits $20m to Westport flood protectionThe Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...11 hours ago
- Taupō takes pole positionThe Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...12 hours ago
- Cost of living support for low-income homeownersLocal Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...14 hours ago
- Government backing mussel spat projectThe Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...15 hours ago
- Government focused on getting people into workBenefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...18 hours ago
- Clean energy key driver to reducing emissionsThe Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...18 hours ago
- Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forwardThe Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...23 hours ago
- Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic PartnershipPrime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...1 day ago
- Government consults on extending coastal permits for portsRMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...2 days ago
- Inflation coming down, but more work to doToday’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...2 days ago
- School attendance restored as a priority in health adviceRefreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...2 days ago
- Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sectorOceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...2 days ago
- Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International CongressAssociate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...3 days ago
- Removing red tape to help early learners thriveThe Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...3 days ago
- RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tapeChanges to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...3 days ago
- McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationshipTrade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...3 days ago
- Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister LeePrime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...3 days ago
- PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ tiesPrime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...3 days ago
- Antarctica New Zealand Board appointmentsForeign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...3 days ago
- Finance Minister travels to Washington DCFinance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...4 days ago
- Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlordsThe coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...4 days ago
- Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being consideredState Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...4 days ago
- New Zealand condemns Iranian strikesPrime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...4 days ago
- Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plansHundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...6 days ago
- Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand ChairHealth Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...7 days ago
- Roads of National Significance planning underwayThe NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...7 days ago
- Navigating an unstable global environmentNew Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...7 days ago
- NZ welcomes Australian Governor-GeneralPrime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...7 days ago
- Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for WinterAssociate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...7 days ago
- NZ and the US: an ever closer partnershipNew Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...7 days ago
- Joint US and NZ declarationApril 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...7 days ago
- NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperationForeign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...7 days ago
- Government redress for Te Korowai o WainuiāruaThe Government is continuing the bipartisan effort to restore its relationship with iwi as the Te Korowai o Wainuiārua Claims Settlement Bill passed its first reading in Parliament today, says Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith. “Historical grievances of Te Korowai o Wainuiārua relate to 19th century warfare, land purchased or taken ...1 week ago
- Focus on outstanding minerals permit applicationsNew Zealand Petroleum and Minerals is working to resolve almost 150 outstanding minerals permit applications by the end of the financial year, enabling valuable mining activity and signalling to the sector that New Zealand is open for business, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “While there are no set timeframes for ...1 week ago
- Applications open for NZ-Ireland Research CallThe New Zealand and Irish governments have today announced that applications for the 2024 New Zealand-Ireland Joint Research Call on Agriculture and Climate Change are now open. This is the third research call in the three-year Joint Research Initiative pilot launched in 2022 by the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ireland’s ...1 week ago
- Tenancy rules changes to improve rental marketThe coalition Government has today announced changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to encourage landlords back to the rental property market, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The previous Government waged a war on landlords. Many landlords told us this caused them to exit the rental market altogether. It caused worse ...1 week ago
- Boosting NZ’s trade and agricultural relationship with ChinaTrade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay will visit China next week, to strengthen relationships, support Kiwi exporters and promote New Zealand businesses on the world stage. “China is one of New Zealand’s most significant trade and economic relationships and remains an important destination for New Zealand’s products, accounting for nearly 22 per cent of our good and ...1 week ago
- Freshwater farm plan systems to be improvedThe coalition Government intends to improve freshwater farm plans so that they are more cost-effective and practical for farmers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay have announced. “A fit-for-purpose freshwater farm plan system will enable farmers and growers to find the right solutions for their farm ...1 week ago
- New Fast Track Projects advisory group namedThe coalition Government has today announced the expert advisory group who will provide independent recommendations to Ministers on projects to be included in the Fast Track Approvals Bill, say RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones. “Our Fast Track Approval process will make it easier and ...1 week ago
- Grattan on Friday: Ethnic tensions will complicate the Albanese government’s multicultural policy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...4 hours ago - Group plans work to improve safety of female MPs
New research shows harassment of elected officials - especially women - is on the rise. ...6 hours ago - Ukraine warns of WW3 ahead of long-stalled Congress aid voteUkraine's Prime Minister says his country desperately needs the US to approve long-stalled security assistance. ...7 hours ago
- Crown lawyers attempt to block Waitangi Tribunal summons to Minister for ChildrenThe Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...9 hours ago
- Luxon refuses to guarantee public consultation on AUKUS Pillar 2Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says it's "far too premature" to be confirming whether the public would be consulted on joining AUKUS Pillar 2. ...10 hours ago
- Visualising the 1800s or designing wedding invitations: 6 ways you can use AI beyond generating textSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, we’re starting to see this technology affect every ...10 hours ago
- Falls, fractures and self-harm: 4 charts on how kids’ injury risk changes over time and differs fo...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nicole Sharwood, Injury epidemiologist | Expert Witness, UNSW Sydney Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock Injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Australian children and adolescents. At least a quarter of all emergency department presentations during childhood are injury-related. Injuries can ...10 hours ago
- Choice and control: will NDIS reforms mean people with disability don’t get to decide who they liv...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University Shutterstock/Ground Picture Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late ...11 hours ago
- Asbestos in playground mulch: how to avoid a repeat of this circular economy scandalSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Salman Shooshtarian Asbestos has been found in mulch used for playgrounds, schools, parks and gardens across Sydney and Melbourne. Local communities naturally fear for the health of their ...11 hours ago
- Could Albanese’s bet on homegrown green industries be the boost our regions deserve?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Madeline Taylor, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University Cloudy Designs/Shutterstock Right now, there’s a global race underway. The goal: bring back manufacturing and energy jobs as the energy transition speeds up. In 2022, America launched its mammoth Inflation Reduction Act and the ...11 hours ago
- Watch: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon won't say if government will consult public on joining ...Asked multiple times if the public will be consulted on joining the defence pact, Luxon repeatedly said that was yet to be worked through. ...11 hours ago
- Watch live: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks in PhilippinesPrime Minister Christopher Luxon is speaking to reporters on the third leg of his Southeast Asia trip, from Manila in the Philippines. ...12 hours ago
- Māori lawyers call Shane Jones' Waitangi Tribunal comments 'inappropriate'The Māori Law Society says his comments breach the principle of the separation of powers and the Cabinet Manual. ...12 hours ago
- Abortions Increase 25% Since Law Change
Family First says that the latest abortion statistics make grim and upsetting reading, with a 25% increase in abortions since the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2020. According to an Official Information Act request received by Right to Life ...13 hours ago - Over Half Of New Zealanders Feel That The Country Is In Decline And That Our Society Is BrokenIpsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study on populism reveals a pervasive sense of societal and economic decline among New Zealanders. MORE DETAILS AND FULL REPORT HERE Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study ...13 hours ago
- Australia’s new defence strategy is big on ideas, but lacks one key ingredient: well-trained soldi...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University There have been a lot of defence announcements recently about buying new equipment, building up Australia’s manufacturing capabilities, creating local jobs, new legislation to support AUKUS and even a new defence chief. In ...14 hours ago
- What does Steve Smith’s Stateside signing mean for cricket in the US – and Australia?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, Industry Professor and Chief Economist, University of Technology Sydney Steve Smith, one of this generation’s finest batters, has conquered much of the cricketing world during his career, and he now has set his sights on a new frontier: the United ...14 hours ago
- A love letter to Wellington: when i open the shop by romesh dissanayake, reviewed
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Wow epic post r0b.
What more can I say.
Brilliant. New Zealanders in almost every walk of life are feeling the pressure from the non-management of this National Government. Even formerly comfortable middle class families have been turned upside down by job losses, or are feeling the encroachment of ever rising prices.
The only people who have done well under National are the wealthiest 2% or 3% of people.
Not good enough. Nov 26, National, ACT and Maori Party out and good riddance.
I can’t say anything more either!
A Labour coalition outcome for this weekend is possible because National’s dreams are proven to be vapour and everything they propose is downsize, cut and cash up – more a liquidation plan than a management strategy. National have lost all faith in NZ to survive and they dismiss the value of people as trivial. It’s a dim view of life and people won’t connect to that.
Labour oversaw a decade of growth
No, Labour squandered a decade of growth. We are still paying for that today.
How? What would you have done differently?
Labour was only too happy to preside over the biggest housing and finance bubble in our history, and sit back while property speculators used every trick in the book – legally – to avoid taxes (and make housing more unaffordable for the average kiwi, BTW). Labour did precisely nothing to control this. For 9 years.
In contrast the current Govt made a number of important tax changes that have discouraged such speculation, as well as massively increasing funding to the IRD to chase the dodgers, which has resulted in many new prosecutions and increased revenue.
So under Labour, the primary driver of the “decade of growth” was borrowing money from foreigners to buy houses off each other, and then borrowing more money on the unrealised capital gains that resulted. Labour was very happy to sit back and let this happen because it resulted in lots of revenue, which they splurged on unprecedented increases in public spending. The public sector “economy” boomed, but in the meantime the tradable sector – which actually brings money into the economy – went into recession.
A decade of growth, squandered.
Strange logic from a right winger to argue that the ‘growth’ of the economy wasn’t kosher because it was based on a speculative housing and finance bubble – isn’t that exactly what kind of thing is encouraged under the freemarket capitalist ideology of the right. As for tax avoidance … isn’t that also one of the key objectives of the very wealthy and private sector.
As for increasing spending in the public sector – fantastic! That helps to create jobs, get people off the dole, build infrastructure and improve society. Clearly not right wing priorities going by the achievements of this pitiful government.
isn’t that exactly what kind of thing is encouraged under the freemarket capitalist ideology of the right
The evidence shows it was encouraged under Labour, and discouraged under the current Govt.
As for tax avoidance … isn’t that also one of the key objectives of the very wealthy and private sector
I don’t know – seems to be a key objective of Matt McCarten’s Unite union. Avoidance can be legal or illegal. The question is how many opportunities for tax avoidance are created. Labour sat back and allowed all the exemptions and loopholes to be exploited, and in fact created many more by having a lower trust tax rate. National closed up a number of critical loopholes (though work is still to be done), and increased the IRD’s powers to chase the dodgers.
It’s called business, and I bet National given the opportunity would have done it too, Labour did well for the country while they were in office.
Labour never forced you to borrow from overseas banks to buy houses, in fact you could have borrowed from Kiwibank and kept the profits right here in New Zealand.
Bet you did not do that, bet you borrowed from overseas banks so profits from your transactions goes offshore. You are part of the problem.
Yes I changed to Kiwibank, profits from my transactions stay right here in New Zealand.
Maggie, no you were limitied to borrow off KB, as there are covenants that each bank has to follow eg as to the amount of reserves/deposits that are to be maintained as to what can be borrowed upon. Lending ratios, and if I recall corrrectly the Res Bank reduced these rations to make it possable for banks to lend more.
There is also the costs to change banks, and with the lending wars that were occurring there was the Whats best for me with varying banks offering enticing interest rates.
Also KB was not around when the bubble was starting to expand.
And I doubt that under Nat there would have been a better outcome.
We have enjoyed a decade of growth, the longest period of economic growth since the post-World War 2 era. Inflation has been low, averaging 2.2 per cent since 1998.
Yet we regressed down to be in the bottom quartile of the OECD rankings- When one of our major goals was to enter the top 1/2. Approx 1% or the anual growth of GDP is due to net immigration & much of the remaining growth was built on debt- And still touted as the solution – Consume/spend
http://www.johnpemberton.co.nz/html/debt_graphs.html
Interest rates highest ever – 5 times annual inflation (refer House affordability index)
The continuation of building homes that are unfit to live in, but GDP will increase as we reclad and fix the problem that did not need to exist.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10768134
The Kiwi dream of owning a house escaping realisation by many
http://www.interest.co.nz/property/home-loan-affordability
Re net debt does this not include the $12b of “Fraudulent accounting” of student debt as an asset from Q&A”WINSTON. Half is not being paid back. Let’s stop this fraud on their books which says it’s an asset ”
Our issue was that there was an economic balloon being blown up waiting to pop (The EU still cannot come to terms re this).
Our economy was and still is pyrite, but it looks like gold.
Anthony,
With the election campaign all but over one wonders why Labour has not run a campaign reinforcing the basic premise of your fantastic post.
I have always thought Labour’s simple message should have been “Are you better off than you were three years ago”. There are very few people who can say yes to that question.
Instead we have had a some what disjointed message. We are not sure whether Labour are proud of the Clark years, or are trying to forge a new direction to the left of Clark.
The core messages have been “stop asset sales” and “$15 minimum wage”, which to date have not worked. Yes they are important policies but there needed to be something more to excite middle of the road voters.
I hope I am wrong but I think it was a poor campaign and after reading Anthony’s post it reinforces what a missed opportunity this campaign has been for Labour.
We the people of Labour are very proud of Helen Clerke’s achievments while in office and history is going to prove us right on that score. Just as history is going to judge John Key was a disaster for New Zealand.
Nope, history is going to prove that capitalism is a failure and that the 5th Labour governments actions in supporting capitalism were, thus, also a failure.
“We the Labour people” – Ok look, get past the party politics, they do not serve your country at all. It is for the media, the corporate controllers, and for people who are not capable of thinking in anything other than 2d. They want you inside a narrow view of reality, it makes you easier to lie to…and of course by aligning yourself to only one party, it makes the job oh so much easier
Wakey wakey….
Woah r0b, I’m gonna get it bound
I’m thinking the only way I can be sure John Key isn’t insane – pathological something (narcissist? psychopath? , to watch him last night…..the eye rolling, the dismission – to coin a word – of engagement……the sneering command of vaguely relevant sheaths of guessery numbers and projections…..) is the fact that ordinary commonsense people vote for him.
It’s nuts and – is that us?
Thanks r0b for a well researched and well presented post.
In a few days we’ll see how many kiwis who voted for a change in 2008 appreciate just how badly they’ve been failed.
This is the sort of posting that needs to be in the mainstream media,ie 3news,tvnz,herald etc,it
would show those who see the nats and key as lilly white exposed for what they are,a bunch of ‘economic donald ducks’ paddling their way around and around the lake with no plan of how to get out of it, a rumour has it that key may be going to work for the goldman sach’s company,he has had two meetings with timothy geithner(not sure of spelling)
We all need to make sure people get out and vote saturday,thats the only way we get this crowd out,before its too late.
Another question that needs to be asked of National is, what have they done to fight climate change and ensure that NZ will have a healthy and thriving future?
After all, the state of our environment underpins everything that our society is based on and, as a young person, I want to know that the world I grow to inherit will be a safe and sustainable one.
Go to http://www.electwho.org.nz to find out what politicians think about the number one issue that will affect our future.
Max.
An interesting site which highlights the high level of failure we have come to expect from the vast majority of political candidates.
Any person interested in their own future really needs to read this, urgently:
http://www.publishme.co.nz/shop/theeasyway-p-684.html
…cause NONE of our leaders? are gonna do anything….
http://t.co/5wWkEUxy
Anthony.
Anyone caught up in the delusions of mainstream culture would think your analysis was ‘fantastic’.
However, when we examine the facts we see that Labour did not do a good job at all.
‘It was obvious before the [2008] election that Labour both understood the magnitude of the global recession, and had a detailed plan and stimulus package ready for the economy.’
Let’s be very clear here: the Labour government had been repeatedly warned that Peak Oil was about to demolish all longstanding economic arrangements and that the whole world was about to enter the period of upheaval that would be a natural consequence of the peak-oil induced never-ending depression. Helen Clark even went public on Peak Oil on one occasion, as deatiled by Robert Atack;
http://www.oilcrash.com/articles/powr_025.htm
However, she quickly retreated into denial of reality and went back to promoting policies predicated on economic growth, knowing that sustained economic growth was impossible. (I had had personally pointed that out to her as long ago as 2002! She didn’t want to talk about it).
Instead of preparing NZ for the economic meltdown she knew was coming, Helen Clark continued with disaster-as-usual policies ( presumably as required by the international money-lenders and global corporations she was serving), and then got out of politics while to going was good.
Michael Cullen was another Labour ‘clown/criminal’ who refused to acknowledge the facts. Indeed, he mocked and scoffed when Green Party belatedly began to highlight the issue of Peak OIl and the coming meltdown.
http://www.greens.org.nz/oralquestions/question-oral-answer-oil-prices
We have to face the reality that all supposed planning is done by beaurocratic clowns who haven’t got a clue about the real world and come up with idiotic numbers that support their ideology. They pass misinformation on to ministers who defend the nonsense in the public forum.
http://oilshockhorrorprobe.blogspot.com/2011/11/huge-blowout-in-nz-oil-import-cost.html#more
Cullen poured hundreds of millions of dollars of NZers hard=-earned money into various Ponzi schemes which decreased in value shortly afterwards, despite the very public warnings that markets had peaked in 2007 and would never recover.
http://au.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=%5EAORD&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=
He followed Helen’s lead and got out of politics while the going was good, and before he could be held to account. Straight inot a position created for him by his [corrupt] mates, I believe.
We still have clowns/criminals of that era seeking re-election, notably Goff and Parker who are well-acquinted with the facts of Peak Oil, i.e. that it occured in 2005, but still persist in ignoring the whole issue: surely that makes them charlatans and liars, does it not?.
We then come to the matter of abrupt climate change. Now anyone with a brain knows that we are on track for a largely uninhabitable planet by mid-century. The reports come thick and fast, and every new report shows the situation to be more dire than ever. Labour cannot pretend this issue has suddenly emerged; it has been looming since the 1980s and by the late 1990s thew writng was on the wall. As with Peak Oil, the Labour govenrment of Helen Clark effectively ignored the issue (though it did go along with some financial scams set up by financial speculators and parasites under the guise of emissions trading systems -an oxymoron designed to do nothing about the basic problem if ever here was one!
Let’s be very clear here: nothing I am saying is in any way support for National. They have been provided with the same irrefutable information and, like Labour, have chosen to ignore it all in favour of political ideology and rorts.
‘The reason that the recover in NZ is taking longer than it should is that the Nats’ economic policies are stifling it.’
No. The reason the recovery is ‘taking longer than it should’ is because the entire economic system is founded on frauds and delusions. The reason the recovery is ‘taking longer than it should’ is because recovery is mathematically impossible:
http://news.silverseek.com/SilverSeek/1318263505.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY
http://energybulletin.net/stories/2011-07-23/review-end-growth-richard-heinberg
http://www.oilcrash.com/articles/wilson08.htm
I do agree with you on this: ‘We don’t need excuses, we need solutions.’
Unfortunately, Labour is offering a slight variation on the theme of more of the same.
So we can look forward to more of this:
http://au.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=%5ENZ50&t=6m&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=
and more of this:
http://english.sina.com/technology/p/2010/0128/302222.html
whichever band of denialists or combination of denialists gets into power after the election.
Pardon the typos. The system crashed and I could not fix them.
*sigh* Not much a team player are you AFKTT?
I wish you would help more and criticize less at this crucial time.
The issues aren’t going away – your efforts to promote awareness around sustainabilty
etc are laudable, but for gods sake man help us get the nats out.
Rob / Campbell, I like you are busy trying to win it for the better side, and Saturday will be a very seminal moment in the imminent demise of our little slice of Pacific paradise should the Shonkster win.
Having said that I think you might both bookmark what AFKTT references, put some cash on the outcomes he predicts at the TAB (without the expectation they will still be solvent enough to pay the certain winnings).
My pledge is that I will rejoin Labour and work with them to see reality as it will be in the future post this election fiasco. Specifically to help them devise a “soft landing” plan that includes seizure by the state with no compensation of privatised state assets.
Bored.
‘Specifically to help them devise a “soft landing” plan that includes seizure by the state with no compensation of privatised state assets.’
One theory of economic collapse postulates that it will be impossible for overseas ‘owners’ to extract wealth once the international financial system collapses. Another postulates energy shortages will render globalisation obsolete and unworkable.
I first put forward the idea of a ‘soft landing’ to Manukau City Council around 2004: they were not the least bit interested. Nor was the Auckland Regional Authority. It’s way too late now.
It may be possible to oragnise a moderately hard landing as opposed to an extremely hard landing.
CL
Over the years I have repeatedly attempted to be a ‘team player’ as you put it, and have done plenty of leading.
The problem is, most people want to be led ‘straight off the cliff’, rather than away from it.
After I had spend nearly three hours ‘educating’ Andrew Little on the crucial matters of the times I was unable to do more because he decided his priorities were elsewhere and failed to turn up for our appointment, having piked out the previous week.
Even as we leave ‘the cliff edge’ and start ‘falling’ as a society, most people are determined to maintian their delusion that they are standing on solid ground.
Having tried everything I can think of -writing books, articles, websites, making speeches, TV, radio, standing for election, leading by example – I really don’t know how to overcome the ignorance and apathy that characterise NZ society.
Let’s put it this way: The ‘Orcs’ have won every battle thus far.
I suspect that my latest book will be the last before it all goes under.
A tiny minority of people will learn the easy way. Most will learn the hard way.
‘help us get the nats out’
I think you will find that I consistently attacked National for the past 30 years.
However, if Labour are just the obverse face of the same coin…….
When Labour stops playing the global corporation game, gets back to it roots and starts telling the WHOLE truth it might get more support.
.
Thanks all for comments. Busy today with real world campaign – will check back tonight…
Superb post r0b. And once again, when put alongside current polling, emphatically proving the disconnect between clear irrefutable analysis and the choices of the crucial swing voters.
No rational and dispassionate person could ignore it. But that crucial one-in-thirty Swinger will never read it. And every three years he or she will “go with the flow” of whatever sound-bites and headlines a tiny unelected coterie has decided to print or broadcast over previous months.
In the same way that they select financial products, hair shampoo, fast food and cars.
Democracy NZ: government by the party with the advertising monopoly and the most successful, slipperiest, Salesman to Swingers. The best that Big Money can buy.
Current SS gold pin winner: “Smiley” Keys, at Poorbashers ‘r Us, proudly sponsored by Fairfax, APN and Mediaworks.
As much as I’d love nothing more than to see a Labour / Green govt next week, for many reasons, and see the Nats as the worst of what has driven our global economy off the cliff, I think Labour activists and supporters need to be honest about the giant ponzi scheme debt bubble that set the conditions for Labours 9 years of management.
I’m yet to hear a labour politician overtly challenge the free market neo-classical orthodoxy publicly.
We need an honest debate, and Indont see it coming from anywhere in this cold war lissing contest. And so the world burns…..
AAMC
‘And so the world burns…..’
Sure does. Hotter by the day.
http://au.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=%5EN225&t=1y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=
Todays weather on TV1. “Auckland seas are boiling”. Appears that it is hotter than many of us realise
national and kweewee claim to be the party of business.
what they mean by that is they are accountants who only know how to cut costs and keep wages down.
If they were any good then wages would be growing not declining.
they wouldnt know an opportunity or an innovation if they fell over one.
and they like kicking workers for the satisfaction it gives them.
nice work if you can get it.
turn the tory chumps out now.
Accountants who only know how to cut….
They are devaluing our economy to face the unintended consequences of their naive globalization idea, we’ve given all our jobs to China and machines, and now that we’ve undermined our education, we’re competing with them for skilled work also.
Chicago School of Economics will go down in history as the modern era’s most destructive institution.
Can’t even call them accountants any more as they’ve forgotten (or are purposefully ignoring) to count to the real costs.
how we got where we are?
kweewee and the boobies jumped up and down demanding a turn.
with the ignoble assistance of TVNZ, radio squawkbak and the press they got it.
now its time to turn them out and good riddance.
rOb, I want to add my thanks to you for this superb post. It really provides an excellent history of the events etc which led to the current situation. A pity it did not get into the wider media.
“1. Unemployment has increased by 50 per cent, leaving 157,000 New Zealanders out of work. ”
So well researched that no mention of the fact that between September 08 and June 09, unemployment went from 94,000 (4.2%) to 138,000 (6.0%) in the June quarter, a rise of 47%. Nice work Labour, I guess you forgot that your policies of the previous 9 years had a direct impact on unemployment in the first 7 months of Nationals first term.
“2. 100,000 New Zealanders have left for Australia after he promised he would stop the brain drain.”
To call it a brain drain is far fetched, just as it was far fetched for Goff to say in the first leaders debate that our best and brightest were fleeing to Australia. I think it was the statistician who gave Labour some of its stats, who commented in the Herald that it was mostly the unskilled and low skilled who are heading to Australia. Brain drain indeed.