Metiria Turei’s speech at the Green launch
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4:10 pm, August 17th, 2014 - 40 comments
Categories: greens, Metiria Turei -
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Aroha mai, Aroha atu.
When love is given, love is returned.
Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei
Address at the Green Party Election Campaign Launch 2014
AUT, 17 August 2014
Aroha mai, Aroha atu.
When love is given, love is returned
This is the Aotearoa that I love.
The Aotearoa where thousands of Kiwis worked to save our most treasured wild places, protecting the birthright of our children and grandchildren.
The Aotearoa who fought the asset sales to stop others from stealing from our children the gifts of our grandparents.
The Aotearoa that warmed up the homes of thousands of our children, so they and their families could be warm and dry and above all healthy and well.
That is the Aotearoa that I love.
I am proud to be here today – standing before you as one half of the best leadership team of the best political party in New Zealand.
My friends, there has never been a more important time for the Green Party to be in Government.
Because as much as we love New Zealand, she’s in trouble.
Today as a nation we face twin crises – an environmental crisis and an inequality crisis.
Earlier this year, at our AGM, Russel outlined the Green Party’s plan to tackle what I think we’ll all agree is the biggest environmental crisis of all – climate change.
Our Climate Tax Cut – a charge on pollution, the revenue from which all goes back to families and business – will ensure New Zealand is part of the solution to global climate change, rather than part of the problem.
Today, I am going to outline our solution to New Zealand’s second pressing issue – inequality.
This is a matter very dear to me.
I entered politics because I wanted to ensure that everyone, no matter their ethnicity, class or background – had much better opportunities than I had.
I have learnt, through my experience of poverty, the value of safety nets, what you can achieve if you are not left to fend for yourself.
At the beginning of this year I stood in front of many of you at our annual Picnic for the Planet and declared that inequality will be the defining issue this election.
It was really important for me that my daughter Piupiu was there that day.
Piupiu was born in 1993.
At that time, New Zealand was in the grip of a free market fever that saw our country become more unequal faster than anywhere else in the developed world.
The rate of child poverty swelled from 11 per cent in the late 1980s to nearly 30 per cent of all New Zealand children by the time Piupiu was born in 1993.
Ever since then, throughout Piupiu’s entire life, successive Governments have tolerated shocking levels of deprivation and poverty among our children.
Aside from a bit of tinkering here and there, they’ve done nothing really to solve it.
So now, with just 34 days left to vote, I say it’s time to demand an end to child poverty in New Zealand once and for all.
The Green Party wants to make sure that every child in this country has enough of what they need to thrive.
Child poverty can be eliminated. We have the tools and techniques. It is now, simply a matter of choice.
I know what National will say. We can’t afford to help kids. We need to grow the economy first.
How many times over the last 25 years have we heard this?
If National was right, how come GDP grew by 38 percent between 1988 and 2013, yet child poverty doubled in those same years?
We have had nearly three decades of rock solid proof that wealth doesn’t trickle down, especially not to our kids.
Over the past six years under National, half of all New Zealanders have seen no rise in their incomes at all.
Yet the wealth of the top ten percent doubled in the past ten years.
There are now 35,000 more children in severe poverty in New Zealand than there were before National came to power.
That’s the equivalent of the city of Gisborne populated by these kids living in severe poverty.
A total of 205,000 New Zealand children living in severe poverty.
More often than not those kids are going without the basics, like fresh fruit and veges, raincoats, medicine.
They’re three times as likely to be admitted to hospital, five times as likely to die of cot death, and twenty seven times as likely to have rheumatic fever, be a sick adult and die young.
We’ve got to the point where families work two or more jobs, and still live in poverty, still live in homes that are wet, and cold and their children go without.
It does not have to be this way.
It’s time, today, right now, to demand an economy designed to work for everyone, not just a few.
I am proud to announce today that in Government the Green Party will implement a billion dollar plan to reduce child poverty, paid for by a new top tax rate of 40 percent on the highest incomes.
Our plan will roll the Family Tax Credit and the In-work Tax Credit together to create a more simple child payment that goes to all low and middle income families in New Zealand.
But the difference is our new Children’s Credit will deliver an additional $60 a week, $3000 a year, for these families who currently miss out.
This additional payment will in no way affect those low and middle income families currently receiving Working for Families payments, but it will mean more support for those children who currently miss out.
This money will transform life for these kids. It’ll mean the difference between having warm clothes, school books, lunch, and turning on the heater when they are cold.
This is the quickest, simplest and most cost-effective way to reduce child poverty – and one that has majority public support.
The Children’s Credit will represent a dramatic reversal of 22 years of discrimination against the poorest children that started with the scrapping of the universal family benefit in 1991.
But we won’t stop there. We will also remove another discrimination that denies support to the poorest new-born babies.
The Green Party believes all babies deserve to thrive. We will extend payment of the Parental Tax Credit to the 13,000 newborns whose parents are reliant on a benefit or student allowance.
They too will have help with the costs of a new baby.
The Parental Tax Credit will be worth $220 a week for 10 weeks, $2,200 for these families.
This payment provides support to those parents who don’t qualify for Paid Parental Leave.
I was stunned to recently discover that the Minister had rejected her own officials’ advice that babies born to beneficiaries had the most to gain from this financial support. They said in their first weeks of their life such a payment could improve these babies long term wellbeing.
But, Paula Bennett said no, leave the poorest, tiniest babies out.
We won’t leave these babies out in the cold. We will support them.
Raising the incomes of our poorest families through the Children’s Credit and the Parental Tax Credit is at the heart of the Green Party plan to tackle child poverty.
For a quarter of the price of National’s tax cuts to the wealthiest New Zealanders we can reduce poverty and its effects on the poorest children.
We will also invest $500 million per year in new children’s health and education programs to reduce the harm caused by poverty.
It’s clear that as well as reducing poverty at its source, schools need better support to address the impact that hunger, illness and a lack of resources has on children’s ability to learn.
We’ll establish schools in lower income areas as hubs, where the health, social and welfare needs of children and their families can be met, all on the same site.
Kids at these schools will be fed through a national school lunch fund; cared for when sick by dedicated school nurses; and their parents will get the support they need to work, further their own education and be engaged in their kids learning.
We’ll provide free after school and holiday care in decile one to four schools.
We’ll extend free healthcare to all children up to age 18, ensuring over 290,000 teenagers can see their GP without having to worry about the bill.
And we will help struggling parents by providing 20 hours free early childhood education to two year olds, saving families up to ninety five dollars a week.
What a plan!
Make no mistake, this billion dollar investment in the health, education and financial welfare of children and families will reduce poverty in our country and loosen the grip poverty has on the lives of our kids.
Tackling inequality is a moral imperative.
We cannot pause, we cannot wait, we cannot do this by halves.
As I watched Piupiu grow from a child into a young woman, I saw poverty spread like a virus in the 80s and 90s as a direct result of decisions made in the Beehive.
Now is the time for political decisions that end poverty.
National’s inaction over child poverty stands in stark contrast to its decision to find $4 billion to cut the taxes of the wealthiest ten percent of New Zealanders.
Just as we will use the tax system to tackle climate change through our carbon charge, we will also use the tax system to tackle child poverty.
Today I am announcing that in Government the Green Party will bring in a new top tax rate of 40 percent on incomes over $140,000.
Every cent raised will go directly into our plan to alleviate child poverty.
This will affect only 3 percent of all taxpayers, but the revenue raised will make the world of difference to the hundreds of thousands of children who need it.
We’ve set the tax threshold at $140,000 so MPs’ salaries are captured.
I want to make sure that I, and my parliamentary colleagues, old and new, are part of this solution.
We will be proud to be part of it. Because it is a good thing.
My family will still live well – And so will other families.
My daughter will still have security and a good education and a chance at a great future – and so will other kids.
We will also raise the trust tax rate to limit the risk tax avoidance that can arise when you raise the top tax rate.
It is only fair that those who earn more progressively pay more – this is what countries with low rates of child poverty do.
Our tax system is the key to solving poverty. If we want a fairer society we need a fairer tax system.
New Zealand currently has one of the least progressive tax systems in the world.
Our top rate of income tax is the fourth-lowest in the 34-member OECD – it’s much lower than Australia and the UK, which sit at 47%, the USA and Norway at 48% Canada, 50%, Denmark, 56%, and Finland 57%.
Plus we have no inheritance tax, no gift tax, no death duties and no general capital gains tax. That’s why we will introduce a capital gains tax, excluding the family home.
The reality is, we are failing to properly tax wealth and our poorest kids are paying the price.
I want to be clear, the Green Party has no bone to pick with wealth – the problem in New Zealand is not that some people earn more money, it’s that the benefits need to be shared more fairly.
We can earn increasing amounts as a country but still be poorer if our wealth is not shared around. The last 25 years have demonstrated that fact.
I didn’t get into politics to watch the divide between the haves and have-nots grow ever wider.
Hundreds of thousands of kiwi kids will be much better off under the Greens bold plan – and those children need us in Government right now.
We will unleash the potential of thousands of children, and send a message to every child that every single one of you matters.
These are practical, effective solutions ready to go.
It is just a matter of choosing to put children first.
Friends and colleagues, in 34 days time, we can make history, by becoming the first ever Green Party in Government in Aotearoa.
We have lead the opposition for the last three years and we are ready to lead in Government.
We have the experienced leadership needed to take our country forward.
We are the political voice for a strong and growing Green movement in Aotearoa.
We have a group of united MPs and new candidates ready to serve.
We have the policies to transform our economy and build a stronger New Zealand – one in which we are mindful of others and mindful of our ecological limits.
The Green Party is ready to step up and with at least 15% of the party vote we will have a major influence in a new progressive government.
Voters have a real choice on September 20.
A Government prepared to tackle the two greatest issues of our time, climate change and inequality, or a Government in denial of both.
It is time for cleaner, fairer, smarter New Zealand.
Now is the time to say: Aroha mai. Aroha atu.
We are more than just individuals, little islands of our own.
We are a country of people, a community at the bottom of the world that cares for one another, looks out for one another, and provides for one another.
That returns the love we are so generously given.
Let’s show our love for New Zealand on September 20.
Party vote Green.
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- Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track BillMany criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...5 days ago
- Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – brieflyPeter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...5 days ago
- More tax for lessEle Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...5 days ago
- Real News vs Fake News.
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...6 days ago - Another way to roll
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...6 days ago - Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this yearThis video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...6 days ago
- Cutting the Public Service
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...6 days ago - Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...6 days ago
- This is how I roll over
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...6 days ago
- Release: National gaslights women fighting for equal pay
National has scrapped the pay equity taskforce that fights for equal pay for women and looks at ethnic pay gaps. ...6 hours ago - Release: More job cuts, fewer houses under NationalThe Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...6 hours ago
- Release: Children fall deeper through the cracks in Govt cutsWith Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...8 hours ago
- Release: Labour honours memory of Sir Robert MartinThe Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...14 hours ago
- Release: 130,000 cattle saved from live exportLabour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...1 day ago
- Central Bank makes clear Government is pouring fuel on housing crisis fire
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...1 day ago - New unemployment figures paint bleak pictureThe Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...1 day ago
- Release: National’s job cuts already starting to bite as unemployment risesUnemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...1 day ago
- Release: National hiking transport costs for families and young New ZealandersWeekly expenses will grow for more than 1.6 million New Zealanders as the Government ends free and half price public transport fares tomorrow. ...2 days ago
- Release: Labour welcomes EU free trade agreementThe New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...2 days ago
- Surprise: Landlord tax cuts don’t trickle downThe Green Party is renewing its call for rent controls following reports of rental prices hitting an all-time high. ...2 days ago
- Release: $1.7b for no increase in access to medicineThe National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...3 days ago
- Release: National should heed Tribunal warning and scrap coalition commitment with ACTThis afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...3 days ago
- Release: More accountability for preventable workplace deaths this Workers’ Memorial DayLabour is calling for more accountability for preventable workplace deaths because everybody who goes to work deserves to come home safely. ...4 days ago
- Gaza: Aotearoa Must Support Independent Investigation into Mass GravesTe Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...6 days ago
- Release: Working together on consistent support for veterans this Anzac DayOur two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...1 week ago
- Release: Penny drops – but what about Seymour and Peters?Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...1 week ago
- Another ‘Stolen Generation’ enabled by court ruling on Waitangi Tribunal summonsTonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...1 week ago
- Release: Budget blunder shows Nicola Willis could cut recovery fundingIt appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...1 week ago
- Further environmental mismanagement on the cardsThe Government’s resource management reforms will add to the heavy and ever-growing burden this Government is loading on to our environment. ...1 week ago
- Release: RMA changes will be a disaster for environmentThe Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour supports urgent changes to emergency management systemLabour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour calls for New Zealand to recognise PalestineThe Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...1 week ago
- Release: Three strikes law political posturing of worst kindThe Government is bringing back a law that has little evidential backing just to look tough, Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...1 week ago
- Release: Government cuts unbelievably target child exploitation, violent extremism, ports and airpor...Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...1 week ago
- Three strikes has failed before and will fail againResurrecting the archaic three-strikes legislation is an unwelcome return to a failed American-style approach to justice. ...1 week ago
- Release: Environmental protection vital, not ‘onerous’The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...1 week ago
- Ferris – Three Strikes targets those ‘too brown to be white’The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt cuts doctors and nurses in hiring freezeCuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...2 weeks ago
- Fast-track submissions period must be extendedThe Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Progress on climate will be undone by GovtNew Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Dark day for Kiwi kids as a third of Govt cuts affect themNews that 1000 jobs at the Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki could go is devastating for future generations of New Zealanders. ...2 weeks 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 weeks ago
- Oranga Tamariki cuts commit tamariki to state abuseTe Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...2 weeks 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. ...2 weeks ago
- Government throws coal on the climate crisis fireThe Government’s policy announced today to ease consenting for coal mining will have a lasting impact across generations. ...2 weeks 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. ...2 weeks 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. ...3 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori to visit Queensland to strengthen ties with Māori in AustraliaTe Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...3 weeks ago
- Modern insurance law will protect Kiwi households
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...5 hours ago - Government recommits to equal payThe coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...8 hours ago
- Transforming how our children learn to readStructured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...9 hours ago
- NZ not backing down in Canada dairy disputeTrade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...12 hours ago
- Stronger oversight for our most vulnerable childrenThe rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...13 hours ago
- Streamlining Building Consent ChangesThe Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...18 hours ago
- Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...1 day ago
- Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...1 day ago
- Accelerating airport security linesFrom today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...1 day ago
- Community hui to talk about kina barrensPeople with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...2 days ago
- Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into forceKiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...2 days ago
- Mining resurgence a welcome signThere are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...2 days ago
- Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first readingThe return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...2 days ago
- Government to boost public EV charging networkEnergy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...2 days ago
- Residential Property Managers Bill to not progressThe coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...2 days ago
- Independent review into disability support servicesThe Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...3 days ago
- Justice Minister updates UN on law & order planJustice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...3 days ago
- Ending emergency housing motels in RotoruaThe Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...3 days ago
- Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and DubaiTrade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...3 days ago
- Education priorities focused on lifting achievementEducation Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...3 days ago
- NZTA App first step towards digital driver licenceThe new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...3 days ago
- Supporting whānau out of emergency housingWhānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...3 days ago
- Tribute to Dave O'SullivanRacing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...3 days ago
- Speech – Eid al-FitrAssalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...4 days ago
- Government saves access to medicinesAssociate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...4 days ago
- Pharmac Chair appointedHon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...5 days ago
- Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum DisorderHundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...6 days ago
- New sports complex opens in KaikoheRegional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...6 days ago
- Diplomacy needed more than everForeign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...6 days ago
- Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery BelgiumAmbassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...6 days ago
- Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk BairDistinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...1 week ago
- Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, TürkiyeMai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...1 week ago
- PM announces changes to portfoliosPaul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...1 week ago
- New catch limits for unique fishery areasRecreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...1 week ago
- Minister welcomes hydrogen milestoneEnergy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...1 week ago
- Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment BillThe coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...1 week ago
- Overseas decommissioning models consideredOverseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...1 week ago
- Release of North Island Severe Weather Event InquiryEmergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...1 week ago
- Justice Minister to attend Human Rights CouncilJustice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...1 week ago
- Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facilityAssociate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...1 week ago
- A lot to learn from kura kaupapa Māori – Education Minister
Despite low literacy rates in mainstream schools amongst Māori, the results are the complete opposite in kura kaupapa, Stanford says. ...1 hour ago - Julie Anne Genter: Greens had 'no prior knowledge' of fresh complaint against MPA florist says she felt intimidated during a heated exchange with the MP. ...3 hours ago
- Insurance law overhaul passes first readingRecent extreme weather events showed the importance of a well-functioning insurance system, says Commerce and Consumer Affairs minister Andrew Bayly. ...3 hours ago
- NZ Foreign Minister Peters accused of ‘entirely defamatory’ remarks about ex-Australian minister
By Jo Moir, RNZ News political editor, and Craig McCulloch, deputy political editor New Zealand’s Labour Party is demanding Winston Peters be stood down as Foreign Minister for opening up the government to legal action over his “totally unacceptable” attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. In an interview on RNZ’s ...3 hours ago - How much time should you spend sitting versus standing? New research reveals the perfect mix for opt...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Brakenridge, Postdoctoral research fellow at Swinburne University, Centre for Urban Transitions, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute The Conversation, Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock People have a pretty intuitive sense of what is healthy – standing is better than sitting, exercise is great for overall ...3 hours ago
- Into The Deep End – Karori Lifeguard Up For Challenge As Reserve Force Soldier
The Wellington-based Reserve Force soldier is now almost three years into his New Zealand Army career with 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. ...4 hours ago - Brazilian couple's residency case taken up by minister after advisor forgets to apply for visaAfter multiple pleas and petition, an Auckland couple's residency case is being looked at by the Associate Minister of Immigration. ...4 hours ago
- Fast Track Approvals Bill: None from first day of hearings support bill in current formNone of the groups that spoke to Parliament's environment committee on Thursday supported the bill as it stands. ...4 hours ago
- Australia will trial ‘age assurance’ tech to bar children from online porn. What is it and will ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Haskell-Dowland, Professor of Cyber Security Practice, Edith Cowan University Daniel Jedzura/Shutterstock Responding to a resurgence in gender-based violence and deaths in Australia, the National Cabinet has committed almost A$1 billion to a range of strategies. Tackling “online harms” was among the ...5 hours ago
- Government Cuts Put 130 Jobs On The Line At Kāinga Ora, And 40 At HUD"The Government needs to release the review immediately as this reckless approach to change risks disjointed decision making and creates more distress and uncertainty for staff," Fitzsimons said. ...5 hours ago
- Jeremiah Manele is new Solomon Islands PM with ‘100 day plan’By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Jeremiah Manele has been elected Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, polling 31 votes to 18 over rival candidate and former opposition leader Mathew Wale with one abstention. The final result of the election by secret ballot was announced by the Governor-General, Sir David Vunagi, ...5 hours ago
- Will Solomon Islands’ new leader stay close to China?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Priestley Habru, PhD candidate, public diplomacy, University of Adelaide Former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele has been elected the next prime minister of Solomon Islands, defeating the opposition leader, Matthew Wale, in a vote in parliament. The result is a mixed bag for ...6 hours ago
- A clock in the rocks: what cosmic rays tell us about Earth’s changing surface and climateSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shaun Eaves, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Jamey Stutz, CC BY-SA How often do mountains collapse, volcanoes erupt or ice sheets melt? For Earth scientists, these are important questions as we try ...8 hours ago
- Watch: PM's pre-Budget education announcement for teaching readingFrom next year, the government expects all public schools to take a "proven structured literacy approach". ...8 hours ago
- Multiple parties complain over Green MP Julie Anne Genter's conductSpeaker Gerry Brownlee won't say which parties have taken issue with Julie Anne Genter's outburst. ...8 hours ago
- Aggressive? Homophobic? Stoic? Here’s what thousands of Australian men told us about modern mascul...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Flood, Professor of Sociology, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Most young adult men in Australia reject traditional ideas of masculinity that endorse aggression, stoicism and homophobia. Nonetheless, the ongoing influence of those ideas continues to harm men and the people ...9 hours ago
- Watch live as the PM makes pre-Budget education announcementFrom next year, the government expects all public schools to take a "proven structured literacy approach". ...9 hours ago
- NZQA Jobs To Go As Government Education Cuts Roll OnThe NZQA proposal released to staff today would involve a net loss of 35 roles. There are 66 roles being disestablished with 13 of those currently vacant, and 31 new roles proposed, said Fleur Fitzsimons Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga ...9 hours ago
- The star-studded New Zealand movie you need to see as soon as possible
Alex Casey talks to Loren Taylor, the writer, director and star of new film The Moon is Upside Down, about assembling her dream ensemble cast, toilet paper pads and turning literal dreams into reality. There’s a moment in The Moon is Upside Down where frazzled anaesthetist Briar (Loren Taylor) gets ...9 hours ago - Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to cut 40 jobs, NZQA to cut 35The total number of job losses in the public services has now gone over 3500. ...9 hours ago
- You’ve been ‘volun-told’ to coach junior sport – here’s how to best handle the parents inv...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassy Dittman, Senior Lecturer/Head of Course (Undergraduate Psychology), Research Fellow, Manna Institute, CQUniversity Australia With winter sports swinging into action, adults around the country have volunteered or been volunteered by others (humorously known as being “volun-told”) to coach junior sports teams. ...10 hours ago
- Do we really need to burp babies? Here’s what the research saysSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University richardernestyap/Shutterstock Parents are often advised to burp their babies after feeding them. Some people think burping after feeding is important to reduce or prevent discomfort crying, or to ...10 hours ago
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Good speech Metiria,
“That returns the love we are so generously given.
Let’s show our love for New Zealand on September 20.”
Fix our appalling railway also to help the environment please!!
Then bring us back to a kinder, gentler caring egalitarian society before we destruct please Greens.
As you are bringing us a Minister of Youth how about a Minister of egalitarianism society as well.
+1. And a Minister for the Arts, a proper one.
IF the left gets into Government I would like to see her as
Minister of Justice and Deputy Prime Minister.
Excellent. Bold, and fairly straightforward.
I was stunned to recently discover that the Minister had rejected her own officials’ advice that babies born to beneficiaries had the most to gain from this financial support. They said in their first weeks of their life such a payment could improve these babies long term wellbeing.
But, Paula Bennett said no, leave the poorest, tiniest babies out.
We won’t leave these babies out in the cold. We will support them.
Bennett and her cronies must go!
Much better policies from the left.
Can we get a video of this? I enjoyed Davids speech on the screen but I can’t find this one anywhere.
I’ve been party voting Greens while dear wife pvs Labour over the last decade. This year we decided to go with IMP. This speech has got me thinking though. IMP or Greens…decisions decisions oh hell!
[lprent: I will look for it. I was pretty busy with several things throughout this speech. But it looked pretty damn good to me. So did the standup afterwards.
Couldn’t find anything either. I’ll ask the Greens but it will probably be tomorrow. The Labour one took some time as well. ]
If the Greens were offering something that might conceivably reduce the proportion of children being raised on benefits within the year of their birth (which is the overwhelming factor relating to child poverty, neglect and abuse, I’d be inclined to vote for them. However, their policy seems to be to fund an increase in children being raised on benefits within the year of their birth, which inclines me more towards hoping Metiria doesn’t get anywhere near being able to influence government policy in this area.
The Greens’ whole package includes also focusing on education, health and community support. This ensures children have a good start in life.
Keeping children (and adults) starving, in ill health and poorly housed, costs us all more in the long run.
+100 karol…and they are the advocates for the environment…New Zealand the way it was….where our heart and soul is …..with sparkling clean rivers, lakes , oceans and shorelines …healthy thriving flora and fauna…pristine bush and treasured National Parks…sustainable farming ….and a small manageable population…a New Zealand for all New Zealanders
…a New Zealand that the old Maori revered as the Goddess Earth Mother… Papatuanuku ….treasured Mother Earth…the Gaia Mother Earth who sustains us All .
The Greens’ whole package includes also focusing on education, health and community support. This ensures children have a good start in life.
Well, that’s the theory, anyway. Practice tells us that being raised on benefits long term very strongly militates against children having a good start in life. The Greens’ view is that that’s because beneficiaries are short of cash, but their view comes more under the heading of “wishful thinking” than “evidence-based policy.”
New Zealand the way it was…
…when children were raised by two parents who earned their own living. Yes, it would be great, wouldn’t it?
The reason they don’t get a good start in life is because:
poor education
poor health
poor community networks
And all those are addressed in the Greens’ package.
Actually, back in the day it was one household breadwinner, a woman dependent on a husband being fair in providing her with a reasonable amount of money, and a safe and secure environment – wasn’t always that safe secure or economically fair.
Back in the day, there were stronger community networks in most places.
It takes a village…..
Meh. Growing up with two parents doesn’t imply any particular organisational model for those parents to follow.
And stuff like poor education, poor health and poor social networks are more the result of people who shouldn’t be having kids, having them – dishing out more cash for having kids won’t address that problem.
Hey milt better educated people have less children making sure these children have stable family home reasonably handy to a school .
food in their bellies reasonable standard of clothing!
And not $400 + weekly rental forcing families into sheds and cars !
Itinerantcy is one of the biggest causes of poor education outcomes because children of poor families are having to move on regularly seasonal low wage jobs and having no money after rent for food all add up to failure by this govt !
Unlike john key when he was growing up his mum paid small rent had child allowances etc
PM you are trying to tar all Beneficiaries with thesame brush!
“And stuff like poor education, poor health and poor social networks are more the result of people who shouldn’t be having kids, having them”
How does that connection work, Psych Milt?
Also, why do you start with “people who shouldn’t be having kids, having them” when you could equally (i.e., logically equally) start with “poor education, poor health and poor social networks” lead to “people who shouldn’t be having kids, having them”?
Having children brought up on poverty costs more for taxpayers in the long term that’s why right wing men don’t understand that when that child leaves school their chances of being employed in a good job in good health a very low costing you in your retirement Psyco misogynist only sees the shorterm!
so when you say evidence based policy, do you mean when a Ministry does the research and provides advice to the Minister and from there policy is developed?
PM When labour was last in office the Number of beneficiaries was well down only 83,000 on the DPB for less tan average of only 2years!
Now under National DPB numbers up by 30,000 with longer stays
Same with unemployment down to 70’000 with an average stay of only six months under National over 2 years average stay on UB1
Get some facts before you Bene Bash.
With having initials PM its hard to believe anything you say!
Kiaora Psycho
You must surely be aware that a baby pops out of a vagina and not a vacuum.
Child poverty has a history spanning decades and unraveling its effects will hopefully not take decades more. The Green policy sounds sensible and achievable. By focusing on giving the best care and attention to the babies and mothers united, the change you desire will occur.
How many well educated young women do you know willingly choose to live life on a benefit – by having babies?
Are you for the status quo, or is there a party with a different policy from the status quo, other than greens that you are currently supportive of?
No party seems to be actually doing anything useful about this, but Labour seems the least hopeless.
The Nats seem to focus on making life on a benefit so miserable that no-one will want to take it on – that seems punitive and unlikely to succeed, given that a lot of these people on benefits had a pre-beneficiary life a lot suckier than anything Paula Bennett might come up with.
The Greens appear to want to tax useful parents more so they can dish out cash to wasters with children. That’s a recipe for more wasters with more children and a hefty useful-parent voter backlash, so it really would be better not to go there.
Labour has in the past concentrated on getting people out of poverty by getting them into paid work, and (in theory, if not always in practice) ensuring that paid work actually pays enough to live on. If they’d focus a bit more on extracting cash from the deadbeat sperm donors creating these waster ‘families’ and seeing to it that raising children on a benefit isn’t an available career option, they’d be doing better, but their approach at least isn’t as crap as that of the Nats or Greens.
Thanks psycho
Can you post your basis for thinking that directing money toward the new born babies of beneficiaries will lead to more beneficiaries having babies?
There are two bases: a theoretical one, which posits that what you subsidise, you get more of; and a practical one, which is the rapid increase in beneficiaries having children after we started subsidising it in the 1970s. In layman’s terms: we’re currently getting seeing somewhere around 20% of kids on a benefit in the year of their birth, and it has a lot to do with raising kids on a benefit paying better than unskilled labour. Increase the payments, increase the attractiveness of raising kids on a benefit.
hmmmmm…
How many people do you think see being a beneficiary parent as a job choice, as a percentage of population, and of beneficiaries?
I’m not sure we’re talking about people who are big on conscious-choice decision-making, here. But the fact it’s effectively a career for thousands of unskilled people suggests some level of choice, or perhaps a lack of making a choice for alternatives, is going on.
So psyco misogynist what about john Keys mum and Paula Bennett they didn’t deserve a hand up
You do know that the fact some people actually use these benefits for their intended purpose isn’t an argument for ignoring widespread abuse of the benefits, right? Because your comment suggests you don’t.
We on the left are more interested about ways to create meaningful jobs and making sure kids get a decent start in life so they can function as Adults you on the right are more interested in bullying damaged people who have had lifetimes of abuse and neglect who are not good ta making decisions for themselves!
Unemployment was at 3.5% when this corrupt govt came in to power they handed more over to their National party mates in South Canterbury $1.6 billion than it would take to fix poverty in the Land of milk and honey!
Now their is Questions at the Fraud trial around Bill English’s roll in the biggest welfare Cheque ever written in New Zealands History!
We on the left are more interested about ways to create meaningful jobs and making sure kids get a decent start in life so they can function as Adults…
Correct. That’s exactly what we’d like to see – at issue is only how effective particular policies would be in achieving that.
…you on the right…
Incorrect. You seem to have mistaken me for someone else.
You do know, that abuse of the benefits by some claimants, doesn’t justify keeping the vast majority of honest beneficiaries living below subsistence level?
People have a right to live their lives as they see fit, and not live in a parental supervision surveillance state. It’s that simple.
Give people a dignified life in society on something above poverty level income so they are not scrabbling around to survive, then sure, ask more of them.
You do know, that abuse of the benefits by some claimants, doesn’t justify keeping the vast majority of honest beneficiaries living below subsistence level?
I suspect we’re operating very different definitions of the word ‘abuse’ in this context.
People have a right to live their lives as they see fit…
They don’t have the right to have taxpayers fund whatever life they see fit. Also: indeed I do think it’s a bad thing for people to live with the state in a parental role over them – which is what long-term beneficiaries are doing.
psycho Milt your pushing the dirty trickle down theory ACT policy your just repeating the lies!
practicing propaganda 101 technics of wearing down and baffling with BS.
You are the only RWNJ posting today.
you haven’t answered the question why haven’t the ACT National coalition reduced numbers on benefits !
Your just being cynical and pathetic!
[lprent: PM isn’t a RWNJ, you only have to read his posts at No Minister to understand that.
Personally I’d describe him as a bit of a social conservative (and I suspect he would even agree).
However there are many like him on the wider left. Please don’t be an ideological conservative and label everyone who disagrees with you as being something else. It is usually better to listen to what they actually have to say and then rubbish them on that (if you can). ]
you haven’t answered the question why haven’t the ACT National coalition reduced numbers on benefits !
As a lifelong opponent of National and a somewhat less-long opponent of ACT, I don’t feel in any way accountable for their policies.
Personally I’d describe him as a bit of a social conservative (and I suspect he would even agree).
Yes. In this one respect I am a social conservative: that children are in most cases much better off being raised by both their biological parents who are earning their own living. I just find it depressing that something so mundanely self-evident counts as social conservatism these days.
Hi Psycho Milt,
Overall, the birth rate has dropped markedly over the last fifty years (as it has in many countries).
The number of births by teenage parents is less than half of what it was in the 1970s:
“Professor Natalie Jackson, who heads the National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis (NIDEA), says debate on this issue needs to be informed by statistics. Contrary to the message that New Zealand’s teenage fertility and sole parenting rates are skyrocketing:
· In 2011, 2.8% of New Zealand’s teenage women (15-19 years) gave birth. This is higher than Australia (1.7%), similar to the United Kingdom (2.4%), and lower than the USA (3.9%). It is less than half the 1972 level (6.9%).
· At the 2006 Census, the median age of solo parents in New Zealand was 42.9 years.
1.4% were younger than 19
14.6% were 20-29 years
84% were 30 and over“
It’s great that the number of teenage births has dropped. But the drop since the 1970s is mainly due to couples becoming couples older and having children older. We have a pretty consistent level of children being raised on benefits within their first year, somewhere around 20%. It dipped slightly during 5th Labour, but only slightly. That 20% is the most at-risk group for you-name-it when it comes to bad outcomes.
On TV1 Monday morning John Key in answer to Allie Pugh’s question;
“What do you think about the Greens Billion dollar Child poverty scheme”
JK said “Greens are writing the checks we cant afford!!”
NEWSFLASH; Answer, John Key, – we cant afford a bill for a 13 billion dollar roads of National Significance plan of a holiday highway and others that are really just more roads for trucks either!!
Does dumb Key know that a healthy population is a productive population?
A little flowery but the sentiment is a good one and the plan solid. Lets see come September if New Zealanders are really the caring people they claim to be.
By flowery do you mean she expressed her love for the country and its people?
Disturbed Key has had another BrainFade forgotten how the state prevented him from poverty by providing him with cheap housing and his mum a benefit.
Maybe their was some mineral deficiency in his diet that has caused his remarkably convenient flippants on fire forgetfulness!
PM children brought up in poverty causes a $6.5 billion a year drag on our economy
Helping the poorest parents to look after their children is not only morally right and humanitarian, but also good economic sense. Invest early to prevent health and welfare costs in future. I can’t understand how this has been forgotten/pushed out of the conversation, as it was well understood in the 60’s and 70’s, and we are reaping the benefits of it with a healthy productive cohort of adults in the baby boomer generation. Talk about pulling up the ladder behind us…..