NRT: Fixing Christchurch

Written By: - Date published: 10:53 am, June 28th, 2014 - 5 comments
Categories: christchurch earthquake, Economy, housing, im/migration, labour - Tags: , , ,

no-right-turn-256Reposted from No Right Turn.

Labour has announced another part of its package to fix Christchurch: an immediate crash home-building plan:

A Labour government would build 100 “high-quality modular” houses for Christchurch in its first four months and have a further 300 of its Kiwibuild homes ready within six months.

The commitment is part of a plan to build 10,000 affordable homes in Canterbury, addressing what Labour housing spokesman Phil Twyford calls the broken free-market “tweaking” of planning laws in National’s rebuild.

[…]

Fewer than 1000 of the 12,000 to 15,000 houses needed in Canterbury had been built after three and half years, he said.

Only 25 per cent of the state house repairs has been done, and of the 700 state house rebuild that had been promised a year ago, only 29 had been completed.

The market has failed, so the government has to step in. Its that simple. As for why the market has failed, there’s the ongoing insurance problems of course, but perhaps this also has something to do with it: wages for builders, plumbers, and the other workers required to rebuild Christchurch haven’t kept pace with the living costs there. Or, to put it another way, the construction industry is simply pocketing increased rebuild costs.

In this context, Labour saying they’ll bring workers in from overseas if necessary looks like a betrayal. There are workers here. They’re just not paid enough to work in Christchurch. Importing people with lower living standards expectations isn’t a solution to that problem – it just creates more exploited, desperate people. And that doesn’t sound like a very labour-oriented policy to me.

 


 

lprent: On the latter point, later Labour announced today on immigration matters

Under a Labour government, Kiwi business must exhaust the options for hiring local workers before bringing in overseas migrants.

The party also wants to target the exploitation of migrant workers. Businesses will have to pay at least the living wage, after accommodation deductions. Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) will be paid at least the minimum wage plus $1.25 an hour, with accommodation provided in addition to wages.

“We are also concerned that a significant number of workers are being brought into New Zealand for relatively low-skilled jobs on low rates of pay. This not only leads to exploitation of these workers but undercuts the local labour market, pushing wages down for Kiwis,” he said.

“To address that Labour will require employers bringing in overseas workers to pay a living wage (after accommodation deductions) where the job offer forms part of the reason the application is accepted. This does not apply for the Pacific quota migrants.”

I guess that they thought about that. The problem is of course that most of these policies are integrated and fit together. However they have to be released as separate bits to fit the news media.

5 comments on “NRT: Fixing Christchurch ”

  1. blue leopard 1

    The two posts combined here (NRT’s and lprent’s) sound promising. It sounds like Labour are really engaging in the issues that are arising in Christchurch that are causing increasing problems and slowness and accordingly are coming up with approaches that will fix the problems and slow responses.

    Good work Labour.

  2. Get It Right 2

    Canterbury local authorities have been averaging 510 new dwelling building consents a month since April 2013, that’s over 6000 new dwellings a year – and around 300 new dwelling consents a month before that (over 3500 a year). Fewer than 1000 completed in 3 and a half years? Have Statistics New Zealand got their numbers completely wrong?

    [lprent: I suspect that if you had thought about it for even a second (clearly thinking is not your strength), that consents are not new buildings. You need a building consent for adding a deck, adding a garage, and even for many building repairs. Buildings don’t get built when a consent is made

    It is hard to know why you are wrong because you haven’t linked to something showing where your assertion has arisen from. In all probability you have simply read it incorrectly either by accident or deliberately. If it was that latter, as I suspect, then the reason for not linking is obvious.

    But Statistics NZ will be correct since they measure completed new dwelling places that are designed for the purpose and do so directly from builders.

    BTW: Adding you to autospam as this appears to be a rather bad astroturf and you appear to be too stupid to comment here effectively. Consider this to be for your own good. I had cleaning up the volumes of derision this kind of comment will trigger.

    But I suspect that I have it correct in describing you as a moran. Like this guy… ]

  3. Mike 3

    [lprent: Sadly this fool didn’t read the post or Labour’s policy.

    And here I was thinking that the main feature of the policy was to ensure that overseas workers were required to be paid the new minimum wage rates after living accommodation is deducted.

    As the post points out, the reason that kiwi workers aren’t taking the jobs is because the wages are less than the cost of living.

    Now watch this spinner avoid that issue. ]

    Sadly the Labour party are pressing dog-whistle politics still with their immigration policy.

    “Under a Labour government, Kiwi business must exhaust the options for hiring local workers before bringing in overseas migrants.”

    There are two things about this which are annoying:

    1) It has been a mandatory requirement since 2009 that Kiwi businesses must prove they have exhausted options for hiring (or training) local workers before employing overseas migrants.

    Not including this evidence is one of the main reasons that applications for work visas are declined. Additionally for most jobs (except the most skilled) government staff must conduct a labour market test (i.e. a check for NZ workers) and if they believe there are any available the employer’s evidence is ignored. In Christchurch a whole separate Hub (www.opportunitycanterbury.org.nz) was set up in January 2013 to do these mandatory checks.

    So firstly this is annoying because it misleads the public about the current system where proof is already required.

    2) Most migrants are not “brought in from overseas”. Over three quarters of applications for work visas are from people already here. Often they are in a job and have to renew their visa.

    This test is important because every time they renew their visa there has to be another labour market test to check to see if there are any New Zealand workers available. If there are the migrant worker loses the job, plain and simple.

    So secondly this is annoying as it incorrectly gives the impression hordes of people are being brought from overseas which is again misleading the public to be anti-migrant.

    I am disappointed by Labour’s policy which offers nothing useful or new and is confused. For example trying to apply a points system (which relates to residence applications) to work visas. Mind you, it is better than the United Future policy which is going to bring in even more things which are already happening.

    [lprent: If you want to astroturf, then do it elsewhere. I am intolerant of fuckwits who don’t address what is actually in the post. Or even what was in the policy. Labour didn’t say that they were putting in a new policy about documentation showing that a search for local workers had failed. What they said was that they were going to stop the exploitation on migrant workers and that they would be putting in policies to ensure that they got paid an adequate wage. ]

  4. DH 4

    I’ve always stayed out of the ChCh discussions, not really any of my business, but maybe an outside view is worth considering….

    To my mind ChCh is an illustration of what’s gone wrong with politics over the last 20-30yrs, neither National nor Labour have really got the message here. In a civic disaster the duty of Govt is to provide, and from what I’ve heard they haven’t.

    The provision of labour & housing are two glaring failures. Its not true that ChCh needs only skilled tradesmen. The construction industry is highly adaptable, when skilled labour is in short supply for large projects they change their methods. Dubai has been built by (mostly) unskilled and semi-skilled third world labour, you won’t find many genuine tradespeople doing the donkey work there.

    In a situation like ChCh you turn tradespeople into supervisors and hire semi-skilled labour. The likes of Fletcher might want only skilled tradespeople but they don’t need them. Tradies don’t like bossing around semi-skilled trogs but they’ll do it in exchange for more pay. The quality of work doesn’t suffer if it’s done right.

    NZ has all the labour ChCh needs, it’s just not been prepared. You can’t make a tradesperson in 12 months but you certainly can train an unemployed person enough to hold their own on a construction site. The Govt had all the time in the world to provide the labour ChCh needs and they’ve utterly failed to do so.

    Housing…. well little needs to be said on that. Transient workers are competing with the locals for accommodation, pushing the cost up for everyone. The last sites to be built on should be full of temporary worker accommodation, and I very much doubt they are. There’s no shortage of options, the UK are doing temp housing like this for some $NZ40k and it would cost less here;

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2450762/Shipping-containers-rented-London-homes.html

    Dead easy to set up sites with those stacked up and you could run plumbing & power to them very cheaply. Transient workers want cheap accommodation, they’re there to earn some cash and they do not want to pay a fortune for room & board.

    IMO what was required was planning and mobilisation by the state. The Govt needed to set up special industry training courses nationwide and then provide inexpensive housing for the labour as it arrived in. Instead they look to have just handed out cash by the bucketload, continually passing the buck onto the private sector.

    It’s still not too late, this is a not to be repeated opportunity to get large numbers of our unemployed into productive work where they can build a stake and also learn a trade that will endure well past the rebuild.

    I’m half surprised Labour haven’t seen the opportunity here. Mobilising the resources of the state to get the unemployed into work is something I thought would resonate very strongly with the middle class voters they’re trying to win.

    • felix 4.1

      Agree 100%

      Chch is THE most urgent issue in NZ and has been for four. fucking. years. while the govt has done fuck all about it.

      It is also a massive opportunity to soak up unemployment – and not with meaningless make-work schemes but with doing the most important and necessary work in the country.

      The election is right there.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • EV road user charges bill passes
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April.  “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Bill targets illegal, unregulated fishing in international waters
    New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Reserve Bank appointments
    Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates.  Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Stronger protections for apartment owners
    Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Travel focused on traditional partners and Middle East
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.    “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says.   Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Keep safe on our roads this Easter
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Cost of living support for over 1.4 million Kiwis
    About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Tenancy reviews for social housing restart
    Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary plan halted
    The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Cutting all that dam red tape
    Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track.  “Dam safety regulations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Drought support extended to parts of North Island
    The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Passage of major tax bill welcomed
    The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lifting economy through science, tertiary sectors
    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government announces Budget priorities
    The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.  The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government to consider accommodation solution
    The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government approves extension to Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
    Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                         “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to health treatment
    The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.   “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM’s Prizes for Space to showcase sector’s talent
    The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Concerns conveyed to China over cyber activity
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government.     “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry
    Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function.  The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Brynderwyns open for Easter
    State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Speech to the Infrastructure Funding & Financing Conference
    Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Parliamentary network breached by the PRC
    New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ to provide support for Solomon Islands election
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ-EU FTA gains Royal Assent for 1 May entry to force
    The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.    “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • COVID-19 inquiry attracts 11,000 submissions
    Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says.  “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Families to receive up to $75 a week help with ECE fees
    Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Unlocking a sustainable, low-emissions future
    A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Chief of Army thanked for his service
    Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders
    25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Government commits nearly $3 million for period products in schools
    Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech – Making it easier to build.
    Good morning, it’s great to be here.   First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.  I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Pacific youth to shine from boost to Polyfest
    Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • 2024 Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships announced
    ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to Breast Cancer Foundation – Insights Conference
    Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Kiwi research soars to International Space Station
    New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Speech to the New Zealand Planning Institute
    Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Support for Northland emergency response centre
    The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed.  “Northland has faced a number ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Celebrating 20 years of Whakaata Māori
    New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Some commercial fishery catch limits increased
    Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-28T15:50:04+00:00