One law for the rich

Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, November 20th, 2014 - 77 comments
Categories: business, class war, human rights - Tags: ,

Politicians can wreck economies and get a knighthood and a cosy diplomatic post. Bankers can loose billions and get a government handout and nice fat bonuses. But, as always, it’s different for us ordinary folk:

Workers charged for petrol drive-offs

Low-paid workers at a petrol station convenience store have been docked hundreds of dollars after customers fled without paying.

Kerry McIvor, who left in disgust from Masterton’s Night ‘n Day store, which also operates a Gull service station, said: “It came out of my wages without me knowing. I asked him [the boss] and he says: It happened on your shift, so it’s your fault . . . I was ropeable.”

Masterton Night ‘n Day franchisee Nick Lucas defended the “drive-offs” policy as standard industry practice. “When an employee makes a mistake, there are repercussions.”

But employment lawyer Andrew Scott-Howman said passing on the costs of customers’ dishonesty to an employee could be illegal.

77 comments on “One law for the rich ”

  1. ghostwhowalksnz 1

    Dont they have pre pay on their pumps, especially on overnight shifts.

    If I was an working on this arrangement, those pumps would be locked until they had coughed up the cash.

    No money, keep walking

    • Areobubble 1.1

      Agreed. Companies should not be allowed to stick their employees up, which is effectively what happens. Workers have no say about the process so no responsibility for it. Its just theft in my opinion, the boss is stealing alledgely imho.

      Sure where the worker has the keys to the till.

    • Craig H 1.2

      Apparently the owner doesn’t allow the use of prepay because prepay usually means customers only purchase fuel, and he loses money on fuel-only sales…

  2. tinfoilhat 2

    “But employment lawyer Andrew Scott-Howman said passing on the costs of customers’ dishonesty to an employee could be illegal.”

    Could be illegal ??

    If this isn’t illegal from an employment law perspective we’re living in the twilight zone !

  3. Marksman33 3

    Correct me if I’m wrong but I was always under the impression that business loaded somewhere around 5 percent onto costs to allow for theft. These clowns are double dipping as usual.

  4. Michael 4

    It is unlawful for an employer to make deductions like this from employees’ pay. However, the law is not enforced because employers have too much power. We used to have a Labour Party that stood up to abuses like this.

    • irascible 4.1

      We used to have Trade Unions that were able to stand up to such abuses on behalf of their members. Expect more of these situations occurring now that “Dear Leader” and his cronies have changed the employment law to totally emasculate the Unions and the workers.

  5. DH 5

    It’s times like this I struggle to understand how this country could have fallen so far.

    This is serious, docking workers pay is a big step on the path to bonded labour.

    The apathy shown by authorities so far is rather foreboding. This should be cleared up immediately with an emphatic statement from the relevent Govt body as to whether it’s illegal or not and what they’re going to do about it.

  6. millsy 6

    This means that anyone working in retail could have their pay docked if something gets shoplifted on their watch.

    A precedent has been set here.

    • left for deadshark 6.1

      no, the employee has to agree.Only govt fines and family support going out,you can not contract out of the law.

      edit: lawyer to talk with that plonker on radio live,after eleven.

      ps may also talk with Andrew Little

      • millsy 6.1.1

        If that employer can do it, others can. And will.

        • minarch 6.1.1.1

          They can get away with it because the staff being victimised will be on work visas that depend on their employers support, They will be too scared to speak up about being robbed by their crooked employers in case they loose their jobs and their visas get revoked

  7. TheContrarian 7

    I’m wondering what these guys are meant to do to stop people from driving off without paying. Leap in front of the car? Pull a shotgun?

    • DH 7.1

      I’m wondering at your line of thinking. The corollary to that argument would be if they could stop the driveoffs, and did not, then it would be ok to dock their pay.

      This should be a simple black & white issue of right and wrong. Should employers be permitted to dock workers pay? Absolutely bloody not, not under any circumstances. This is the 21st century, not the 19th.

      • McFlock 7.1.1

        I agree, but Contrarian also raises an interesting point as to whether the employer’s sins include expecting workers to compromise their own safety in order to save him a couple of bucks, and whether the employer should be culpable if a worker used excessive force in order to protect the bosses’ petrol.

        Basically, the employer has heaped so many types of wrong into his little dictatorial escapade that one could list them forever. But yeah, I think that pretty much at the top of the list is your point about bonded labour.

        “I owe my soul to the company store” is strangely apt when the company is a store.

      • greywarshark 7.1.2

        @ DH
        That is the $64 million question????????????????????????

        Blacklist Night n Day Masterton!! And let’s hear from anyone else who has this sort of disgraceful robbery from their wages.

      • TheContrarian 7.1.3

        I’m not making an argument. I’m wondering what it is the employees are expected to do to stop a drive off.

        • McFlock 7.1.3.1

          I suspect that the employer doesn’t care. After all, he’s got his money.

          Hmmm. I wonder if the employer interprets issues around PAYE for the docked wages in the same way as the IRD? After all, apparently the docked wages must cumulatively run into the thousands based on that report.

    • Tracey 7.2

      Of course they should, money before lives… Havent you heard the Pm’s pronouncement on the peaceful takeover of NZ in return for capital?

  8. Tom Gould 8

    Hold the front page, a nasty boss gets caught being nasty. Has Key offered to change to law to protect this one yet?

  9. vto 9

    This was tried on me many years ago when the employer expected that I should pay if the cheque from one of his customers bounced ….. yet I was required to accept the cheques …..

    arsehole

    a cheque bounced and he was stared down, but I was highly pissed that he thought it ok

    what on earth goes on in the minds of these employers?

    Also, if the employee is carrying the losses then the employee is entitled to the profits as well …
    … as McFlock says above, this case and this employer has it wrong on so very many fronts

  10. Policy Parrot 11

    Had this happen to me when I was an employee at a service station. (Caltex – in Christchurch)
    Usually I was on sole charge, so to avoid paying for the drive-off, which I frankly found offensive but as a part-permanent employee in frequent need of extra shifts it was not in my interest to offend the employer, I would usually try manage the till in a way so that it was up by the amount that the drive-off cost, and then ring it off and pretend like nothing happened – without charging the remaining customers any extra; e.g. there are a lot of things/services they charge for that use up very little resources/inventories per individual item, i.e. coffees, LPG bottle top-ups – and just ring them up as cash-outs.

    As an additional extra – it happened once when the owner was self-manning the site, and he threw a brick at the car’s rear window – smashing it – are employees really expected to do that as a deterrent?

  11. Draco T Bastard 12

    An interesting observation from Trotter:

    But what did that mean? According to Robertson, it meant reaching out to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Such sentiments were bound to set alarm-bells ringing in the ears of Labour’s socialists. As any trade union official will tell you, it is the small businessmen, the entrepreneurs, who most commonly find themselves on the receiving end of the Employment Court’s negative judgements. No social class hates the trade unions with as much passion as the petit bourgeoisie.

    my bold

    And this is what we potentially have here along with that petit bourgeoisie refusing to take responsibility and shifting the risk of the business on to the employee.

    • Tracey 12.1

      It will be put down to one wayward employer. Cant tar all by this… Contrast this with treatment of beneficiaries cos a tiny number rip off the system… Or the treatment of workers cos a tiny number are lazy…

      Should be a good chance for Little to let some workers know they can be protected

      • Colonial Rawshark 12.1.1

        Labour *has* to bring right-minded community focussed small business people, contractors and the self employed on side. Many of these people are the new precariat, shop owners and owner drivers being fucked over by landlords and one sided contracts.

    • sabine 12.2

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petite_bourgeoisie

      This guy is a thief. I understand you to use the term derogatory, but in essence most of us are petite bourgeoisie or at least like to think we are. Middle NZ is the english term. But this guy is simply a thief. He commits the crime of wage theft and should have the book thrown at him.

      He can have his pump on pre pay – problem solved
      He can prosecute those that don’t pay after al, they are on camera – problem solved
      he can write of the loss at the end of year taxes – no loss occurred

      instead he deducts wages from his staff. Wage theft.

  12. greywarshark 13

    But employment lawyer Andrew Scott-Howman said passing on the costs of customers’ dishonesty to an employee could be illegal.
    Could be illegal? Now the employee on minimum wages has to take responsibility for the owner? This is disgusting. The business must take the knocks as well as the profits. If the owner doesn’t like the way the staff are working let him do the work himself.
    There has been a great change since the days of a business being responsible for its employees.

    I saw this in the Press in conjunction with a case where a man was electrocuted from touching a metal wall which was not earthed. It was the side of a refrigerated unit and the earth wire had been disconnected apparently so that a repair job would be cheaper.

    The police have to charge the actual person who did the ‘repair’ and the owner of the business didn’t seem to appear in the frame. WTF. Don’t businesspeople get held to account for anything? How come everything has to be sheeted home to the worker. The business owner has a responsibility to ensure that the premises are being run safely. Then he/she wouldn’t be employing someone doing dodgy things, which wasn’t picked up by an owner or manager’s inspection. Now a man is dead and who is to blame. Pontius Pilate!

    • Ross 13.1

      My thoughts exactly. Actually, there’s the “could be illegal” thing (WTF), and the fact that it was an employment lawyer who said it! Doesn’t he know? Again, WTF.

      • greywarshark 13.1.1

        @ Ross
        An employment lawyer could presumably advise businesses just as much a workers.
        He/she is probably waiting to see if there is some new legisation or deemed regulations coming along the pipeline before making a firm unequivocal statement.

      • McFlock 13.1.2

        the other thing is to get a lawyer to categorically state something without equivocation can be impossible, especially if they are not directly familiar with all aspects of the case.

        “Could be illegal” is at the other end of the scale from “no apparent legal argument against it” 🙂

    • Draco T Bastard 13.2

      Don’t businesspeople get held to account for anything?

      Nope. My nephew was telling me about a couple of workers who got fined $4500 each for working dangerously after the developer refused to get proper scaffolding put in. They didn’t have any choice as they needed the work/money. The developer didn’t even get a slap over the wrist with a wet bus ticket.

      All the laws over the last 20 years and especially with National in power has shifted all the expenses on to the workers and off the businesses while shifting the power onto the businesses. The businesses do well but the workers are fucked.

  13. Tracey 14

    I expect there will be axcall for taxpayer funded cameras so this employee doesnt have to lose wages. Thats the compassionate side of the govt.

    • Murray Rawshark 14.1

      GCSB cameras in all private vehicles. That would stop innocent motorists being suspected of fuel theft. There’s really no other way to do it. If you’re not stealing fuel you have nothing to worry about.

      Cortina (Velox for me) back seats will never be what they used to.

  14. The lost sheep 15

    Take a deep breath, and relax.
    The Wages Protection Act (1983) only allows deductions from an employees pay outside of those required by Law, if ‘it is for a lawful purpose’, and ‘the employee authorises such a payment in writing’. In such cases the employee can withdraw consent at any time.

    So as this is not a lawful purpose, (you cannot make one person liable for the theft of another!), and the employees did not authorise the deductions in writing, the current law is perfectly adequate to protect the employee.

    All the employee needs to do is pick up the phone and dial 0800 20 90 20, and The Labour Dept will sort the situation out.

    This is merely evidence that there are some employers out there who are ignorant of, or willing to abuse the law.
    It does not in any way suggest their is a lack of protection for workers in the law or one law for the rich and one for the poor.

    • greywarshark 15.1

      lost sheep
      I think it is an indication that, from the observed incidents, people are giving up belief in the law being fair for all.

      The chap who left may be able to apply for constructive dismissal or whatever its called when you are made to believe that you are not wanted as an employee and can expect unfair treatment. Is there an employment lawyer in the house who might like to comment on the employee’s position on receiving an amount recompensing for his expenses and hurt for this unjust highwayman treatment, and to regain the purloined amount of wages? And for all the others so affected.

    • Tracey 15.2

      First, your name is apt.

      I wonder why the employee didnt know they could call the Labour Dept?

      Sutton got a press conference orchestrated and attended by his boss and a rep from the pm office, a hug and gratitude… For sexually harrassing an employee. To our knowledge no pay lost.

      This guy had to go the media.

      Yup no different employment conditions for the rich and the poor.

    • RedLogix 15.3

      and the employees did not authorise the deductions in writing, the current law is perfectly adequate to protect the employee.

      Does anyone know if the specific employment contract concerned here does in fact have this provision? In other words has the employee already signed away authority for such deductions to be made?

      All the employee needs to do is pick up the phone and dial 0800 20 90 20, and The Labour Dept will sort the situation out.

      Is this person on a 90 day trial? And even if not – how long do you think most minimum pay workers would last after taking your advice?

      And note that the employee concerned has already walked from the job – presumably in an entirely justified disgust and humiliation at being treated like this. Does that count as ‘constructive dismissal’?

      This is merely evidence that there are some employers out there who are ignorant of, or willing to abuse the law.

      True. Which is why employment regulations exist. Unfortunately when you have a government that has spent the last six years weakening them, and tipping the balance increasingly in favour of the employers – this has the effect of encouraging and enabling the incompetent and meaner category of employers at the bottom end.

    • Draco T Bastard 15.4

      All the employee needs to do is pick up the phone and dial 0800 20 90 20, and The Labour Dept will sort the situation out.

      Yes but how many people actually know that? I think you’ll find that it’s less than 10% of the population.

      The employees doing this get away with it due to peoples ignorance and their fear of losing their job.

      • b waghorn 15.4.1

        There are lots of training courses that people new to work or changeing roles go on/are sent on, wouldn’t it be good if employment law was a manditory part of it if they want government funding.

    • DH 15.5

      “It does not in any way suggest their is a lack of protection for workers in the law or one law for the rich and one for the poor.”

      What planet are you living on? The universal theme of every person so far claiming to have pay deducted is they didn’t complain out of fear for their jobs. Most look to have been casuals and likely on part time contracts, their jobs would hang on a thread as it is.

      For anyone in that situation to contact the Labour department they’d need a guarantee of discretion from the dept and a promise they wouldn’t be identified as the complainant. How many people would have that level of faith in the bureaucrats (partly) responsible for Pike River?

      And if someone did call the Labour Dept what would the dept do? Prosecute the employer, fine them or slap them with wet bus ticket? Would the bureaucrats follow up to make sure no-one was subequently fired by a vengeful employer? Would they check to make sure no new ‘deductions’ were being introduced to replace the old ones? Would they hell…

      So yeah, it is about laws for the rich and laws for the poor. The poor can’t afford to call the law.

      • Draco T Bastard 15.5.1

        The poor can’t afford to call the law.

        QFT

        • greywarshark 15.5.1.1

          Oliver Goldsmith smithed some words that continue to be pure gold and ring true:
          Law grinds the poor, and rich men rule the law.

    • Lefty 15.6

      The Labour Department (MBIE now) will run around and give the employer a big cuddle.

      That’s how it actually works nowadays.

    • Ross 15.7

      So this employer STOLE money from an employee because someone stole from him? I’ll look forward to him being arrested and charged for the theft. Was he ignorant of the law? Tough. He still stole money from his employee and ignorance is no defense.

  15. The lost sheep 16

    “I wonder why the employee didnt know they could call the Labour Dept?”

    When free information and assistance on employees rights and protections are so widely and openly available from so many different sources?
    Absolutely beats me.

    He knew how to contact the media though, so Dept. of Labour help will be on the way, and as a bonus his employer will have public humiliation to deal with in addition to the legal consequences he most certainly faces.

    But I guess if you are cynical enough you can read a conspiracy into anything…

    • Tracey 16.1

      Oh well, if most employers are good folk, they wont mind an urgent law change to make sure this cant happen again.

      Do you think the employer ought to be able to deduct for this kind of thing, you didnt say.

    • Murray Rawshark 16.2

      What bloody conspiracy? An asshole employer and a useless Labour Department under a Tory government that despises workers is all I see. Where’s your bloody conspiracy?

      The prick of an employer should be charged with theft and never be allowed to run a business again.

    • greywarshark 16.3

      @ the lost sheep
      He’s a poor little lamb who has lost his way bah bah bah. (Sort of song.)
      You do go on you ignorant RW whiner.

      • The lost sheep 16.3.1

        Mate, if all you want to do is abuse me, surely you can be more creative than that!

        I spent 20 years working on farms and in freezing works and on fishing boats, so I know how to take a better shot than that limp-wristed slap with a damp hanky.

        Man up!

        • greywarshark 16.3.1.1

          @ lost sheep
          If you want to be a real man, of the people who do the hard yeards. Don’t find things to be negative about. Workers need assistance not a sneer or snide remark. Otherwise you are coming from the business or management side and lack real interest in the worker’s situation.

          • The lost sheep 16.3.1.1.1

            I am only commenting on this case because I HAVE assisted an employee with a very similar case…..

            By the way, I see the CTU lawyer agrees with my analysis of the illegality of this case.

            I guess he must be an ignorant RW idiot as well. Either that or I am right.

  16. The lost sheep 17

    Did you read my posts Tracey?
    You don’t NEED an urgent law change because this kind of deduction is not ‘a legal purpose’ under current law.
    Even if the employee had agreed in writing to the deduction, (and they didn’t), it would still not become a legal purpose, as there are no legal principles that would allow you to hold the employee liable for an action such as a drive away petrol theft which is clearly outside their control!

    Of course I don’t think an employer should be able to do this. And they can’t.

    Follow the story to it’s conclusion, see that I am right, and then come back and agree that what ever you think in general – this case is not evidence of a general lack of employee protection in law.

    • McFlock 17.1

      Of course I don’t think an employer should be able to do this. And they can’t.

      You mean that they can’t do this thing of which multiple instances have been documented in the media report that prompted this post.

      You suffer the misapprehension that just because something is illegal, everyone who is a victim of it feels they have the power to be able to seek help from the authorities, even if they know this help exists.

    • adam 17.2

      Thelostsheep, again you talk from a position of privilege – I know it was illegal and I also know if you phone up the labour department to get advice on this – all they will do is tell you what the law says – it is very unlikely they will take a case like this on.

      The ability to defend oneself from this practice is another issue altogether. Or indeed just getting your wages back, both are a fight – one which in a highly individualised workplace like a petrol station – will in all probability, be bloody difficult.

      And yes, you can go to mediation, and then the courts. But, he courts are all but broken, and the process is long winded and can be quite disempowering. With the delays and other tactics, an employer can be quite a prick using the legal system – even when they are in the wrong.

      Why is it that employers can not be honest? Why is it that petty managers and owners feel they can wilfully break the law? I think thelostsheep, you need to ask what is the driver for this type of behaviour by small business.

      • Tracey 17.2.1

        He knows, and he will soon agree that if this govt were consistent we must now bring in instant fines to make sure malingering employers like this get the message.

    • Tracey 17.3

      The employer has just done this. The law MUST be failing. We need huge instant fines on such an employer, or did i miss that part in your treatise?

    • Melody 17.4

      From what I heard on Campbell Live, the union rep was saying that some employers try to drop in a ‘general deduction’ clause to cover themselves for all eventualities.

      Vulnerable workers in need of $$$ have little choice but to sign these sorts of contracts.

    • Murray Rawshark 17.5

      The Constitution of the US and A protects citizens from all sorts of things. THey still happen.
      The Constitution of the Soviet Union was widely accepted to be one of the best in the world. On paper.
      If the employee takes money from the till, what happens? The employer has far better protection under the law than the employee.

  17. Dissuasion 18

    It’s common practice among the likes of fast food and supermarkets to force staff to pay in the difference if their tills are short. Of course said employee’s don’t get the reverse treatment if their tills are over.

  18. Areobubble 19

    If employees were force to pay for driveoff thefts, then surely if the petrol were all too disappear over night then the manager would be committing an offense if they inform Police there was a theft. This would open the manager up to breaching their own duty of care for assets in deinsuring themselves, stopping the company from claiming insurance.

  19. Paul 20

    From the article.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/63361758/Workers-charged-for-petrol-drive-offs

    Scared workers.
    Personal attacks on workers who complain.
    Pay at $13.75 an hour.
    10 hours shift without a break.

    What does this say about industrial relations in this?

    “Three other former workers backed the complaints but asked not to be named. One, docked about $300 for two to three drive-offs, received a written warning after complaining.
    “It felt more like a personal attack . . . it made me feel really horrible.” She said that for a young female working alone at 4am, stopping a drive-off was near impossible. “It’s not like we’re going to run out on to the forecourt and stop the cars.”
    Another, paid $13.75 an hour and docked $50 for one drive-off, said: “I was doing a 10-hour shift without a break . . . I turned around and the customer had left the pump hanging and he’d scarpered.”
    McIvor said surveillance footage identified some drive-off culprits but Lucas showed little interest in pursuing them.

  20. karol 21

    This was what happened when I worked as a cashier for a Texaco petrol station in London in the late 70s.

    I think ti was casual work. I did this cashier work when I first arrived in London and was waiting for a teaching job. It didn’t occur to me that I could complain, but I needed the money at that time, and was fairly young.

    All the cashiers had the same conditions. We had to count and record all the merchandise on display when we signed on and off – so they could check losses/sales against out ill records. I actually did pretty OK.

    There was one guy who worked the night shift who regularly had loads of money deducted from his pay. And he also was held up by gun while serving at the night window – not safe or desirable work.

    The manager was a sleaze. i guess these days his behaviour could be the result of a sexual harassment complaint – he did things like grab the belt/top of my trousers/jeans to pull me towards him when he was talking to me.

    But also, when he was around he used to listen to us/or watch us through a sound system or two-way mirror. We were supposed to promote oil when people bought petrol – and basically tell them they needed oil and charge it to them before they could complain. All pretty nasty. Ii just couldn’t bring myself to do it, so he kept telling me off.

    Fortunately got teaching work before too long.

  21. Dont worry. Be happy 22

    Gull got back to me within an hour. Say they are in contact with both the franchisee and the worker. More to come

    • Tracey 22.1

      Gull and the managers company said it is not policy. Chap dodged questions by saying he is bound by confidentiality to gull and company. Gull spojesman said it is unacceptable.

      Will they yank the franchise to show their disapproval

  22. s y d 23

    facebook has some interesting butt covering, buck passing corporate denial on this happening in real time.

    Gull deflecting the **** onto Night’n’Day, who are blaming the franchise holder.

    but a quick check of what the franchise holder gets is set out pretty clearly

    http://www.nightnday.co.nz/franchisees/what-you-get

    and includes “all employment requirements”.

    campbell live should be good.

  23. RedBaronCV 24

    This service station has a camera and most do so they can identify and pursue the drive offs which is what he should be doing. I hope his employees now complain about wages theft. he also took money for a broken printer according to the story.

    Frankly I hope the whole world descended on this joker this morning. The IRD to check his PAYE and wages records, The Health & safety lot to check WTF he is doing leaving a female (or any employee ) unsupported at 4.00a.m, the labour dept to see why he isn’t paying wages correctly and allowing breaks. Immigration to check employee status, the cops because he is thieving from his employees, his franchise holder, the petrol supplier and his insurance company because any business style insurance is going to be under threat from the disgruntled employees. And I hope his customers stay away in droves. Of course any employee who left would be benefit sanctioned and does Winz make up the shortfall when they don’t have enoiugh to live on that week?

  24. venezia 25

    Well Campbelllive is onto it. They asked onscreen for anyone who has had this experience of employers deducting money to cover driveoffs to contact them. Apparently heaps of people have. So wait and see what happens next – hopefully this sort of exposure will flush out how widespread the practice actually is.

  25. NZJester 26

    As long as the National Government keeps giving the bosses all the power, they will think they can do what they want by adding in all sorts of illegal clauses to contracts.
    After the last big scandal of all those bosses who got caught out not giving employees breaks they had been legally entitled to, what did National do about it, they decided to change the law to allow that formally illegal practice of making employees work through there breaks legal if it is in their contract.
    They took the employers side instead of punishing those employers and enforcing the right of workers to have a break.
    They ignored the potential problems of possible increases in work accidents happening in the future due to tired overworked employees because employers did not want to give employees breaks.
    The Government basically endorsing that formally illegal practice by proposing a law change has employers thinking that they just need to make something wide spread in contracts and the National Government will try and change the law to make a common practice legal.
    Will they make the deduction for inventory loss from employee wages legal in the future? Knowing this Government I think they would try if the thought they could get away with it.
    You can bet if a thief does get caught and the money is actually paid through the courts for the goods the employer would just keep it and not return it to the employee either.
    As those losses can also be written off in taxes are the employers actually getting extra profit for these type of thefts meaning it is in there interest to set up the situation to make theses kinds of things more likely to happen?

  26. Maui 27

    This system is f…..
    Wanting a revolution pronto.

  27. RedBaronCV 28

    Well the Night & day franchisor and Gull should make it a condition that the staff join unions. Lets see if they believe what they are saying today – if not why not.

    Oh and caltex will do deductions too apparently

  28. Lorraine 29

    This is not only illegal but totally immoral. What employer wouldn’t know that they can’t dock the wages of an employee for theft by a person that is not the employee. How completely stupid are they. These companies need to be prosecuted. How dear they do this. I hope they legally hang draw and quarter these businesses. Also expecting employees to run after drive-offs and put their own lives in danger. Also completely stupid. They must have the rego numbers of the cars and pics of the criminals. It like in the 19th century but I suppose that is what it is becoming like for low wage earners in NZ today thanks to #Team Key.

    • Draco T Bastard 29.1

      Oh, I figure that they knew it was illegal but also knew that the employees a) wouldn’t kick up a stink because they were desperate for a job and b) couldn’t afford a lawyer to take them to court. This is one of the reasons why the government changed from a full employment policy to a 6% unemployment policy back in 1984. It shifts power from the workers to the employers and they get to do shit like this and not be held accountable for it as well as keeping wages down so that all the gains of increased productivity go to the shareholders and managers instead of the people creating the wealth.

      It’s not just this government that’s been ripping us off but Labour as well.

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  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    7 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
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    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
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    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
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    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
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    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
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    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
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    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
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    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
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    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
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    5 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
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    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
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    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
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    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
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    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
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    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
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    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
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    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
    This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti.  Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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