Hardly news, NZ Herald.
Why ? Corporations wrote the TPP.
So who signed the letter?
Katherine Rich, Executive Director of the Food and Grocery Council, signed the letter.
One of the Food and Grocery Council’s objectives is to ‘advance the interests of manufacturers and suppliers of food and non-food products sold by the grocery trade.’ The ‘grocery’ companies Rich represents include such quaint Mum and Dad NZ companies such as Coca Cola, Nestlé, Frucor ( owned by Japanese giant Suntory) and George Weston Foods ( a wholly owned subsidiary of Associated British Foods Plc). Rich, the Grocery Council and Coca Cola recently congratulated the government for its form of ‘action’ on obesity.
NZ Forest Owners Association’s Paul Nicholls signed the letter.
Close to 1 million ha in plantation forests alone is in foreign hands (either full ownership or management). In 2010, the Forest Owners Association reported that 317,000 ha were overseas owned, with forestry investment and management firms controlling a further 654,000 ha in leases.
NZ Winegrowers NZ’s Philip Gregan signed the letter.
Author Peter Howland writes in his book Social, Cultural and Economic Impacts of Wine in New Zealand that more than 80 per cent of New Zealand wine production is foreign-owned. For example, Montana is owned by French giant Pernot Ricard, which had total assets of €25.70 billion in June 2011.
So the TPP benefits massive multi-national corporations and they get their puppets to write letters to John Key to tell him it benefits the country.
The Food and Grocery Council scares me quite a lot regarding the TPPA. I am not sure small businesses understand how much this will affect them.
The TPPA will give multi nationals the power to destroy small and medium businesses, the lifeblood of our country.
I am sure all the doomsayers about National’s economic policy will be suitably contrite.
With the benefits of the TPPA we can expect even better things in the future.
Dang, a raw nerve has been struck, you’re fingernails have raked across my blackboard!
A considerable number of orchadists pay on a contract basis, so sure, if you’re of a lazy disposition (or more interested in chatting to the female backpackers as many of my friends were) then you’re not going to do to well for yourself, but that’s at the workers discretion.
I spent many a season in the apple orchards (late 90’s/early 2000’s), set myself a goal of clearing $1,000 per week in the hand, and by gum I’d get there more often then not. Agreed it’s not for everyone (a fair few of my friends used their student loans to head overseas for summer instead, for which they’re still paying today), but if you’re focused and have a desire to work hard, then the reward is there.
“Picking – this is the harvesting of the fruit to the required standard, and again this is physical work. The employee must be able to lift, manoeuvre and climb to the top of a 9-foot ladder. You must also be able to carry the ladders between blocks. The employee must be capable of working long hours and be able to work in the outdoors i.e. in the heat or cold. Most pickers are paid on a contract rate. The rate varies but the minimum bucket rate (5kg) for cherries is $4-40 plus 8% holiday pay. You must be able to pick enough buckets to earn at least the minimum wage in order to retain your position. There is occasionally hourly-rated picking, but this is limited and the pay rate is $14-75 plus holiday pay.”
lets say your picking cherries for Mrs jones on contract at $4.40 a 5KG bucket…to clear 1K a week you need to work 6 days for 10 hours (hour off for breaks, so effective 9 productive) and average approx 5 buckets per hour (or 25KG)….am sure there are experienced pickers on here who could say how realistic that is but my experience of pick and pay orchards that has me reaching for a Tui
Interesting contribution Pat, refuting my direct experience, considerable time in and around orchards and positive tales of working with the humble apple vs your google search and theoretical analysis regarding income projections associated with cherry picking. Why not go all the way to the end of the grim spectrum and mention Walnut gathering, that’s possibly the worst hourly rate I’ve ever encountered.
Here’s some further real world orchard anecdotes from someone that’s actually worked with Apples, Cherries, Strawberries, Apricots, peaches and walnuts ……. tasty things cherries (just don’t eat too many unless you want to spend your afternoon in a rather unsavory orchard toilet!), and the monies OK if you want to work hard (and the fruit hasn’t been spoiled by a wet season), but the monies certainly not as lucrative as the Apple industry. (which is the good news story shared by Alwyn and thus the topic of this discussion). From memory my cherry expectations were to clear $100 per day which wasn’t bad cash back in the day, and I’d try and work 7 days a week if I could.
I agree that it’s unlikely contract rates have decreased, so if I could clear a grand a week 15 years ago, the mind boogles as to what’s possible nowadays. Maybe I should give up the rat race and return to simpler times.
There are of course rogue orchardists, just as there are any rogue employers/employees within any industry, but the demand for staff within orchards is such that workers can afford to be reasonably selective with home they chose to work for.
Enjoy your Tui, mine tastes especially delicious cause I’ve earned it 🙂
Apple picking starts in March and that’s the best job to make good money. You have to be relatively fit (full bag weighs 18kg and you have to claim ladder) and motivated but the work is not hard. Picking-bags are comfortable and don’t hurt your back at all. You have to fill up your bag carefully and not bruise the apples. One bin takes 36 of your bags and usually they pay again contract rate which is around $30-32 per bin (before tax). At the beginning of the season it’s easy to get 4-5 bins with 8 hours. If you work hard you get 6-7 bins. I use to work with boys from Bali and they picked every single day through the season 10-12 bins with 8 hours. So that shows it`s possible…at the same time there were backpackers who struggled to get 2 bins full. I was happy with my 6.
6 bins at $30 per bin = $180 before tax per day. Working 7 days is $1260 before tax per week.
So yeah, it seems that the contract rate hasn’t gone down. But it also hasn’t gone up. Inflation has, however.
the Tui”s metaphorical….but I will enjoy my Harringtons, earned or not….and thanks for the confirmation that market forces have determined that fruit harvesting is not economically viable in NZ without either an imported termporary work force or effective mechanical harvesting….you are right about grim projections.
Apple thinning’s the way to go, you get paid per tree thinned and no picking bag required so minimal physical demand. I met quite a few campervan traveling retirees in the thinning gangs & look forward to possibly becoming one of them in the future.
Apple-thinning (or grape-puning) is a skilled job that you can’t just walk into. But combined with picking will see you through a fair chunk of the year. The problem is what to do in the off season. Retirees will have super to get them through the winter. But unless you are a student (in which case you’d miss the thinning) or know someone who is hiring, then you’ll be living off savings during the stand-down for a benefit.
My main experience was with apricots, and the worst part was; when it rained and you couldn’t pick, but were still paying living costs in Central. If you had a camper, then all well and good (though they’ve tightened up on the freedom camping these last few years). In a tent, or paying the orchardeer to bunk in a shack, it is a bit grimmer.
That’s a big part of the problem. Why can’t they put in basic accommodation or free campsites for the pickers, with transport to and from the orchards.
It could be a wonderful experience for most young kiwis.
They charge so much for the accommodation you have to wonder are these people human.
the evidence is in the situation…..if fruit picking was the attractive well rewarded proposition as painted we wouldn’t have the industry claiming they can’t get local labour (Hawkes Bay has over 7% unemployment rate) and cannot harvest without imported labour….the implication is Kiwis are too lazy to work for a crust….while that may be true of some it does not explain the almost complete dearth of local labour…..i accept there are other factors at play including declining rural populations, aging demographic but that simply reinforces the market effect…..and we are all true free marketers are we not?…..especially orchardists
I do NOT support Auckland Council or Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) using Monsanto’s Round Up for weed control, because of the possible risks to public health.
Monsanto announced Wednesday that sales in the company’s agricultural productivity segment, which includes its probable carcinogen Roundup herbicide, fell 34 % to $820 million. Monsanto’s shares fell over 2% as a result.
_____________________
Proponents say TPP will give NZ better access to globally significant markets to build on the $28 billion worth of goods and services exported to member countries in 2014.
By Jamie Gray
Business and industry group leaders have lent their support to the Trans Pacific Partnership free trade agreement in an open letter to Prime Minister John Key.
…
__________________________________
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
(Who does NOT support New Zealand signing the TPPA).
For those of you who like the idea of governments printing more money to enable economic stimulus, here’s an interesting recent book from a British Lord:
If the government created money and spent it into the economy to utilise our resources why would we need foreign investors?
If the government created money without interest then the private banks wouldn’t have to with interest.
The fear that the rich have of the government creating money is that they would become superfluous. They would not be able to hold any nation hostage as they do now.
Good grief “Turner proposes putting money finance exclusively in the hands of independent central bankers.”
It already IS in the hands of indendent bankers. THAT is the problem FFS!!
Aaarrrrggghhh!!!
HOOTON IS A TWIT
Article about Jane Kelsey in Monday 1 Feb Herald contains a tweet from Hoots sent last week.
For those of you who don’t read the print version near the end of the article is the following:-
“Kelsey was not an academic but an insane embittered extreme left academic who was profoundly dishonest in the promotion of an evil ideology”
This Hooton Rant has been removed from the on line version of the article, I wonder why? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11582635 will get you to the print version without the Hooton comment.
Hooter is not a master spinner.His arguments are not like a cracked record
unconvincing to anyone with a brain but probably logical for the mini trumps in our society.
The left wing guy is a step up from his tired predecessor (Can’t remember his name now) but When oh when will Rnz get someone fresh to replace the tedious repetitive monologues of Hooter.?
Is it Monsanto’s RoundUp – NOT the Zika virus responsible for Brazilian babies being born with small heads, and brain damage?
Could glyphosate-based herbicides be responsible for babies in Brazil, being born with smaller heads (microcephaly) and brain damage?
NOT the ‘Zika virus’?
How is this not a fair question to ask, based upon the following?
Here is information from an animal study that implicates glyphosate, the central ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide, Roundup, in microcephaly and cranial malformations.
Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Produce Teratogenic Effects on Vertebrates by Impairing Retinoic Acid Signaling
Looking at it now. It only appears to be hitting certain people rather than being broadspread, which makes me suspect a ISP cache. I have reset the cached items for the site.
I’ll turn off the compression for a while and see if it makes it correct.
After several accounts surfaced of Donald Trump playing Adele’s music at campaign events around the country, the pop megastar has finally stepped in to tell the world she never gave the GOP frontunner permission.
“Adele has not given permission for her music to be used for any political campaigning,” her spokesman told the Independent on Monday, effectively asking the presidential hopeful to stop blasting her smash hits “Rolling in the Deep” and “Skyfall” to fire up crowds.
Seems that such wrongful use of artists songs runs in the conservative gene pool.
this is so prevalent that it leads you to conclude it is done deliberately for the subsequent coverage…theres no such thing as bad publicity (in some minds)
There’s no such thing as “permission”. Trump can do whatever he likes so long as he pays the licence fee. What Adele wants or doesn’t want is irrelevant.
McCain folded so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
There were also some questions about whether or not this was fair use since it was ostensibly used for “political speech,” but so far the court didn’t seem too amenable to that. And so, McCain has settled the lawsuit and publicly apologized to Browne, who claims this wasn’t a partisan issue (yeah, right), but about the rights of musicians.
I think you find that Trump doesn’t have the appropriate licence. Same as when National played copyrighted tunes which they didn’t have the appropriate licence for.
If Trump has paid ASCAP or BMI for a licence to use the song, he doesn’t need Adele’s permission. If she doesn’t want Trump to use it she will have to file suit against Trump and claim that his use of the song damages her reputation, and as she’s not an American recording artist that will be difficult.
No, it’s exactly the same – conservative arseholes inappropriately using music without permission.
If Trump has paid ASCAP or BMI for a licence to use the song, he doesn’t need Adele’s permission.
I suspect that you’ll find that it’s probably more complex than that. After all, any artist probably doesn’t want to be associated with just any candidate and so there’s probably a general clause in any license saying that it can’t be used for political purposes without the artists express permission.
conservative arseholes inappropriately using music without permission.
I hate to bring to bear the cold hard light of reality on your little fantasy, but here’s what happened with the Coldplay song: the owners of the mechanical and songwriting copyrights to the song “Clocks” claimed that a song by an Auckland musician was too similar to “Clocks” to be legally considered an independent work.
In the meantime the Auckland musician had licenced his song to the National Party for use in an ad campaign. When the owners of the mechanical and songwriting copyrights to the song “Clocks” claimed that the Auckland musician’s song was a derivative work of their work, the National Party stopped using the song and presumably asked for their money back.
lol
Clocks?
I thought it was a reference to eminem.
Just how any tunes have the nats ripped off (albeit perfectly reasonably, accidentally, it was the fault of their subcontractors, it was all pretty legal, well at least compared to anything Collins was involved with)?
The United States should consider reparations to African-American descendants of slavery, establish a national human rights commission and publicly acknowledge that the trans-Atlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity, a United Nations working group said Friday.
The U.N. Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent released its preliminary recommendations after more than a week of meetings with Black Americans and others from across the country, including Baltimore, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and Jackson, Miss.
Smart move from John Key, the protestors know they need the PM there so as to get more media to perform to so if they extend the invite they look weak and if they don’t they have less publicity, John Key goes elsewhere and the majority of the voters will back him
Its ok to not like him but no one can deny that he knows what hes doing
PR is trying to dismiss the true concerns of protestors by pretending that they just want to get on TV. Pathetic. So pathetic that one wonders if there might be a deeper, more devious motive. Ah – to undermine all protesting, maybe? (It is not easy being sleazy.)
Pretty much. And he did it in a weird way as if to say that either Ngāpuhi are all media attention seeking whatevers (seeing as how the link he supplied is about whether Key gets an invite from Ngāpuhi or not), or be believes that people who ‘turn up’ to protest run the marae.
Acoording to key on henry this morning he only goes because he gave Clarke a hard time for not going during her time.!
Hardly worth it if that’s his attitude.
Maybe but the way the press are suddenly being a bit nicer to labour makes me think they can smell change coming.
Ad to that there is unlikely to be the M/IP sideshow to scare the punters I’d have a Bob each way at the moment.
Because the last election was so close, I expect either another close election in 2017 (could go either way), or, if Labour carries on with building momentum and Peters doesn’t monkey wrench a left wing coalition, we could end up with a signifcant shift left.
Labour has been always too easily portrayed as the less fiscally responsible of the two main parties when the truth, more often than not, has been the reverse.
From the “black budget”, as National called it, of 1958 to the present, Labour has been more careful to balance its spending with revenue and more willing to raise taxes when necessary.
National, reflecting a business outlook, has been more comfortable with debt than Labour has been.
National is too keen to offer tax cuts at an election without specifying cuts to expenditure. An authoritative independent evaluation of their fiscal impact would be most useful for voters.
Also nice to see them making the connection between the GP policy on costings and the Labour party policy announcement this week.
The Labour Party are probably in favour of the Green Party proposal because they are broke.
This way they would be able to get work for which their leaders budget currently has to pay to spend on other things.
The editorial is also much more about the Greens rather than Labour. It was primarily about the Green Proposed costing scheme.
Irrespective of that I think that an independent costing unit is an excellent idea. It should be in Parliament, although it would no doubt need seconded Treasury people.
One thing it must have however would be properly detailed policies.
I had a look at the suite of Green Party policies. There are about 50 of them and they all cross reference each other.
I chose one, which should be close to their leaders heart. This was on “Children’s Policy – Every Child Matters”. https://home.greens.org.nz/policy/childrens-policy-every-child-matters
The problem with it is that it is a collection of warm fuzzy principles. It reads well but there is nothing there that you can get a grip on. I defy anyone to be even able to start costing it from the material here. There is nothing to start with. If it was to be costed it would have to be completely redesigned and rewritten, along with all the other interleaving policies. Is that intended? Are the Greens simply hoping to have Treasury staff develop all the party policies in a rigorous manner for them?
I agree. Costing outside of an election year is pointless.
That policy I looked at was dated 16 August 2013. It was the policy the Greens put forward at the last election.
I was not asking that it should be costed now. I was saying that a policy of this nature, with almost no specifics, is impossible to cost, at least in my view and as it stands.
Where on earth would you start?
“I defy anyone to be even able to start costing it from the material here.”
lolz. If you didn’t have such a chip on your shoulder about the GP you’d know that the Greens are one of the better parties at producing policy detail and costings.
The page you link to is the overarching policy for children. It outlines a range of interlocking policies that have been developped from the GP values in the context of the situation in NZ. They don’t have to have detail and costings for all of that (no party does). Instead, in 2014, the Greens produced a fiscal plan for their election priorities, one of which was child welfare. You can see the whole package in the link below, but as you have already seen it’s all interconnected.
Furthermore, if the policy is to great social good, you charge Treasury to find how it is best implemented, rather than allowing them to put out their usual neo-liberal guff.
Yep, and the unit is meant to be independent within Treasury, so if it gets set up under a left wing govt it’s less likely to be co-opted. It will be interesting to see if National decide to go with the proposal and nobble it at the start or just outright refuse.
I know someone who did four years tertiary and waittessed thee whole time and waitressed for at least a year after finishing training till she could get a start in her favoured field.
I’m quit sure she wouldn’t have minded a bit of her tax going to reducing her debt
Anyone would think that having tertiary education was like receiving some grant from a king by grace and favour. What a lucky person to get a start in life, to learn, train their brain, apply that learning which immediately raises him above the common herd, who are despised or dismissed as worthy.
It used to be that people were assisted to get to university if they were so determined and get the higher education they desired. And those who didn’t were still considered all right as people, just working at a different level with less skills of an academic kind.
Nobody should mind paying taxes in a land that has given opportunities to attain a comfortable life, an adventurous life, or whatever the goal is, or who knows there is opportunity to go for that higher education if desired. That was how it was, until Yek’s cohort came along and screwed up our social mobility and our willingness to support each other to greater heights. Now he thinks that waitresses should think like his grasping cohort who want to ring benefits out of the country till our ears pop. His cohort are the ones not willing to pay their fair share of tax easily affordable by people of good means and fair and responsible financial practices.
The waitresses are already paying 15% in each $ on GST no matter what they earn, plus anything else the government can squeeze. Proportionally they probably pay 80% tax on their discretionary income at least, and perhaps some from what should be disposable.
Once they may have been able to claim for work clothes required, or personal gear required, or for high transport costs, but in the interests of lazy clerks with computers to calculate and gather and file information, these have been swept away in the interests of a simple tax system (for the poor) and greater efficiency no doubt. The catchworld of our times.
” Anyone would think that having tertiary education was like receiving some grant from a king by grace and favour”
They sure as hell help though ,as someone who bombed out at the fifth form the feeling of being trapped in uninspiring jobs is a bummer. I love shepherding but the good jobs go to those with the bits of paper and rightly so.
b waghorn
I think you reflect the meaning of my comment. We know higher education nearly always helps if you can match the training to the jobs, and across the country higher educated staff will deliver value to business and revenue. And give wider knowledge, a bigger world view.
I left school in the 5th and had my eyes and mind opened when I took some adult papers though I didn’t finish my degree. (And to anyone reading this, just successfully doing some papers should count as part of a degree when on a CV or forming analysis of achievement of educational institutes. Each paper is a world of learning in itself, and shouldn’t be derided, downgraded if the whole degree isn’t attained.)
You should be able to go back and retrain, learn more at any time of life, with some input from oneself, or a bond to apply that learning in some part of NZ etc. It should be a right, something encouraged in a modern, advanced country, not treated as special for the children of the advantaged. That retraining necessity has been the recurring theme since decades ago. What do we get though – administrative barriers, lack of living support, costs and cumulative interest which I think has changed now, and wages that don’t keep up with measured inflation, and that don’t allow for the meteoric rise in house prices.
And the gummint don’t even want to help people extend their knowledge and skills, build community networks, use expensive school equipment and buildings by the taxpayers, at night and summer schools. Let’s face it the gummint isn’t interested in the ordinary citizen any more, they have moved on to more rewarding. extensive projects.
FFS, can someone please tell Labour to get someone to run its website properly. I can’t find any policy there today off the front page, and using google took me to a broken link. It’s like whoever does this currently either doesn’t understand how the internet works or has put the policy at the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying beware of the leopard.
If I’m wrong and it is there, can someone please point it out to me? I’m pretty sure that the policies were easily available in the past week, so wtf with changing your website a few days after a SOTN speech when you will be getting additional traffic from people wanting to check Labour out?
Really disappointing after a good speech and policy announcement.
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Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their memories and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock I met with a friend for a walk beside Merri Creek, in inner Melbourne. She had lived in the area for a few years, and as we walked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Throsby, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Macquarie University Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and patrons. However, it is frequently overlooked that a major source of support for the arts ...
Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
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Industry Lobbyists for big corporates say the TPP is good.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11583052
Hardly news, NZ Herald.
Why ? Corporations wrote the TPP.
So who signed the letter?
Katherine Rich, Executive Director of the Food and Grocery Council, signed the letter.
One of the Food and Grocery Council’s objectives is to ‘advance the interests of manufacturers and suppliers of food and non-food products sold by the grocery trade.’ The ‘grocery’ companies Rich represents include such quaint Mum and Dad NZ companies such as Coca Cola, Nestlé, Frucor ( owned by Japanese giant Suntory) and George Weston Foods ( a wholly owned subsidiary of Associated British Foods Plc). Rich, the Grocery Council and Coca Cola recently congratulated the government for its form of ‘action’ on obesity.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11532124
NZ Forest Owners Association’s Paul Nicholls signed the letter.
Close to 1 million ha in plantation forests alone is in foreign hands (either full ownership or management). In 2010, the Forest Owners Association reported that 317,000 ha were overseas owned, with forestry investment and management firms controlling a further 654,000 ha in leases.
NZ Winegrowers NZ’s Philip Gregan signed the letter.
Author Peter Howland writes in his book Social, Cultural and Economic Impacts of Wine in New Zealand that more than 80 per cent of New Zealand wine production is foreign-owned. For example, Montana is owned by French giant Pernot Ricard, which had total assets of €25.70 billion in June 2011.
So the TPP benefits massive multi-national corporations and they get their puppets to write letters to John Key to tell him it benefits the country.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11309648
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/65932216/how-the-land-lies-in-foreign-hands
The Food and Grocery Council scares me quite a lot regarding the TPPA. I am not sure small businesses understand how much this will affect them.
The TPPA will give multi nationals the power to destroy small and medium businesses, the lifeblood of our country.
For when a deal is not a deal….TPPA bought to you by Claytons
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201787681/nz-won't-move-if-us-calls-for-longer-monopolies-for-drugs
the man is made of rubber
More good news for the diversification of New Zealand export marketing.
Apple exports, which were worth $341 million in 2012 are expected to top $700 million this year and to reach $1 billion by 2020.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/cropping/76461644/record-apple-exports-for-2016-forecast-a-bright-future-for-growers
What a wonderful turnaround from the dire times of a few years ago. I 2011 we were getting stories such as
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/5384757/Tough-times-for-pipfruit-growers
I am sure all the doomsayers about National’s economic policy will be suitably contrite.
With the benefits of the TPPA we can expect even better things in the future.
thats good news alwyn….perhaps the industry can now afford to pay a wage that attracts resident labour
🙂
🙂
Inbloodydeed!! What do you think the chances are Alwyn?
Dang, a raw nerve has been struck, you’re fingernails have raked across my blackboard!
A considerable number of orchadists pay on a contract basis, so sure, if you’re of a lazy disposition (or more interested in chatting to the female backpackers as many of my friends were) then you’re not going to do to well for yourself, but that’s at the workers discretion.
I spent many a season in the apple orchards (late 90’s/early 2000’s), set myself a goal of clearing $1,000 per week in the hand, and by gum I’d get there more often then not. Agreed it’s not for everyone (a fair few of my friends used their student loans to head overseas for summer instead, for which they’re still paying today), but if you’re focused and have a desire to work hard, then the reward is there.
“Picking – this is the harvesting of the fruit to the required standard, and again this is physical work. The employee must be able to lift, manoeuvre and climb to the top of a 9-foot ladder. You must also be able to carry the ladders between blocks. The employee must be capable of working long hours and be able to work in the outdoors i.e. in the heat or cold. Most pickers are paid on a contract rate. The rate varies but the minimum bucket rate (5kg) for cherries is $4-40 plus 8% holiday pay. You must be able to pick enough buckets to earn at least the minimum wage in order to retain your position. There is occasionally hourly-rated picking, but this is limited and the pay rate is $14-75 plus holiday pay.”
lets say your picking cherries for Mrs jones on contract at $4.40 a 5KG bucket…to clear 1K a week you need to work 6 days for 10 hours (hour off for breaks, so effective 9 productive) and average approx 5 buckets per hour (or 25KG)….am sure there are experienced pickers on here who could say how realistic that is but my experience of pick and pay orchards that has me reaching for a Tui
http://www.mrsjonesorchard.co.nz/employment_terms.html
I note your experience was some years ago….. I don’t imagine the contract rate has decreased.
Interesting contribution Pat, refuting my direct experience, considerable time in and around orchards and positive tales of working with the humble apple vs your google search and theoretical analysis regarding income projections associated with cherry picking. Why not go all the way to the end of the grim spectrum and mention Walnut gathering, that’s possibly the worst hourly rate I’ve ever encountered.
Here’s some further real world orchard anecdotes from someone that’s actually worked with Apples, Cherries, Strawberries, Apricots, peaches and walnuts ……. tasty things cherries (just don’t eat too many unless you want to spend your afternoon in a rather unsavory orchard toilet!), and the monies OK if you want to work hard (and the fruit hasn’t been spoiled by a wet season), but the monies certainly not as lucrative as the Apple industry. (which is the good news story shared by Alwyn and thus the topic of this discussion). From memory my cherry expectations were to clear $100 per day which wasn’t bad cash back in the day, and I’d try and work 7 days a week if I could.
I agree that it’s unlikely contract rates have decreased, so if I could clear a grand a week 15 years ago, the mind boogles as to what’s possible nowadays. Maybe I should give up the rat race and return to simpler times.
There are of course rogue orchardists, just as there are any rogue employers/employees within any industry, but the demand for staff within orchards is such that workers can afford to be reasonably selective with home they chose to work for.
Enjoy your Tui, mine tastes especially delicious cause I’ve earned it 🙂
So this is from 2011:
http://www.seasonaljobs.co.nz/main.asp?input=experiences&id=56
6 bins at $30 per bin = $180 before tax per day. Working 7 days is $1260 before tax per week.
So yeah, it seems that the contract rate hasn’t gone down. But it also hasn’t gone up. Inflation has, however.
the Tui”s metaphorical….but I will enjoy my Harringtons, earned or not….and thanks for the confirmation that market forces have determined that fruit harvesting is not economically viable in NZ without either an imported termporary work force or effective mechanical harvesting….you are right about grim projections.
Seems like less than 20% of the population would be fit and able enough to meet that work rate.
Apple thinning’s the way to go, you get paid per tree thinned and no picking bag required so minimal physical demand. I met quite a few campervan traveling retirees in the thinning gangs & look forward to possibly becoming one of them in the future.
Apple-thinning (or grape-puning) is a skilled job that you can’t just walk into. But combined with picking will see you through a fair chunk of the year. The problem is what to do in the off season. Retirees will have super to get them through the winter. But unless you are a student (in which case you’d miss the thinning) or know someone who is hiring, then you’ll be living off savings during the stand-down for a benefit.
My main experience was with apricots, and the worst part was; when it rained and you couldn’t pick, but were still paying living costs in Central. If you had a camper, then all well and good (though they’ve tightened up on the freedom camping these last few years). In a tent, or paying the orchardeer to bunk in a shack, it is a bit grimmer.
I always kept taking too much or too little off. Not my forte
That’s a big part of the problem. Why can’t they put in basic accommodation or free campsites for the pickers, with transport to and from the orchards.
It could be a wonderful experience for most young kiwis.
They charge so much for the accommodation you have to wonder are these people human.
the evidence is in the situation…..if fruit picking was the attractive well rewarded proposition as painted we wouldn’t have the industry claiming they can’t get local labour (Hawkes Bay has over 7% unemployment rate) and cannot harvest without imported labour….the implication is Kiwis are too lazy to work for a crust….while that may be true of some it does not explain the almost complete dearth of local labour…..i accept there are other factors at play including declining rural populations, aging demographic but that simply reinforces the market effect…..and we are all true free marketers are we not?…..especially orchardists
I do NOT support Auckland Council or Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) using Monsanto’s Round Up for weed control, because of the possible risks to public health.
http://sustainablepulse.com/2016/01/07/monsanto-cuts-16-of-work-force-as-sales-in-roundup-herbicide-fall-34/#.Vq-y5u0ay0c
Monsanto announced Wednesday that sales in the company’s agricultural productivity segment, which includes its probable carcinogen Roundup herbicide, fell 34 % to $820 million. Monsanto’s shares fell over 2% as a result.
_____________________
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Business lobbyists show support for the TPPA through an ‘Open Letter’ to the Prime Minister – but where’s the evidence of PUBLIC support for the TPPA?
nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11583052
Lobbyists plump for TPP in open letter to Key
Tuesday, 02 February 2016
The New Zealand Herald
Proponents say TPP will give NZ better access to globally significant markets to build on the $28 billion worth of goods and services exported to member countries in 2014.
By Jamie Gray
Business and industry group leaders have lent their support to the Trans Pacific Partnership free trade agreement in an open letter to Prime Minister John Key.
…
__________________________________
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
(Who does NOT support New Zealand signing the TPPA).
For those of you who like the idea of governments printing more money to enable economic stimulus, here’s an interesting recent book from a British Lord:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/23/printing-money-books-john-cassidy
If the government created money and spent it into the economy to utilise our resources why would we need foreign investors?
If the government created money without interest then the private banks wouldn’t have to with interest.
The fear that the rich have of the government creating money is that they would become superfluous. They would not be able to hold any nation hostage as they do now.
1000+
It’s sooooo simple
Good grief “Turner proposes putting money finance exclusively in the hands of independent central bankers.”
It already IS in the hands of indendent bankers. THAT is the problem FFS!!
Aaarrrrggghhh!!!
No, it’s in the hands of the private banks who then charge interest on the money that they create. That is the problem.
HOOTON IS A TWIT
Article about Jane Kelsey in Monday 1 Feb Herald contains a tweet from Hoots sent last week.
For those of you who don’t read the print version near the end of the article is the following:-
“Kelsey was not an academic but an insane embittered extreme left academic who was profoundly dishonest in the promotion of an evil ideology”
This Hooton Rant has been removed from the on line version of the article, I wonder why?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11582635 will get you to the print version without the Hooton comment.
not the first time true thoughts revealed by the hollow boy – this example as foul and sneeringly awful as previous ones – respect? I don’t think so.
Hooton is a master spinner…and imo profoundly untrustworthy
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201787586/political-commentators-matthew-hooton-and-stephen-mills
Hooter is not a master spinner.His arguments are not like a cracked record
unconvincing to anyone with a brain but probably logical for the mini trumps in our society.
The left wing guy is a step up from his tired predecessor (Can’t remember his name now) but When oh when will Rnz get someone fresh to replace the tedious repetitive monologues of Hooter.?
Made a reply with an error. Meant to say “not unlike” but can’t seem to edit.
made a reply with an error. Meant to say “not unlike” but couldn’t edit.
Good to have a reminder of what a nasty little shit he is at times.
I don’t need reminding
Is it Monsanto’s RoundUp – NOT the Zika virus responsible for Brazilian babies being born with small heads, and brain damage?
Could glyphosate-based herbicides be responsible for babies in Brazil, being born with smaller heads (microcephaly) and brain damage?
NOT the ‘Zika virus’?
How is this not a fair question to ask, based upon the following?
Here is information from an animal study that implicates glyphosate, the central ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide, Roundup, in microcephaly and cranial malformations.
Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Produce Teratogenic Effects on Vertebrates by Impairing Retinoic Acid Signaling
The research paper:
http://www.gmwatch.org/images/pdf/Carrasco_research_paper.pdf
‘Hat tip’ to Jon Rappoport
Zika? Monsanto’s Roundup associated with smaller heads
by Jon Rappoport
January 31, 2016
http://www.nomorefakenews.com/
___________________________________________
Supporting the promotion and protection of public health, based upon evidence-based science.
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Did anyone else have issues loading this web page or is it just the internet at work?
Blame it on the Vogans and their appalling poetry.
Anyone else having issues loading this page today?
Yes, page loading has been hit and miss over the last 24 hours, nothing would load at all for a few hours early last night.
At least it seems to be working now
I’m still getting some pages coming up as:
Looking at it now. It only appears to be hitting certain people rather than being broadspread, which makes me suspect a ISP cache. I have reset the cached items for the site.
I’ll turn off the compression for a while and see if it makes it correct.
No, fair dinks. Earlier today I got hieroglyphics instead of English on several posts, but it is all fixed now. Lprent is a saint.
Mines fine it must be an extreme left conspiracy to keep you quite!!
You see those black helicopters circling over your house? Don’t worry about them…
And another conservative gets in trouble for using songs without permission:
Seems that such wrongful use of artists songs runs in the conservative gene pool.
this is so prevalent that it leads you to conclude it is done deliberately for the subsequent coverage…theres no such thing as bad publicity (in some minds)
Yet the music studios get upset when I download them for free?
There’s no such thing as “permission”. Trump can do whatever he likes so long as he pays the licence fee. What Adele wants or doesn’t want is irrelevant.
McCain folded so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
There were also some questions about whether or not this was fair use since it was ostensibly used for “political speech,” but so far the court didn’t seem too amenable to that. And so, McCain has settled the lawsuit and publicly apologized to Browne, who claims this wasn’t a partisan issue (yeah, right), but about the rights of musicians.
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090721/1545365612.shtml
I think you find that Trump doesn’t have the appropriate licence. Same as when National played copyrighted tunes which they didn’t have the appropriate licence for.
Totally different situation. Not even relevant.
If Trump has paid ASCAP or BMI for a licence to use the song, he doesn’t need Adele’s permission. If she doesn’t want Trump to use it she will have to file suit against Trump and claim that his use of the song damages her reputation, and as she’s not an American recording artist that will be difficult.
No, it’s exactly the same – conservative arseholes inappropriately using music without permission.
I suspect that you’ll find that it’s probably more complex than that. After all, any artist probably doesn’t want to be associated with just any candidate and so there’s probably a general clause in any license saying that it can’t be used for political purposes without the artists express permission.
That’s how it’s reading to me anyway.
conservative arseholes inappropriately using music without permission.
I hate to bring to bear the cold hard light of reality on your little fantasy, but here’s what happened with the Coldplay song: the owners of the mechanical and songwriting copyrights to the song “Clocks” claimed that a song by an Auckland musician was too similar to “Clocks” to be legally considered an independent work.
In the meantime the Auckland musician had licenced his song to the National Party for use in an ad campaign. When the owners of the mechanical and songwriting copyrights to the song “Clocks” claimed that the Auckland musician’s song was a derivative work of their work, the National Party stopped using the song and presumably asked for their money back.
The end.
lol
Clocks?
I thought it was a reference to eminem.
Just how any tunes have the nats ripped off (albeit perfectly reasonably, accidentally, it was the fault of their subcontractors, it was all pretty legal, well at least compared to anything Collins was involved with)?
http://www.phillytrib.com/metros/u-n-panel-suggests-slavery-reparations-in-u-s/article_3f4a7074-e9d0-52db-8509-2a456bd993d5.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/76480259/john-key-may-not-attend-waitangi-day-unless-ngapuhi-extend-official-invite
Smart move from John Key, the protestors know they need the PM there so as to get more media to perform to so if they extend the invite they look weak and if they don’t they have less publicity, John Key goes elsewhere and the majority of the voters will back him
Its ok to not like him but no one can deny that he knows what hes doing
By ‘protestors’ I take it you mean Ngāpuhi?
I mean anyone that turns up just to get on TV and make a spectacle of themselves
I don’t know if its looking at the past through rose-coloured glasses but Helen Clark had the right idea to not attend after she was abused
“I mean anyone that turns up just to get on TV and make a spectacle of themselves”
So you think those are the people that invite or don’t invite Key?
‘Turns up’, do you mean manuhiri?
You’re not making much sense.
I mean most of the protestors that turn up are just looking for a chance to feel important and get on TV
Still no idea what you are on about PR. How does that relate to whether Key gets invited or not?
PR is trying to dismiss the true concerns of protestors by pretending that they just want to get on TV. Pathetic. So pathetic that one wonders if there might be a deeper, more devious motive. Ah – to undermine all protesting, maybe? (It is not easy being sleazy.)
Pretty much. And he did it in a weird way as if to say that either Ngāpuhi are all media attention seeking whatevers (seeing as how the link he supplied is about whether Key gets an invite from Ngāpuhi or not), or be believes that people who ‘turn up’ to protest run the marae.
Acoording to key on henry this morning he only goes because he gave Clarke a hard time for not going during her time.!
Hardly worth it if that’s his attitude.
Our Prime Minister is a joke.
Yes he is but I’ll hold my laughs for if nz kicks him to the kerb in 2017.
John Key will retire his innings around 2018-2019
Maybe but the way the press are suddenly being a bit nicer to labour makes me think they can smell change coming.
Ad to that there is unlikely to be the M/IP sideshow to scare the punters I’d have a Bob each way at the moment.
It will certainly be a grand day.
Ok so Weka I predict National will still be in power and John Key will still be the PM after the next election
Who do you think will win?
Because the last election was so close, I expect either another close election in 2017 (could go either way), or, if Labour carries on with building momentum and Peters doesn’t monkey wrench a left wing coalition, we could end up with a signifcant shift left.
By ‘knows what he’s doing’ you mean culpable right? I agree.
I’m amazed.
The NZH has finally admitted that Labour are better economic managers.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11583027
Very good, worth posting a bit,
Labour has been always too easily portrayed as the less fiscally responsible of the two main parties when the truth, more often than not, has been the reverse.
From the “black budget”, as National called it, of 1958 to the present, Labour has been more careful to balance its spending with revenue and more willing to raise taxes when necessary.
National, reflecting a business outlook, has been more comfortable with debt than Labour has been.
National is too keen to offer tax cuts at an election without specifying cuts to expenditure. An authoritative independent evaluation of their fiscal impact would be most useful for voters.
Also nice to see them making the connection between the GP policy on costings and the Labour party policy announcement this week.
The Labour Party are probably in favour of the Green Party proposal because they are broke.
This way they would be able to get work for which their leaders budget currently has to pay to spend on other things.
The editorial is also much more about the Greens rather than Labour. It was primarily about the Green Proposed costing scheme.
Irrespective of that I think that an independent costing unit is an excellent idea. It should be in Parliament, although it would no doubt need seconded Treasury people.
One thing it must have however would be properly detailed policies.
I had a look at the suite of Green Party policies. There are about 50 of them and they all cross reference each other.
I chose one, which should be close to their leaders heart. This was on “Children’s Policy – Every Child Matters”.
https://home.greens.org.nz/policy/childrens-policy-every-child-matters
The problem with it is that it is a collection of warm fuzzy principles. It reads well but there is nothing there that you can get a grip on. I defy anyone to be even able to start costing it from the material here. There is nothing to start with. If it was to be costed it would have to be completely redesigned and rewritten, along with all the other interleaving policies. Is that intended? Are the Greens simply hoping to have Treasury staff develop all the party policies in a rigorous manner for them?
No point doing Opposition policy costings other than thumb-sucks from consultants until election-year budget is out.
I agree. Costing outside of an election year is pointless.
That policy I looked at was dated 16 August 2013. It was the policy the Greens put forward at the last election.
I was not asking that it should be costed now. I was saying that a policy of this nature, with almost no specifics, is impossible to cost, at least in my view and as it stands.
Where on earth would you start?
“I defy anyone to be even able to start costing it from the material here.”
lolz. If you didn’t have such a chip on your shoulder about the GP you’d know that the Greens are one of the better parties at producing policy detail and costings.
The page you link to is the overarching policy for children. It outlines a range of interlocking policies that have been developped from the GP values in the context of the situation in NZ. They don’t have to have detail and costings for all of that (no party does). Instead, in 2014, the Greens produced a fiscal plan for their election priorities, one of which was child welfare. You can see the whole package in the link below, but as you have already seen it’s all interconnected.
https://www.greens.org.nz/policy/smarter-economy/fiscals
Furthermore, if the policy is to great social good, you charge Treasury to find how it is best implemented, rather than allowing them to put out their usual neo-liberal guff.
Yep, and the unit is meant to be independent within Treasury, so if it gets set up under a left wing govt it’s less likely to be co-opted. It will be interesting to see if National decide to go with the proposal and nobble it at the start or just outright refuse.
The fourth Labour government was pretty good, so good that basically every other government has just followed in their footsteps
That is why people like me who hate current policies are so loathe to vote Labour.
The fourth Labour Government only stopped the neo-liberal waterflow. But it took away none of the plumbing.
It was pretty bad, not pretty good.
Canada looking too ditch FPP…
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/monsef-electoral-reform-changes-referendum-1.3428593
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/76484813/John-Key-draws-flak-after-questioning-why-waitresses-taxes-should-fund-students
key truly is a moron.
I know someone who did four years tertiary and waittessed thee whole time and waitressed for at least a year after finishing training till she could get a start in her favoured field.
I’m quit sure she wouldn’t have minded a bit of her tax going to reducing her debt
Prick was happy enough for me to pay for his education, his home, the food his mother put on the table and the paper he wiped his arse with.
Puckish Rogue will be along shortly to tell us that choosing waitresses as an example was part of genius Key’s master plan 😉
Its laying the framework as to why its not a good idea from Labour…well its not a bad idea really but just poorly thought out
No, you’re supposed to tell us why choosing waitresses specifically was part of the mastermind’s strategy.
One word: ponytails.
Anyone would think that having tertiary education was like receiving some grant from a king by grace and favour. What a lucky person to get a start in life, to learn, train their brain, apply that learning which immediately raises him above the common herd, who are despised or dismissed as worthy.
It used to be that people were assisted to get to university if they were so determined and get the higher education they desired. And those who didn’t were still considered all right as people, just working at a different level with less skills of an academic kind.
Nobody should mind paying taxes in a land that has given opportunities to attain a comfortable life, an adventurous life, or whatever the goal is, or who knows there is opportunity to go for that higher education if desired. That was how it was, until Yek’s cohort came along and screwed up our social mobility and our willingness to support each other to greater heights. Now he thinks that waitresses should think like his grasping cohort who want to ring benefits out of the country till our ears pop. His cohort are the ones not willing to pay their fair share of tax easily affordable by people of good means and fair and responsible financial practices.
The waitresses are already paying 15% in each $ on GST no matter what they earn, plus anything else the government can squeeze. Proportionally they probably pay 80% tax on their discretionary income at least, and perhaps some from what should be disposable.
Once they may have been able to claim for work clothes required, or personal gear required, or for high transport costs, but in the interests of lazy clerks with computers to calculate and gather and file information, these have been swept away in the interests of a simple tax system (for the poor) and greater efficiency no doubt. The catchworld of our times.
” Anyone would think that having tertiary education was like receiving some grant from a king by grace and favour”
They sure as hell help though ,as someone who bombed out at the fifth form the feeling of being trapped in uninspiring jobs is a bummer. I love shepherding but the good jobs go to those with the bits of paper and rightly so.
b waghorn
I think you reflect the meaning of my comment. We know higher education nearly always helps if you can match the training to the jobs, and across the country higher educated staff will deliver value to business and revenue. And give wider knowledge, a bigger world view.
I left school in the 5th and had my eyes and mind opened when I took some adult papers though I didn’t finish my degree. (And to anyone reading this, just successfully doing some papers should count as part of a degree when on a CV or forming analysis of achievement of educational institutes. Each paper is a world of learning in itself, and shouldn’t be derided, downgraded if the whole degree isn’t attained.)
You should be able to go back and retrain, learn more at any time of life, with some input from oneself, or a bond to apply that learning in some part of NZ etc. It should be a right, something encouraged in a modern, advanced country, not treated as special for the children of the advantaged. That retraining necessity has been the recurring theme since decades ago. What do we get though – administrative barriers, lack of living support, costs and cumulative interest which I think has changed now, and wages that don’t keep up with measured inflation, and that don’t allow for the meteoric rise in house prices.
And the gummint don’t even want to help people extend their knowledge and skills, build community networks, use expensive school equipment and buildings by the taxpayers, at night and summer schools. Let’s face it the gummint isn’t interested in the ordinary citizen any more, they have moved on to more rewarding. extensive projects.
FFS, can someone please tell Labour to get someone to run its website properly. I can’t find any policy there today off the front page, and using google took me to a broken link. It’s like whoever does this currently either doesn’t understand how the internet works or has put the policy at the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying beware of the leopard.
If I’m wrong and it is there, can someone please point it out to me? I’m pretty sure that the policies were easily available in the past week, so wtf with changing your website a few days after a SOTN speech when you will be getting additional traffic from people wanting to check Labour out?
Really disappointing after a good speech and policy announcement.
I tend to agree – for years it’s been well branded at the expense of finding details.
Quite clearly, none of the movers-and-shakers in Labour care. If they cared, they’d put the money and resources in to do it properly.
Excellent Hitchhikers reference and unfortunately accurate.
What is?