The working poor

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, September 13th, 2014 - 46 comments
Categories: jobs, poverty - Tags: , , , ,

National is not interested in doing anything about poverty in NZ. They won’t even officially measure poverty, because they don’t want to know. The fig leaf that they hide their indifference behind is “work”. Poor people just need to get off the benefit. They just need to try harder.

There are two problems with this nonsense. The first is the lack of jobs, which is pretty self explanatory.

The second problem is that having a job doesn’t necessarily fix poverty. Welcome to the rise of the working poor:

Working poor at ‘crisis’ point

Hundreds of Auckland families are in a state of crisis with the rate of suburban homelessness rapidly increasing, a spokesperson for a homeless aid group says.

Around 15,000 people in Auckland are believed to be sleeping rough in overcrowded garages or couch surfing.

Danielle Bergin from the Island Child Charitable Trust says that many of the working poor are finding it difficult to secure accommodation, especially after they’ve had to give up rental properties.

According to the Ministry of Social Development (see Key Findings doc):

Poverty rates for children in working families are on average much lower than for those in beneficiary families (11% and 75% respectively), but 2 out of 5 poor children come from families where at least one adult is in full-time work or is self-employed. This is an OECD-wide issue – the working poor.

John Key got this completely wrong in the most recent leaders’ debate:

John Key mistaken on extent of child poverty

Press Release: Child Poverty Action Group

David Cunliffe’s figures were correct. 100,000 children experiencing poverty are in working families – that is 40% of all poor children. John Key has muddled two figures which mean very different things to justify his narrow view that work is the only way out of poverty. While poverty rates for working families are lower overall, it is clear that for families in low-paid work their income is not enough to lift them out of poverty so they can provide adequately for their children.

Key was either wrong or lying. In the end perhaps it doesn’t really matter which, because help for those in poverty simply isn’t on National’s agenda. They are entitled to their views of course, but they shouldn’t be allowed to hide behind the fig leaf of work as a solution to poverty any more. The rise of the working poor has destroyed that argument.

46 comments on “The working poor ”

  1. Paul 1

    Nigel Latta highlighted the issue of the working poor when he spoke to a couple Talasia and Sio in his programme The New Haves And Have Nots.

    Hopefully a lot of voters saw it and were moved to think beyond their own selfish needs.
    What is more important for New Zealand’s upper middle class…the eradication of poverty or tax cuts?

    http://tvnz.co.nz/nigel-latta/s1-ep4-video-6025283

  2. unsol 2

    “National is not interested in doing anything about poverty in NZ”

    Emotive generalisations never constitute a winning argument.

    Far better to argue the facts. Everyone knows that real wage relative to real cost of living got completely out of whack between 1999-2008 & was exacerbated by the GFC.

    No politician acknowledges WFF & 20 free hours childcare is a farce & merely encourages people to have families they simply can’t afford; no one talks about about 3 kids is the new 2 kids & the impact this has on families finances.

    Key was wrong in terms of using accurate data in the wrong context. He wasn’t lying:

    2014 Household Incomes Report – Key Findings

    [deleted]

    [lprent: We’re interested in what you say. Not what a linkable report says.

    Dumping a document into the comment stream that can be linked to is not permitted. I’ve linked to it for you.

    If you wanted to highlight particular parts of the findings then link to the report and quote the bits you want to highlight and explain why they’re crucial. As it was I couldn’t pick out of the 46 findings which one(s) you wanted to highlight. ]

    • Draco T Bastard 2.1

      Emotive generalisations never constitute a winning argument.

      That wasn’t an emotive generalisation – it was a statement of fact.

  3. Rlch 3

    I suspect that they are prepared to do something about poverty, they’re prepared to use it as part of their arsenal.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.1

      Greater poverty means higher profits (due to employers being able to force wages down) in the short term and National never think about the long term.

  4. Marie 4

    In Auckland. Just Auckland. Yes those figures are high and I wouldn’t wish anyone to be in that situation, but this is just speaking for Auckland. I know it’s easier said than done, but why don’t they try find accommodation elsewhere, as in, out of Auckland? Especially if you’re in competition with thousands of other homeless people. I find Auckland is getting overcrowded, and having grown up in Auckland my whole life, at 25 years of age I can’t wait to move further south, somewhere like Pokeno. I don’t feel that lack of accommodation is entirely the governments fault, but more so because too many people want to live and stay in Auckland.

    Furthermore, how do you define ‘poverty’ anyway? – “Someone who lacks material possessions or money..” The material possessions also include the ‘essentials of life’ as in TVs etc, anything that any other household would have. But this does not create poverty. In my view, poverty is lack of food, shelter and clothing etc. Yes I realise this post is about the poor families who are ‘homeless’ and without shelter, but they are only homeless due to lack of accommodation, not because they can’t afford to/get the support to live in a home.
    The number of those in poverty has not changed a great deal, but more so the birth rate has.. So in simpler terms, those living in poverty are having more children, which is really what is driving poverty.

    Aside from this, if the living wage does come in, how much will it solve all this poverty? There needs to be more that comes along with it, such as budgeting classes, and learning how to shop for proper food – but this too would be added costs.
    At the end of the day it won’t affect poverty rates, because poverty is measured as a percentage of the average income. If everyone got a 100% pay rise, the number of those classed as living in poverty will still be the same.

    • Rich 4.1

      Poverty is of course the fault of the poor. It can’t be that we have anything to do with it. And maybe we should start castrating them? /sarc

      • Marie 4.1.1

        Yeah, Rich.. Why not! 🙂

        • Rich 4.1.1.1

          Well why bother with the food classes then, just starve them. /sarc 🙄

          • Marie 4.1.1.1.1

            Haha. Well they wont starve but they may not be looking after themselves as well as they could be, or spending their money on cheaper foods! 🙂 Thanks for your ideas though, Rich! haha

            • Rich 4.1.1.1.1.1

              Here’s another idea. Arm them, so that they can get back what has been stolen from them. How does that sound? 💡

              • Marie

                What can I say.. You’re on a roll with those ideas!!

                • Rich

                  Of course it might not stop there, we could also look at the distribution of capital generally, who controls it, what are the historical circumstances that led to that control and why are they such selfish bastards. And why don’t they pay their internet warriors more money. That last one should get you on side at least. 😆

    • Foreign waka 4.2

      I belief that you may lack experience to understand what poverty really is. Essentially, costs outstrip income and this is the reality for many families. You seem to assume that everybody is the same; educational, support structure, community. This is not so. Many are “wandering” and going to the places where the work is. Far too many are paid on or even below minimum rates and with a family this means working more than 1 job. Go out into the community and mingle, not with the students flatting, with families in farmers markets or in streets you may not otherwise visit. It will be an eye opener. Poverty is relative, that is correct. But hunger is hunger and no amount of statistics will alter that.
      As for the living wage, it is in the heart of the political argument of the deserving vs undeserving. For those who were lucky, industrious and or both, the motion is based on the fear to loose it all and join the ranks of the ones they deem undeserving. I don’t say that all are the same, there are people out there who make you belief in humanity. But by and large the ones who have more than they will spend in 10 lifetimes will not let go as fear and greed is stronger than compassion. I hope that you will never be at the receiving end where a family has to survive on a few $ a day – literally.

      • Marie 4.2.1

        I’m guessing this is in response to my comment? If so, thanks. Yes its true that I lack experience in understanding what poverty is. I have seen it around me and heard about it from my parents, but I have not lived it. One thing I don’t lack is compassion. I am not trying to discredit those who are in true poverty and are living off very little per day, and I am not trying to say their fight is invalid or that their opinions or struggle do not matter. I also never wish to offend anyone by my comments, and I am not making assumptions.

        I was sharing my general views on poverty and what we loosely class as poverty today, and I was also replying to this particular article about the definition of poverty. I also don’t feel that the 15,000 homeless people in Auckland is an adequate example of poverty, because they are homeless due to lack of housing, yet they still have shelter for the time being. To them I would suggest seeking elsewhere for more affordable housing where you aren’t competing with thousands of other people. I don’t feel that this is the governments fault.

        I realise my ‘suggestions’ are easier said than done, and I’m not speaking from experience as I said, but I’m just saying ‘from my point of view, I see things this way..’ And I wish those families all the help in the world who seek it. I also wish I could do more to help them out as well, and since posting this have been inspired to look into doing so. So thanks for your comment 🙂

        • Foreign waka 4.2.1.1

          Hi Marie, nice to see your response. Please don’t misinterpret this but there are examples in history and today what poverty means and how it affects the people who are. Poverty is a political tool you must understand, a tool that is being used to make people compliant on both sides of the fence.

          This is what Nelson Mandela said:
          “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”

          cheers 🙂

          • Marie 4.2.1.1.1

            Thanks again, great comment by Nelson Mandela.
            Thanks so much for your time and I appreciate your comments and I guess further educating me on something I do not have a great understanding of. I just feel that there are greater examples of poverty in NZ that can be talked about in the media, not to exploit these families but to draw attention to where there is a need and also of those families who seek help and want to do all they can to help themselves. It all comes down to how the media want to portray families in ‘poverty’ to those of us who have little understanding of what it is to live in those circumstances, and I feel like can make all the difference.

            • Foreign waka 4.2.1.1.1.1

              Great comment, and yes the media is exploiting certain angles. As I mentioned before, its politics and only every heard of at election time.

    • Molly 4.3

      Household Economic Survey – is limited to 5,000 non-transient households. Scarely a good indicator of what is going on.

    • sabine 4.4

      They live in Auckland because they hope for a better chance of finding a job.

      No good finding an affordable rental in North Land but not finding a Job there to earn the money to pay rent.

      Quite a few people would leave Auckland in a heart beat inclusive myself if we could secure stable/safe jobs elsewhere….alas we cant.

      however, If you know about a somewhere else where jobs are plenty and rent is cheap let us know.

      • Rich 4.4.1

        I know somewhere where rent is cheap.

        And I know somewhere where jobs are plenty.

        Alas I know of nowhere where they sit together. Apparently the National Party is working on this one though, by getting prisoners to work. Alas again the wages will be a little on the low side.

        • Colonial Viper 4.4.1.1

          It would be funny, if it wasn’t so painful. And around 44% of people are going to vote for these arseholes again.

    • Murray Olsen 4.5

      What a confused mess of contradictions and misinformation.

      “Yes I realise this post is about the poor families who are ‘homeless’ and without shelter, but they are only homeless due to lack of accommodation, not because they can’t afford to/get the support to live in a home.”

      WTF? Do you know how many houses are vacant, especially state houses?

      “The number of those in poverty has not changed a great deal, but more so the birth rate has.. So in simpler terms, those living in poverty are having more children, which is really what is driving poverty.”

      That doesn’t make any sense at all. You might just be the first person on here more affected by drugs than Mr. Ure.

  5. Usol people don’t have time to read your epistle. Keep it punchy. this type of forum is not conducive to long winded posts ( just use references to expand on a point) Be good to see some rationale debate on poverty from the left beyond the bullying tactic and tired old line ‘”you don’t agree with our prescription, so you don’t care ”

    National and labour both care, labour attack poverty by focussing on symptoms ie give the man a fish, ( or a house, or money, basically redistribution) national in turn want to focus on underlying cause, ie give a man a fishing rod, break the cycle hence welfare reform, charter schools, Whane Ora, preventing teen pregnancies etc . Thus the competing narrative is not that one side cares more than the other, simply what is the best way to address the problem. In essense focus on underlying cause or relieve the symptom but institutialise the problem. Institutionalising the problem better suits the lefts vested political interest so I guess this is rationale reason to focus on symptom rather than cause and individaul responsibility

    • Macro 5.1

      you should give a health warning when making this kind of comment – I nearly spilt my coffee!
      eg:
      “national in turn want to focus on underlying cause”! Yeah Right!
      If they truly wanted to focus on the underlying causes, then why are they so relaxed about a 6+% unemployment rate and 60,000 more unemployed than when they came to office??
      It’s these factors that the left concentrate on – NOT National. Ask Key what he proposes to to about unemployment – he hasn’t got a clue! What are National’s policies on reducing unemployment and that includes improving the figures on underemployment? Nothing!

      • Draco T Bastard 5.1.1

        Ask Key what he proposes to to about unemployment – he hasn’t got a clue!

        That’s wrong, Key knows exactly what he wants to do about unemployment – increase it so that wages can be forced down even more.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.2

      national in turn want to focus on underlying cause, ie give a man a fishing rod,

      That would be why they’ve been attacking education, beating up on beneficiaries so that they’re worse off and still don’t have a job or any hope of getting one and giving tax cuts and massive taxpayer subsidies to the rich.

  6. You miss the GFC Marco

    Govt do not creat jobs people do, people also align there skills to the job market therefore individuals need to more than ever plan and make the right decisions There is not a lack of jobs in nz but a lack of skills and to a degree job snobbishness and a lack of labour mobility.

    The world has changed we don’t live in the 1950s any more, unskilled labour is priced at the global rate hence why high low skilled labour content jobs move offshore. What low skilled jobs that are left are priced at supply and demand.

    Marco your problem you are looking for the government to solve your problem, Unfortunatly for you the days of full employment via govt subsidy are over ie employing 40000 people in the railways, SMP farm subsidies, the public service been 50 PC of the economy are no more. it was fun while it lasted but when the overseas funders turned the tap off the country nearly went down the gurgler.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 6.1

      [Multiple citations needed.]

    • Colonial Viper 6.2

      Govt do not creat jobs people do, people also align there skills to the job market therefore individuals need to more than ever plan and make the right decisions There is not a lack of jobs in nz but a lack of skills and to a degree job snobbishness and a lack of labour mobility.

      You’re a bit of an idiot, aren’t you. And you clearly live on Planet Key, to boot.

      Spending into the economy creates jobs, moran. And in slow economic times Government is a far better spender than the private sector.

      Seriously, actually try next time.

  7. Ad 7

    Cunliffe has set himself an almighty load promising to go on Campbell Live every year of the term to be held accountable for poverty.

    Hope to heaven there’s a real good plan that makes an annual and measurable difference. otherwise, as the prophet Daniel said, he will be weighed in the scales and found wanting.

  8. DTB How is tax a subsidy to the rich, it is not the government money in the first place, they aquire it by legislation

    Attacking education, by that you mean looking for a better return on the huge dollar spent in this area, while seeking and funding innovation at the boundaries for kids that are failing in the system ie charter schools, lead teachers etc

    Welfare bashing, you mean helping people to move on from state dependency where welfare is not seen as a life time option

    More rationale thought and synthesis please and Less hyper bole and myopic thinking

    • millsy 8.1

      Do you want the poor to live in the streets?

      Do you want to close down the public education system?

    • Fran 8.2

      @Reddelusion
      Tax is the means by which societies fund the things they collectively see as important. Once upon a time full employment was seen as important so society as a whole helped fund that through the tax system. Governments can and do create jobs and help create the environment in which others feel able to create jobs.

      The education system in this country is not failing. There have always been the means to set up alternative education programmes for the “tail” without charter schools and many such programmes exist, (community colleges etc.). Unfortunately this current Government has closed or refused to fund a number of programmes with proven track records and gone with this new model which has been such a disaster in other countries.

      Lead teachers are not going to fix anything. Bringing back a well funded and resourced advisory would. This was possibly the most stupid thing any government has ever done to our education system – to sack all the expert teachers who were working as advisors, no wonder there are concerns about some curriculum areas (science springs to mind).

      People should only be helped from “welfare dependency” when decent employment is an option. Pushing people of benefits without that is why I am seeing beggars in my city. This is new but I guess they are no longer “welfare dependent” so the policies are working.

      Myopic and thoughtless comments supporting obviously bad and ill thought out policies just reveal an inability to think independently.

    • Foreign waka 8.3

      @ Reddelusion:Tax is actually collected from the working people for the most part so much is proven. The people who have plenty can afford a “professional” to help them to NOT pay their share. This is the deal, by utilizing all sorts of “tax credits” and then after all is worked out declaring their income. As long as the Tax department is satisfied, as little as possible is contributed to the larger society (fraud is always ever detected when a company becomes defunct) A worker on the other hand, that’s a different story isn’t it? Their money is collected by stealth and is now paid in subsidies to the people who don’t earn enough to make a living. This has lead to the development of such a perverse method that the people who pay tax get a little bit return so that the one who cheats the tax can make profits that are then not fully declared. If it wouldn’t be so sad, it would be funny and surely a story for Eiphrem Kishon to tell. So yes, its Corporate Welfare and still the poor are being punished. I leave it to you to asses the state of mind one needs to devise this.
      As for declaring that beneficiaries who are taken off welfare and left without income are now “incentivised” to go out and “do something” is not just ignorant but outright cruel and a lot of hatred is on display. In my point of view, it is against human rights and I just wonder how long it takes to have this one legal eagle brave enough to file a case.
      As for Education, it was in fact the good ol’ Californian model, also something new and shiny that can cut corners and lives to shreds that was introduced in the late 70’s – reading by “recognizing the word” that has a lot to answer for. Oh yes, when the English language, one of the most colorful and wonderful languages is being castrated it needs some thought to do this. The aim one could in retrospect surmise, is to raise a generation that cannot “recognize” when they have been had. So now that the dead is done another ruse should remedy the situation, how fantastic. Now we need a new generation that is IT literate and we have to do something, fast! So now some more tax is being pilfered to have some more experiments undertaken. And by the way, the dollar spent is not a dollar wasted but invested. But how would you know when everybody around has their mind firmly on those quick returns?

    • Murray Olsen 8.4

      The national currency as a means of exchange can only exist thanks to government and the system of laws. Taxation pays for this system and protects and guarantees the exchange value. In a very real sense, the money belongs to the state. The rich are allowed to keep far too much of it.

      In education, there have been state schools that have been innovative, for example in Moerewa. The government persecutes them and insists that all state schools follow the same template. The idea of rock star teachers is about as valid as the idea that we have a rock star economy. You don’t get to be a rock star by singing one song, and that one about milk powder.

      Welfare bashing – yes, we mean welfare bashing. If the idea were to help people “progress” in the market, Paula Benefat would have kept the programs that helped her. John Key would be a fan of state housing.

      I bet you say hyper bowl as well.

  9. millsy 9

    Quite frankly, if women are left to sleep in their car the night after they have given birth, and other women are 9 months pregnant and still living on the streets, then what hope do the rest of us have?

  10. ?????? Millsy your a ability to extrapolate my arguments to the ridiculous is truly impressive, in no way am I arguing the removal of the welfare net, public healthcare or education. Some advise, Read a bit more slowly with out pre judgement, then try to take a broader view beyond pre engrained bias or ideology

  11. crocodill 11

    Christ almighty, so now we have to go back to explaining capitalism to the capitalists?

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    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
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  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
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