What have the Unions ever done for us?

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, February 11th, 2016 - 48 comments
Categories: capitalism, employment, socialism, Unions, workers' rights, youtube - Tags:

48 comments on “What have the Unions ever done for us? ”

  1. The Fairy Godmother 1

    My husband’s membership of the engineers union now E Tu. Is why he gets a good wsge and our family has a house and have been able to provide well for our children. The unions have done heaps for our family.

  2. ianmac 2

    Brilliant video by the way.
    These days more than ever, unions are a defence against draconian Government persecution. Why has membership fallen so far?

    • mickysavage 2.1

      Concerted attacks by the right over decades. A lot of the change has been incremental but the cumulative effect has been considerable. And it is a multi faceted attack on everything to bargaining power to perceptions of the youth to trade union activity.

      Even now you can see from the latest law reforms and the actions of companies like Talleys that they believe they need to do more.

    • IANMAC .Unionism is not taught in schools , the majority of employer discourage their staff from joining unions ,in fact many even today will not employ young people unless they refuse to join the union. I’m amazed at the young people I have talked too who have no idea what a union is .The unions must address this issue but don’t ask me how.

  3. greywarshark 3

    The Unions represent workers and the workers need them to look out for them so that reasonable conditions are provided and then retained. But workers have to keep an eye on them and control them just like they need to watch the politicians.

    There is a wise rule that we don’t trust anybody implicitly, that we should check what is going on. With unions, don’t let them try to go for the most they can get, needs to be the rule. I was thinking this morning about the regular strikes at holiday times by the cooks and stewards on the interisland ferry. They were no more concerned about their effects on other ordinary people than the bosses who try to unreasonably limit their employees.

    http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/cook-strait-rail-ferries/strikes-and-strandings
    This link’s final paragraph tells how passengers in 2003 after ten years strike free complained as if they were frequent, and thinks it shows how little people know and how fickle. But it actually is an indication of how long memories are, and how the anti-union response from the public was built by union behaviour, which lost the public perception that they acted for the good of the ordinary citizen. This paved the way to an unconcern from the public for harsh union controls.

    This is an example of the way that unions can become as unreasonable and powerful as an employer.
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3218812/Ex-seaman-wins-fight-with-union

    Toby Hill a controversial union figure in NZ had known all about hard times as a child. His eventful life showed that he survived repression from both business and unions. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5h21/hill-tobias-mcglinchy

    There were stoppages, arguments and strikes by the Boilermakers union over the building of the Bank of New Zealand tower in Wellington. The steel frame stayed erect with no cladding gathering rust. Eventually it got finished. But who got long term advantage from that? Concrete slab buildings became the norm. That sort of delay on finishing a contract cannot be insured against and the ability of a modern country to function would not continue if unions were able to stop something for years over a series of demands. Flowing on from that, not much steelwork. Would the CCTV building have been in concrete if steelwork had still been used? Would the swingeing controls on unions and labour generally have been so bad causing Pike River to unfold as it did?
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Insurance_Building

    The International Socialist Org sees Con Devitt, union rep for the Boilermakers as a hero. He lived to 86, died in 2014.
    https://iso.org.nz/2014/07/16/con-devitt-one-the-bosses-hated/
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/opinion/10327735/Unions-paying-for-militancy-of-past (This written by Karl du Fresne a right wing journalist who would give the truth about this controversial figure pulling no punches.)

    We need unions, all of us, to look after the workers. But they need to work in with employers where they can, dig in when necessary, but be able to promise honest work, good skilled work and good time-keeping on their side.

    When we get unions back, we must make sure they do their job properly or put them into temporary coventry when there is a problem and they are a hindrance. Then form a temporary committee to look at the facts and the union demands and take control back until the unions negotiate with the workers to the workers satisfaction. Now that has not been a common occurrence. (I have been in a strike and seen how it unfolds.)

    Workers need to think for themselves, not leave it all to a paid representative, and should make the workplace truly democratic and participate in fact-finding, informed discussion, and then positing different approaches and choosing the best. That takes work for all those who can think on that level, but that would protect all those there, and a healthy union system would be maintained, under watch from the workers.

  4. millsy 4

    I’m not a union member, but I see the good a lot of unions do, and it flows on through for those who arent in the union, for example sick pay, annual leave, overtime, etc.

    I cannot help but think that living standards were higher when the unions were in control. We may have been pissed off that the ferry workers went on strike all the time, but there was no child poverty in NZ at that time either.

    Probably would also like to point out that the militant PPTA that everyone goes on about, have hardly ever gone on strike — I can probably count the amount of time on 1 hand in the past 20-odd years, and the one time that could have gone on strike (with substantial support from the public) — over Novopay — they didnt.

    • greywarshark 4.1

      Don’t get stuck on examples of strikes millsy. My point was to take part, keep control of the union, get proper agreement to action of whatever, explanations. If they had not become concreted in certain behaviours they could have adopted various psychological tactics that gained them better understanding. Particularly about conditions. They might have refused to talk about wages, until the conditions were improved. That would have thrown the media out, as they always wanted to make it a simple money transaction. Unions might have said, that good working conditions are the base to life, they come first. Guerilla tactics rather than the old frontal massing and a rush.

      The old unions were left too much to their own devices, and they got hoist by their own petard. If you’re in education you will get that allusion.

  5. alwyn 5

    Sometimes, unfortunately, the unions become corrupt.
    This has happened in Victoria. At the moment it looks as if the affair may take down the State and Federal Labour Parties’ leaders.
    http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/cfmeu-boss-john-setka-arrested-for-alleged-blackmail-20151206-glgnd4.html

  6. pete 6

    Absolutely agree that unions achieved huge benefits for workers for many years. As you say, sick pay and so on.

    But like many monopolies, absolute power can corrupt. For example, the Teamsters in the USA, the current situation in Victoria and so on. And just look at how the various police federations/unions in Australia have protected corrupt officers to the detriment of all (and even in NZ, a few years back the Police Association using members funds to pay the legal fees of an officer caught running a red light).

    In my first job, the union forced my employer to obey the law and provide steel cap boots and eye protection in a very dangerous situation. I know, from my young cousin who works in an oven manufacturing factory in ChCh, that getting basic safety gear now can be a true fight, without a union is sight to help.

    Maybe if unions now offered true benefits, they may become attractive again. Like for example, the old railway workers unions, where we received a wide range of benefits, like medical insurance, subsidised holiday accommodation etc. In other words, unions should sell themselves more as true ‘Friendly Societies”, as defined by The Friendly Societies Act.

    • BM 6.1

      Maybe if unions now offered true benefits, they may become attractive again. Like for example, the old railway workers unions, where we received a wide range of benefits, like medical insurance, subsidized holiday accommodation etc. In other words, unions should sell themselves more as true ‘Friendly Societies”, as defined by The Friendly Societies Act.

      I agree ,more of that and less politicking would do wonders for union membership.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 6.2

      if unions now offered true benefits

      Like higher pay, more flexible working arrangements, better job security, better working conditions. Not being killed at work.

      For someone who enjoys pontificating you’re awfully ignorant of your chosen subject.

      • pete 6.2.1

        Really? Why do you always, every time everytime you disagree with someone, resort to personal abuse? Maybe you should learn the true meaning of ‘pontificate’ and see how it applies to you. You really appear to have little real world experience or the ability to DISCUSS. Your constant resort to personal abuse testifies to that.

        • Colonial Viper 6.2.1.1

          OAB described you as being ignorant of the subject. On an internet discussion site that’s nowhere near qualifying as “personal abuse.”

          Maybe grow a thicker skin before you come back, or just hang out at your local bridge club instead of on TS.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 6.2.1.2

          Right, because your deceitful and malicious animosity towards unions means everyone should give you lots and lots of respect.

          • pete 6.2.1.2.1

            No, neither deceitful or malicious. My point was I am fully in support of unions (having received great support as I detailed in my post). But not all unions are so good. As I stated, just look at the Police Association in Queensland.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 6.2.1.2.1.1

              Oh, well, in that case you’ll be able to list the NZ unions that offer no “true benefits”. Unless you’re lying, in which case you won’t be able to list them, and your weasel words will be exposed for what they are.

    • Lanthanide 6.3

      “I know, from my young cousin who works in an oven manufacturing factory in ChCh, that getting basic safety gear now can be a true fight, without a union is sight to help.”

      Hopefully your cousin will be cognisant of the health and safety reform that is coming into force on 4th April.

      If I were in such a position, I’d complain to Worksafe, and the employer may get a ‘surprise inspection’.

    • greywarshark 6.4

      Pete
      A way forward that. Good points. Where there is someone watching for workers safety and health it makes all the difference.

      As a member of the public unconnected to a nearby road worker with a jackhammer?, I noticed he had no ear muffs. When he stopped I said “Don’t your employers give you ear muffs. They should. It’s not long before that sort of noise starts affecting your ears. Shooters can lose hearing after one shot because of the noise. And when you are deaf you miss out on all the gossip. Family find it hard to talk to you at the tops of their voices. And people think you’re a bit slow because you don’t understand them. You need a little earpiece for hearing that has to be fiddled with and it can be hard to find one that suits.”

      Next day he had earmuffs.

      • pete 6.4.1

        What really disturbs me is that in my life I have been near two workplace deaths, both very similar in nature. First was at the railways with a mechanic being run over by a crane he was servicing. The kill switch had been disconnected.

        Second was with a cnc machine, where safety stops had been removed by the importer to then sell as additional product enhancements. The result was the head came crashing down and exploded, sending shrapnel into the operators chest.
        In this case I gave detailed information to the Labour Depth investigator. Surprise surprise. in both cases ‘operator error”

        • Colonial Viper 6.4.1.1

          I would be interested to learn what years these incidents happened in.

          • pete 6.4.1.1.1

            Railways was about 1995. The Importer with CNC machine about year 2005.

            My comment about the oven manufacturer at Rolleston is now, 2016.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 6.4.1.2

          I note that since the unions started taking an interest in the forestry industry, deaths have fallen markedly, and that they’re moving on to agriculture.

          And that their success has shamed the government into actually taking court action.

          What does the National Party care about dead workers when they don’t give a stuff about infant mortality? It’s the publicity they don’t like.

  7. Colonial Viper 7

    The unions could have stopped Rogernomics and Ruthanasia in their tracks.

    But utterly and totally caved.

    • Yeah, in a fantasy world that could have happened. In the real world, NZers, including hundreds of thousands of union members. voted for Rogernomics and Ruthanasia 5 elections in a row.

      • Korero Pono 7.1.1

        Possibly true but I doubt the average voter even knew what they were voting for. Labour voters in particular didn’t see it coming. Now that the voters have wised up, the Labour party are reaping the rewards for selling their voters down the line.

      • Bill 7.1.2

        A number of years ago I spoke with an ex-NDU official who informed me that the vote she represented, and that of other NDU officials favouring a general strike to oppose the ECA, numbered a tad fewer than those officials representing votes against a strike. And that in the interests of the union presenting a united front, she and others were convinced to vote against their members wishes.

        At the time she spoke with me, she still carried a huge sense of guilt because (as far as I remember it) had she and the others insisted that a split vote be presented by the NDU, a CTU led general strike would have eventuated (the numbers were that close).

        • te reo putake 7.1.2.1

          Fair call, Bill. There was pretty much a fifty/fifty split on the matter, but in the end common sense won out. We would have been annihilated. What was to come was bad, but if there had been a general strike then, there wouldn’t be a union movement today.

          • DS 7.1.2.1.1

            Um, Birch by all accounts was ready to fold. We’re talking a National Government with 17% support (under First Past The Post) – they lacked the popular support to take on a general strike, and they knew it.

            • te reo putake 7.1.2.1.1.1

              Yeah, nah, DS. The Bolger Government had just been elected in the biggest landslide ever seen in NZ political history, winning nearly two thirds of all the seats in Parliament. Dunno where you plucked 17% from, but it has no connection with what was really going on at the time.

      • Colonial Viper 7.1.3

        Yeah, in a fantasy world that could have happened. In the real world, NZers, including hundreds of thousands of union members. voted for Rogernomics and Ruthanasia 5 elections in a row.

        TRP, with union attitudes like yours, I’m not surprised that the union leadership caved and let their organisations and their memberships be gutted.

        • te reo putake 7.1.3.1

          Except, well, you’re full of it. Leaving aside the fact you were just an egg at the time, you haven’t got a clue about unions. You’re not a union member, let alone been a union activist. You’re a petit bourgeous con artist, fleecing folk with back rubs and bullshit. Meh.

          • left for deadshark 7.1.3.1.1

            do you mind, taking down that post or give yourself a holiday !

            YOU NO THE POLICY

  8. James 8

    If people find them so valuable – why do people generally choose not to join?

    • Korero Pono 8.1

      Just speaking for a small minority here but a fast food franchise that I am aware of openly discouraged and ‘punished’ those who joined unions (I knew ‘victims’ who worked there). I once worked for a prominent organisation that openly targeted union members, thereby discouraging others from joining, the Union in that case was weak because of low membership in the organisation.

      In the same vein, Unions have become weak in some sectors (probably most sectors actually), weak because they do not have the resources to take on the big boys. The ERA are also useless, and employers know it, a slap with a wet bus ticket is not a disincentive for being a ‘bad’ employer. The Talleys debacle is a classic example of an employer flouting the law, yet what are the repercussions? (oh yeah a knighthood and influence on major health and safety legislation).

      • BM 8.1.1

        Do you think unions should be politically neutral?

        • Bill 8.1.1.1

          If by that you mean a-political in relation to parliamentary politics….yup.

          • BM 8.1.1.1.1

            I do believe that’s the major reason why unions are struggling.

            Facts are , lots and lots of workers vote right, why would some one who votes National, want to join a union.?

            Your money is given to Labour which is actively working against the party of your choice.

            If Unions want to halt the slide into oblivion they need to ditch the politics bullshit and get a bit of focus back on the people that pay the subs.

        • lprent 8.1.1.2

          Do you think that unions shouldn’t take into account the overall interests of their members…

          Why do you use pig fucker arguments? Show me a few cases in legislation where National has done something that actually enhanced the ability of unions to help their members. Then ask me that question?

          Don’t know why I ask that really. If you actually had an interest, I’m sure that what I will get now is a screed of waffle where you show how National has followed their funders directives to help screw workers by removing an ability to collectively bargain.

          But I’m sure there will be a few unionists to show you how the death and injury rates rose and the effective average wage rates dropped.

          • BM 8.1.1.2.1

            Unions are struggling and there’s a massive amount of people out there who won’t have a bar of them because they financially support labour and actively work at undermining national governments.

            I wouldn’t join a union because of that.

          • Skinny 8.1.1.2.2

            Haha @ pig fucker in our 20’s a group of mates use to go by the name of members of the PFA, the first word is Pig the last Association. Girls at uni use to be quite impressed when you would say I am a member of the PFA 🙂 not so impressed when the odd one asked what is that lol.

        • Korero Pono 8.1.1.3

          I think it would be impossible to be politically neutral given that the task of unions is to supposedly ensure fair and safe working conditions for workers. That, in and of itself, is a political task.

          • BM 8.1.1.3.1

            I think it would be impossible to be politically neutral given that the task of unions is to supposedly ensure fair and safe working conditions for workers.

            What’s that got to do with politics?

            Unions in the modern age are job insurance, that’s it.
            They’re not there to financially prop up the labour party.

            Always thought there’s a massive business opportunity going begging here,a team of sharp lawyers could easily step in and fill this “job insurance” void.

            • Korero Pono 8.1.1.3.1.1

              “What’s that got to do with politics”

              I would have thought it is perfectly obvious to even an idiot. When one Government (think National) erodes legislation in favour of employers (which in and of itself is politically beneficial when said party gets kick backs for their troubles) to the point that people no longer have secure, stable, safe and reasonable employment conditions, then it takes a certain amount of political pressure and lobbying to claw back workers rights. Unionism by its very nature is a political activity, to pretend it’s not, or state that it should not be, is a little bit silly.

              “Unions in the modern age are job insurance, that’s it”

              Please explain why you think that unions are simply ‘job insurance’? Specifically what ‘insurance’ do you think unions provide? How do you think that works?

              “They’re not there to financially prop up the labour party”.

              I absolutely agree, Unions need to work for the benefit of workers…I wonder which party has the most sympathy for workers and which party is more likely to fuck workers over.

              “Always thought there’s a massive business opportunity going begging here,a team of sharp lawyers could easily step in and fill this “job insurance” void”

              Still interested in what you mean by ‘job insurance’?? However for the sake of making it simple for you, and if you haven’t already noticed, you are a bit slow on the up take, there are already ‘a team of sharp lawyers’ doing very nicely out of employment issues. Employees hire them, employers hire them and so do the unions.

              But your comments show that you miss the whole point of unionism, not because of a differing political ideology but more likely because of ignorance and stupidity.

          • Bill 8.1.1.3.2

            heh Way I see it is that unions get ‘captured’ by parliamentary agendas and wind up far less politically useful than they would otherwise be.

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    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 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
    6 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
    8 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
    8 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
    22 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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
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