$1000 per person (recurring) NOW!

Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, March 20th, 2020 - 71 comments
Categories: class war, cost of living, Economy, Politics, poverty, welfare - Tags: , , ,

With coronavirus numbers in Italy going through the roof and some US unions expecting up to 90% of their members to lose their jobs, while JP Morgan’s forecasting a 14% retraction in the US economy in the next quarter…

Unlike the GFC of 2008, NZ will not skirt the worst of the effects this time around.

So, on the basis that what’s happening overseas will also likely happen here, it’s time for the government to get real. If airlines and others couldn’t perform some basic household budgeting (as governments are apparently expected to do) and put aside some of their profits for a rainy day, then fuck them – they fall.

It’s real people who need assistance, not abstract business models.

So give everyone a thousand dollars right now and tax the money back off the rich at a later date if ‘universal’ is a sticking point.

Right now, I and thousands of others cannot afford even the basic measures required to ride a potential period of isolation. Right now, I and thousands of others can only hope to service debt, and unless meaningful sums of money are made available to us, we will only continue to spend all of our money on debt repayments of one sort or another.

Even the Republicans in the US understand that people need money in their pockets.

Now sure, I’m sure the GOP have some hooks sitting just under the surface wrapping of their package, but still…

Isn’t it an odd world when the ask is for the government to follow the example of the Republican Party in the US and avoid the downright horrible examples of disregard and disconnect being put on display by the Democratic Party?

And yes to this too.

 

71 comments on “$1000 per person (recurring) NOW! ”

  1. infused 1

    lol calm down. there's no community spread. we are nothing like those other countries yet.

    • I Feel Love 1.1

      I was thinking the last thing we need is more pressure on supermarkets.

      • Koreropono 1.1.1

        You mean more pressure from poor people who live week to week anyway and cannot prepare for illness if they need to? Never mind the fact that those 'poor' people now can't even access cheap bread, milk, flour or yeast because people who can afford it, resort to panic buying and continue to wipe the shelves of basics. This just leaves poor people in the position of having to spend money they don't have on more expensive options to feed themselves this week, never mind not having food when they either can't leave their homes or are too sick to cook.

        Also the splurge on hand sanitizer has a certain twist when those who can afford to buy it in bulk, leave the shelves empty so that those who can't access it have no choice but to go unprotected and spread whatever virus' they may carry on to others, possibly even to those who greedily brought it all out in the first place – I can't help think about karma at this proposition.

        • Naki man 1.1.1.1

          No one needs to go unprotected there is plenty of soap available and it is more effective than hand sanitizer.

          • Koreropono 1.1.1.1.1

            Even the soap is being wiped off the shelves – with shops introducing limits per customer – then there's the price gouging on sought after items – panadol, garlic just two examples off the top of my head, You know who can't afford it? Poor people.

    • Siobhan 1.2

      Tho…at some point surely we will have, and will need to have community spread…unless you envisage the whole of NZ shutting down like this each and every year for the duration of the Bat flu season.

    • karol64 1.3

      Where's my grand?

      I need such a large amount to buy myself another 12 pack of Corona ale to inoculate myself against such an ailment.

    • Koreropono 1.4

      @ infused – Pretty sure people in Italy were saying exactly the same thing two weeks ago and look at them now, don't think they're lol now 🙂

  2. Tiger Mountain 2

    An emergency UBI/Super type payment to all adults and children citizens and residents, would not necessarily address the longer term issues with such a payment–but that would not be the bloody point of it–if we do not act promptly many will not be around for the “longer term” at all.

    NZ pundit Hickey is a UBI supporter in the crisis it seems, me too as long as WINZ/MSD are keep well away from it!

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018739215/financial-impact-of-covid19-around-the-world

    • CrimzonGhost 2.1

      Yeah a UBI would best response but doesn't need to be Superannuation level. With Unemployment for a single being boosted to just over &250 pw we just need to universalise that to all workers not waiting for them to lose jobs & go on unemployment.

      Direct GST towards it, take off GST on basic goods & in exchange ramp it up on luxury goods to compensate. Bring in CGT, FTT, Carbon/Pollution Tax, slightly increase higher income & corporate/company (large/medium enterprises) tax while slightly lowering small business tax. Make first $24, 000 income tax free.

      An emergency UBI might not be able to be undone though (which is a good thing in my view as it's needed not just as disaster relief/disaster proofing but as a means to soften the coming automation/A.I./roboticisation which no doubt will speed up due to coronavirus) If it's in place for 3 months, six months people will see it's value to their bottom-line & will vote in their personal interest for the party that says they'll keep it.

      $250 a week is more sustainable. Add in a Universal Child Benefit (UBI for Kids) of $75 (0-10) $125 (10-18) & gradually reduce base Super down to $250 while keeping/modifying means-tested Accommodation Supplement.

  3. Sabine 3

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/120387232/coronavirus-the-importance-of-shopping-local-in-the-midst-of-a-pandemic

    You know all those small businesses – hotels, restaurants, bookstores – that make your city cool?

    There's a chance they may not survive coronavirus. "

    well i guess they can sell their assets, they can beg family and friends, they can ask for a loan at the eve of a financial crisis that is going to be GFC 2008 on steroids and meth. And then, when they have all exhausted all means, have impoverished themselves, have loaded themselves up with debt, they can declare bankruptcy and go on the dole.

    Oh, i must be whinging again. ………

    • Bill 3.1

      Small businesses should be getting immediate and comprehensive relief – freeze lease payments etc.

      And if enough money is given to people like me that we can move beyond simply servicing debt or paying bills, then I'd like to think enough cash flow would enter smaller businesses that they might stay afloat.

      I sure as hell don't want the small local ones around me to tank.

      • Sabine 3.1.1

        that was the one thing that i was hoping for and speaking with the businesses on my fringe we all did, either a government and interest free loan to get us over 12 weeks (that is how long at a min a shut down will last looking at China, South Korea etc), or a rent/lease/mortgage freeze, or at least some sort of legislation that does not allow any evictions, debt collections during this crisis.

        Instead we got told to go to the bank and take out a loan.

        Best bit was that shortly after the presser was over my bank emailed me and offered me a business continuancy loan at a 1% discount.

        And i am in a good position to many. No loans to speak of, fairly small lease, and oh, btw, i have not paid myself since January.

        The government might have just found out about the Virus three weeks ago, but let me assure you here in Tourist Land we have not hired the staff we would have, we have let go of staff since january, and we have not have the income since then.

        I have pity for some of the young ones that threw themselves into 'self employment' cause they are shit outta luck and they have a government that does not give a flying fuck about them.

  4. Sabine 4

    whining again.

    You’re eligible for wage subsidy if:

    • you have taken “active steps” to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on your business.
    • Active steps might include activating a business continuity plan, or seeking advice and support from a bank or financial advisors, the Chamber of Commerce, a relevant industry association, or a Regional Business Partner programme.
    • If you’re talking to a financial advisor, it may be helpful to ask them to assist with reviewing actual or forecast decline in revenue (see next point).
    • you have experienced a 30% decline (or more) in actual or predicted revenue over the period of a month when compared with the same month last year, and that decline is related to Covid-19. So grab your bank statements for say, March 2019 and then figure what you would have made in March 2020. If it’s at least 30% less then you’re eligible. If you haven’t been operating for a year then comparison can be made to a previous month “that gives the best estimation of the revenue decline related to COVID-19”. That means sole traders can review any month between January and June 2020, and compare it to last year (actual or forecast).

    Applications through Work and Income NZ are now open. There’s more information here, and the application form for self-employed people is here.

    https://thespinoff.co.nz/money/18-03-2020/freelancers-and-sole-traders-how-to-apply-for-the-covid-19-wage-subsidy/

    we are to first load us up with debt before we can apply for anything.

    but hey, i guess if small businesses don't have a years worth of saving then we can just die cause we must not be viable.

    Air New Zealand however needs to be regularly bailed out every three to four years as they are too big to fail, and also it seems that some of our Ministerial critters are fond of flying.

    • SPC 4.1

      Maybe a scheme where the landlord and tenant agree to 50% rent to the end of the current lease (3 to 6 to 12 month periods depending on how long this lasts). The government provides loan finance for the 50% of rent paid and is paid back later.

      • Sabine 4.1.1

        hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

        sorry but

        ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

      • RedLogix 4.1.2

        We are working this through with both our property managers right now; we've contacted all our tenants letting them know that if they've lost income due to this event, they must contact the manager and let us know. Things are moving so fast we're not sure what our final policy will be, but evictions are not an option.

        Landlords are reasonable people who want to retain good tenants and understand that now is the worst possible time to have mass evictions.

        • In Vino 4.1.2.1

          Oh, for heaven's sake, don't tell your tenants that. Otherwise they will ALL be claiming to be hard up!! (sarc)

          • RedLogix 4.1.2.1.1

            We're not fools, the managers will require evidence of their changed circumstances.

        • mike 4.1.2.2

          i was going to evict my tenant so i could reovate the house but i will delay that action since they havent any where to go there will there will be no increses no debt allows options

          • RedLogix 4.1.2.2.1

            Good. Any sensible landlord knows that it's better to retain existing reliable tenants in place if at all possible.

            The key thing for any tenants reading this is to advise your landlord of any changed circumstances as soon as possible.

  5. SPC 5

    The first priority is going to be those Kiwis in Oz who lose jobs and if stuck without income come back here (we do not have any spare housing and especially not for those on a benefit)

    So either Oz steps up, or we pay them the dole in Oz (and Oz gives them their AS).

    But yes – in general people need some cash in the bank to ride this out at any time to feel secure (and even those working and paying rent struggle to put any aside). I might restrict it to those paying AS or on fixed supported incomes, those on mortgages have a bank credit card facility.

    • RedLogix 5.1

      Yes I commented on this yesterday. Even if only 10% of kiwis in oz lose their jobs, that's at least 50,000 people with no access to any social support at all. The SCV444 is a temporary visa that is not the same as residency, and certainly not citizenship.

      At the same time the official line at the moment is that all NZ's living overseas (temporary or otherwise) should consider returning. Well that's potentially a million people, although in reality the actual numbers will be lower than this, we have no idea exactly how much lower. 5%, 10% … 50%? We just don't know.

      • SPC 5.1.1

        I've been wondering if the under 25"s – those without permanent work or SA or loan living costs should get UI to supplement their casual, part-time and gig job incomes. Also a good trial of the idea in their case.

    • RedLogix 5.2

      Here is a more detailed story on this question from The Guardian:

      A large cohort of these visa holders are New Zealanders – more than 600,000 – who are on special category visas.

      While Morrison said yesterday that the travel ban would not apply to New Zealand residents, those who remain in the country are not eligible for social security payments in the event that they lose their job.

      In other words, yes you can travel, but no there will be no planes, and get fucked.

  6. A 6

    Calm down! We are in NZ.

    No way should we be paying people who are wealthy enough to live on their own. In any case this virus will be over quickly, like a bad dream.

    Then onto the next crisis…

    • CrimzonGhost 6.1

      Universality stops the us vs them division ie we work & they bludge off our tax dollars paid. If every citizen is seen as an equal stakeholder/shareholder in society the envy towards rich & rich denigrating the poor lessens. Giving a UBI to rich reminds them they're part of the society too …plus with adjusted taxation at higher income levels & reform of taxation in general (ie bringing in CGT, FTT, Pollution Tax etc) & GST that's higher on luxury goods …high-tier items …they pay more into system than they receive in UBI. UBI is just a little return back to them to thank them for their spending, investment & citizenship.

    • mike 6.2

      i hope your right

  7. weka 7

    A lump sum cash payment right now to low income and beneficiaries is essential.

    UK govt also considering a UBI but preferring to use existing welfare systems.

    https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/coronavirus-universal-basic-income-uk-17948185

    I'm in two minds about UBI vs using existing welfare, but the biggest issue for NZ is that WINZ are not probably going to cope very well, logistically or culturally, with handing out non-taxed, non-abated cash payments via welfare.

    I'm trying to remember how far Labour looked at a 'UBI' in their Future of Work project. i.e. have the numbers already been crunched.

    For those concerned about rich people getting a weekly sum, they pay it back in tax.

    There's an explanation here (haven't read this in a while, but it covers the basics)

    https://thestandard.org.nz/universal-income-revisited/

    Other key point is that whatever happens, welfare has to be bolted on. If people keep calling for the abolition of WINZ, it will muddy the waters.

    • Sabine 7.1

      The government could instruct IRD to send checks, after all they already do that and know how to.

      Winz has no way of coping, because the government so far refuses to see and acknowledge the wave of unemployed people that is gonna hit them hard.

      It will be bad once the kids aren't allowed to go to school anymore, day care closes and women will have to go home to look after the children. How long do you think before they have exhausted sick leave, holiday pay, etc, and how long before the small / medium sized busnesses that hire them will close shop.

      OH, am i whining again?

      • weka 7.1.1

        "Winz has no way of coping, because the government so far refuses to see and acknowledge the wave of unemployed people that is gonna hit them hard."

        I'd bet this weeks benefit that they know what is coming and are preparing for it (I had to deal with WINZ this week, they know that the system is about to be very stressed). What you see as ignorance I see as the govt rolling out different parts of the plan in a fast changing scenario. They will be watching what is happening internationally both with the spread of covid, and with impact on economics, and making plans in the NZ context. I expect more announcements over time.

        I don't think they will get it right every time (eg they should have given a lump sum to benes and low income people so they could get supplies). I haven't looked at the business side. I'm sorry it's going to hit you hard, and I think it's good you keep raising issues, but I probably disagree with your basic assessment of the govt's competency.

        • Sabine 7.1.1.1

          according to the Spin Off, there are 375.000 self employed, sole traders, small businesses in NZ. So please keep your 'I am sorry' to yourself, because at this stage this borders on insult after injury.

          there are 375.000 people who look at utter devastation and the government does not give a shit.

          Useless does not even cut it.

          Since Jan 22 there were cases of sick people in the US – who did nothing, China sealed people in apartment buildings, Singapore closed shop etc et c etc and you can feel free to disagree with me as much as you like, but they are either incompetend, or malicious. Because people like me have left posts on this side in regards to it, inclusive an article some weeks ago about Singapores Parliament/President all takeing pay cuts of a full month wage to show solidarity.

          But keep in mind that 375.000 people and their staff and their families were thrown under the bus by St. Jacinda and her posse of empty but expensive suits, and that we will remember this come election day. And it wont matter if its a Labour "Candidate, a Green Candidate or a NZ first Candidate who will beg for money, time, and votes.

          Funny thing about all of this is, that i will be one of the very few to potentially survive this economically.

          and lastly Weka, these people will not isolate, they will go to work. Because they have to.

          • In Vino 7.1.1.1.1

            It seems to me that every financial crisis or pandemic in history has had the same outcome: the poorer and middle classes lose income, have to sell off at a time when few have the money to buy up, so the prices of what is being sold crash, and the rich élite are suddenly able to buy up lots of assets dead cheap.

            Afterwards, the poor are still poor, but the rich are even richer. So the poor are encouraged to be enterprising and create wealth – only for the cycle to be repeated.

            I think it was always so…

        • Wayne 7.1.1.2

          The govt has already boosted all benefits (except NS) and doubled the winter heating payment. It is around a $2.2 billion injection into the economy. Most if not all of it will be spent. So that is some help to both the recipients and to the wider economy.

          The government knows that pretty soon they will be paying the UB to hundreds of thousands more people within a month. That is going to substantially push up govt spending, right at a time when tax payments are crashing.

          In a comment a few days ago I said this is going to cost the government $40 billion, basically $20 billion extra spending and $20 billion to cover the drop in revenue. That will double the size of the NZ govt debt to around 40% of GDP. The current package is getting close.

          Because NZ has a high level of private debt, the government borrowing can’t easily go to 100% of GDP as in some countries. I reckon up to about 60% before borrowing becomes problematic. That would another $40 billion. So a fair bit of manoeuvre room yet. But it is not limitless. So therefore the government won’t be sending $1,000 lump sum to every beneficiary. They are already sort of doing so by increasing the weekly payment ($25 x 50 weeks).

          The next priority for government will be looking at employees in middle to larger businesses. Also also ramping up their own infrastructure and maintenance budgets on schools, hospitals, National Parks, etc. Needs to be done soon if it is going to work.

          • lprent 7.1.1.2.1

            The next priority for government will be looking at employees in middle to larger businesses. Also also ramping up their own infrastructure and maintenance budgets on schools, hospitals, National Parks, etc. Needs to be done soon if it is going to work.

            Yeah, they are moving through the easy ones on the pareto curve. Start with ones where there are existing channels for feeding out a stimulus, then move on to the ones that take longer or require channel making.

            Needs to be done soon if it is going to work.

            The infrastructure and maintenance (as you’ll be aware) takes time to get moving. You can announce it early but that isn’t useful for anything apart from PR. It is usually better with any of those to actually know what you’re going to be able to actually do in the near term. Otherwise it will wind up in projects that start employing mid-2021 at the earliest or meaningless make-work (thinks back to some of the employment schemes of Muldoon and shudders).

            In the latter case, I’d prefer to just hand out money – it is more productive than some of the useless ‘training’ or feather bedding that I’ve seen. If you don’t waste peoples time with ideological posturing and punishment for being a beneficiary but give them resources, it is often surprising how they can use that time productively.

            • Wayne 7.1.1.2.1.1

              There are lots of small scale jobs within the state sector that could be done almost immediately. For instance a lot of state houses need a repaint. A lot of them are pretty scruffy.

              • Bill

                And the point of repainting, when with global warming a complete retrofit is required for them to remain habitable?

                But sure. Send out the "scruff brigades"… 🙄

            • RedLogix 7.1.1.2.1.2

              If you don’t waste peoples time with ideological posturing and punishment for being a beneficiary but give them resources, it is often surprising how they can use that time productively.

              Which was always one of my big three contentions in support of a UBI.

          • Sabine 7.1.1.2.2

            Air New Zealand has been bailed out three times, once under Clark, once under Key and now under Ardern. We seem to have mone yfor that. But i guess when you have taxpayer funded travel its important for you and your ilk to have a access to flights. Right?

            You and all you retired Government critters could forgo your perks.

            You and your rich mates could offer to pay taxes, after all you spend many good years avoiding them.

            The Ministers and the Prime minister could like the government in Singapore take a pay cut for a month or two of wages, which would not hurt any of hte useless suits. After all we are all in this together, amirite?

            The government could print money.

            The goverment could enact emergency legislation to make sure that people that have to default on payments don't get evicted or have the debt collectors run after them (luckily these guys will work form home….lookit a growth sector)

            The government could do many things, and is doing nothing, and you are sill of no use to anyone.

            • Bill 7.1.1.2.2.1

              Anyone would think that if Air New Zealand was "let go" that the planes and everything else would all just vanish in a puff of whatever 🙂

              Can't be having air travel propelled by fossil anyway. The bastards should have pursued the hydrogen route back in the late 80s when prototypes were already developed, instead of chasing short term profit.

          • Bill 7.1.1.2.3

            UB payments don't begin to even approach a damned thing in terms of "meaningful". And neither does trotting out the same old liberal canards of trickle down and belt tightening.

            • Wayne 7.1.1.2.3.1

              The extra $25 and doubling of winter pay is the opposite of belt tightening. It is extra money. It was the right thing to do, but to say it is belt tightening is an unusual definition of that term.

              • Bill

                The $25 is an insult. When does it kick in and what abatement is lumped along with it? The winter allowance doesn't kick in until May and frees up nothing at all in terms of disposable cash.

                In total, the some tens of dollars per week (when they arrive) are just a very slight easing of the squeeze this country's succession of liberal governments have applied to the poor.

                • CrimzonGhost

                  Not really a slight easing of squezze as this boost basically gets singles ub benefit back to what it was (real terms) before Ruthenasia Black Budget cut of $14 So now where only $14 dollars or so off in real terms back then. Of course more is needed as prices/rents have increased ahead of that but on track to lift people up. UBI of $250 per week logical next step.

          • SPC 7.1.1.2.4

            As Hickey notes, the money does not need to be debt financed.

          • Nic the NZer 7.1.1.2.5

            This is a load of hooie Wayne. You have tried to imply some kind of hard limits on possible New Zealand government spending and no such limits exist. This misdirection is very harmful for how people discuss and understand economic policy.

            Its just like all the policies which have been discussed before the pandemic and largely held out as infeasible, but when the pandemic arrives suddenly they are on the table. The virus didn't improve the countries economic capacity, its just the ideological constraints no longer are worth quibbling over to most.

    • Bill 7.2

      I'd have thought IRD was in the best position to disperse money – not WINZ. That, and being universal, it's not a case of payments in lieu of anything else (Welfare entitlements are separate to any such payment and continue). As you say, tax can be used as a retrospective means test measure.

      Easy enough to pass emergency legislation so that those on entitlements don't get hit with stupid WINZ abatement rules. Surely.

      • RedLogix 7.2.1

        Snap. That was always my expectation too, after all everyone is universally engaged with the tax system already, while most people are not with the welfare system.

    • RedLogix 7.3

      but the biggest issue for NZ is that WINZ are not probably going to cope very well, logistically or culturally, with handing out non-taxed, non-abated cash payments via welfare.

      Good point. I always liked the idea of it being treated as a form of 'negative tax'. The idea is that everyone has a single IRD linked bank account that their UBI is paid into by IRD not WINZ. After all everyone has an IRD number, but only a minority have dealings with WINZ.

      In the bigger picture a UBI is inseperable from tax reform anyway and to my mind it makes sense to treat it as a tax function that IRD is responsible for.

      You may argue that IRD doesn't have a much better culture than WINZ either, but of the choice of the two institutions I'd prefer IRD because it’s a better functional alignment.

      • KJT 7.3.1

        Agree UBI is long overdue.

        And negative tax through IRD, is the logical way to do it.

        WINZ, like Hoskings, is so immersed in the right wing culture of bloody minded cruelty to those out of work, that it is probably beyound their cultural competence.

    • CrimzonGhost 7.4

      The neo-liberal & 'deserving poor' myth needs to knocked on head. UBI will mean a thinned down MSD as no longer need for huge bureaucracy of oversight, continual interviews/meetings, paperwork, applications, investigations, fraud cases etc etc. Many those staff other than min needed to administer UBI can be retasked to bring back Dept of Labour side of things (in modern parlance the bare bones 'Workbrokers' being a skeleton within WINZ compared to the fleshy obeseness of 'Caseworkers' having outsourced job finding/jobmatching to for-profit parasite employment agencies).

      What is there to be in two minds about? Universal, Unconditional Citizen-Right Income is superior to Means tested "you have the right to food money …as long as you don't mind a little humiliation, investigation…" To paraphrase the Clash LOL.

      • weka 7.4.1

        I wrote a whole post on it recently.

        https://thestandard.org.nz/ubi-what-is-it-good-for/

        Basically, there are very large number of people who cannot work and will need more money than a UBI provides. Those people are disabled, young mums, people caring full time for family members. We need welfare bolted on to any UBI.

        I agree WINZ could be streamlined, but we need to be very careful not to think of a UBI as a substitute for welfare. We still need a top up system. Many of the reasons are in that post.

        Given all that, that there are no good working models, and the problem of Labour creating a replacement, we might be better off with reforming welfare (at least first).

  8. Siobhan 8

    on a side note…Gabbard..I mean who cares about what she says this week..she is after all quite 'flexible' and in her opinions and outrage..

  9. Peter Bradley 9

    Maintaining a pool of underpaid and desperate workers motivated by an even more impoverished underclass of beneficiaries is a key component of our current economic system. Corporate investors must be relishing the opportunities for cheap labor in the near future. No current government will contemplate emancipating the soon to be unemployed pool of wage slaves with a UBI.

    • Sabine 9.1

      they certainly relish at the idea of worker loosing their houses becuase they can't service the mortgage (and that will be bad once one income is lost), or they can't service the payments to their businessess (quite a few assets to be bought a penny the tool) and the banks are wetting themselves at the amount of loans they are getting to hand out with a 1% discounts.

      this coming shitshow will put the great depression to shame.

      Vulture Capitalism, and please don't ask the government to fix it or regulate it, no you must blame capitalism for this.

    • Koreropono 9.2

      Couldn't agree more – except it is good to see recognition that when poor people are given extra cash (no matter how miserly the offerings) they actually spend it where it counts and ultimately prop up profiteers in another way – those who like to extract the blood of the workers and underclass know they need us more than we need them (like a parasite needs a host). Now there's a thought…

  10. RedBaronCV 10

    yes I can see small business and sole traders needing some extra help – in particular those who are compromised healthwise or in areas where other employment prospects are not available.

    As to air nz – looks like the big guns are still drawing the big salaries – .

    Would be good to see the part state owned power companies being told to cut the big salaries too – it may be a token gesture – although pushing the power prices down – would be very helpful to domestic consumers many of whom will be heating the work from home office on behalf of their employer this winter.

  11. RedBaronCV 12

    Don't see much pain being inflicted on the top end of town yet. Stuff mentioned this morning that Air NZ pays about $1.2 billion a year in staff costs. Okay there will be some highly skilled pilots, engineers, IT etc in the mix – sort of expert technocrats that businesses actually need but 2008 people are paid over $150K according to the 2019 report. so around 17% of the staff are taking home ( very conservtively ) well over a quarter of the payroll. Time to cut some top end wages??

    • Gabby 12.1

      Well one assumes if 30% of staff are redundant then the ceo is 30% overpaid.

    • Naki man 12.2

      The CEO has already taken a voluntary $250k pay cut

      • In Vino 12.2.1

        Probably nearer 15% than 30%… How condescendingly generous!!

        • RedBaronCV 12.2.1.1

          And the 2019 annual financial report showed 1 person in the highest salary band (presumably the CEO ) and this doesn't include any share options, bonuses yet to be paid etc. Don't forget the executives who aren't far behind.

          Drumroll………. the band is $4.36-$4.37 million . so 5.75%.

          At least he has to actually deal with a crisis- it won't be any better over at the telco's or the power companies who continue to gouge lower incomes. which has to be financed out of benefits and paid back by the general taxpayer.

          Well chorus and some of the power co's have partial state ownership.

  12. adam 14

    Payroll tax is a big part of what pays for social security in the US Bill, so the underhand shit here it to cut payroll tax to fund the 1K UBI.

    So the long term goal is to starve social security of money.

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Recent Posts

  • At a glance – Does CO2 always correlate with temperature?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    3 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago
  • Relentlessly negative
    Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    Bryce Edwards writes –  It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 hours ago
  • Promiscuous Empathy: Chris Trotter Replies To His Critics.
    Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played. “Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
    6 hours ago
  • Don’t run your business like a criminal enterprise
    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    7 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    8 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    9 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    12 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    12 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    14 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    17 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    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
    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
  • 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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
    6 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 ...
    6 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
    6 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
    5 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
    10 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
    12 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
    13 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
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
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