25c slap in the face

Written By: - Date published: 6:38 am, February 8th, 2011 - 77 comments
Categories: john key, wages - Tags:

So John Key thinks that a 1.9% increase in pay will cover 4% inflation, and that’s all minimum wage workers are going to get.

That 25c/hour won’t add up to a litre of milk at the end of the day, let along a block of cheese at the end of the week.

A person on minimum wage will now get $437.24/week after tax, whilst JK gave himself over $1000 extra per week in tax cut.  It’s enough to make you sick.

John Key promised that life would be better for all Kiwis under National, and his bonus for failing to deliver is more than twice what those who slave for the minimum wage get in totality.

John Key promised that we’d catch Australia too.  Their minimum wage is $NZ19.75 – more than 50% greater than our minimum wage.  That’s their minimum minimum wage at that – most industries have higher minimum wages with their modern awards system.  You can see why more and more people are moving over there.

John Key also promised not to raise GST – and it’s the poor who are hardest hit there too, suffering another 17% of their wages.

National promised to make “Education a National Priority”.  But if your ECE costs are going up $25-$80/week per child are you going to be keeping your children there when you’ve rent rises to pay and food prices at record highs?

And with 158,000 families with their breadwinner on the dole, desperate for work, it’s not like you’ll be able to negotiate an above minimum pay rise.

Those at or near the minimum wage know exactly what National thinks of them, and there ain’t no words like ‘valued’ or ‘respected’ in the description…

77 comments on “25c slap in the face ”

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  1. tc 1
    8 February 2011 at 7:04 am

    I’m surprised sideshow even did that much….must be feeling charitable after his 6weeks off. He’ll tick that box marked ‘do something for the little people’ and back to business as usual by referring to their backers shopping list.

  2. millsy 2
    8 February 2011 at 7:44 am

    You probably should really be greatful there is an increase at all….

  3. Craig Glen Eden 3
    8 February 2011 at 7:54 am

    Thank God for the Cullen fund and Acc fund without these NZ would be a total cot case.
    Over two years of National and their policies are really starting to impact on the economy, while John Key bounces from cloud to cloud ( according To Blinglish) the little people struggle to put food on the table. Tax cuts for the rich have resulted in no stimulation for the economy,more and more small business struggle to survive and the economy slides further into recession.
    Our economy needs a minimum wage that allows someone to make ends meet or what’s the point of working.

  4. Colonial Viper 4
    8 February 2011 at 8:32 am

    Ahem…I know its inconvenient to point out, but this increase in the minimum wage is comparable to what that minimum wage worker would get from LAB’s $5000 tax free threshold.

    The benefits from having one in the pocket can’t really be said to be great while the benefits from the other, said to be a travesty, at the same time, can it?

    LAB has said that it will increase the minimum wage to $15/hr by the end of its first term. It needs to state its long term intentions around the income tax free threshold as well. I think it needs to go to $10K p.a. by the start of a second term in office.

    • AndyB 4.1
      8 February 2011 at 8:59 am

      i never thought i would see that from you. well done! we cant all bag the nats for an extra $10 a week, when you guys all figured that $10 a week tax cut was a great idea (albeit a bit on the light side)

      Lab said they would increase it to $15 by 2014, that is still a fair wait, not exactly the “raise it to $15 an hour now” school of thought.

      The min wage has gone up $1 per hour since National came to office. $40 a week average, that’s not bad really is it?

      • kriswgtn 4.1.1
        8 February 2011 at 9:07 am

        The min wage has gone up $1 per hour since National came to office. $40 a week average, that’s not bad really is it?

        NO it hasnt
        where yours stats

        20cents last year

        25cents this year

        Cant you count

      • Olwyn 4.1.2
        8 February 2011 at 9:09 am

        I think you will find on closer inspection that it is 50c, in two 25c lots. I am fairly confident that it was $12.50 when Labour left office.

      • orange whip? 4.1.3
        8 February 2011 at 9:13 am

        Not bad as long as the cost of food, rent, petrol, car registration, electricity, and GST on everything haven’t dramatically increased I suppose.

        But they have, so yes it is bad.

      • bbfloyd 4.1.4
        8 February 2011 at 9:52 am

        i’m sure you are just trying to be humerous. otherwise you’ve earned a fuck off wanker from everyone who earnes that wage.

    • Locus 4.2
      8 February 2011 at 9:33 am

      In Germany, Scandinavia and Austria they don’t have a statutory minimum wage because they have strong trade unions. Typically an unskilled worker earns the equivalent of NZ$60 per hour. Top margin tax rates on average income workers are: Austria 50%, Germany 45% , Denmark 51.5%, Sweden 55%, Norway 54.3%. So it’s possible to tax people highly if you pay them enough. And gosh, if you have fair minimum wages… the ‘trickle down’ effect really does work.

      • Colonial Viper 4.2.1
        8 February 2011 at 9:38 am

        That’s exactly correct. Its not about lower taxes, its about higher incomes. NAT know how to do the former (for the rich) they won’t do the latter (for the many).

      • AndyB 4.2.2
        8 February 2011 at 11:32 am

        “Typically an unskilled worker earns the equivalent of NZ$60 per hour”

        Could i see a source for this please. That’s 34 € an hour @ 40 hours a week, is 70,000 euros a year for an unskilled job!

        According to Wikipedia, the accepted unofficial annual minimum wage in Austria is €12,000 to €14,000.

        I cant seem to find an example of an unskilled person in either of the countries you have listed earning anywhere near that much. I have just got back from spending 5 years in Europe and the UK. I’m pretty sure you are way out in your statement.

  5. Bill 5
    8 February 2011 at 9:26 am

    A tax free threshold would have no impact on minimum wage levels whatsoever, since the minimum wage is a pre-tax figure. Therefore any rise in the minimum wage by Labour would be in addition to the $10 per week from Labour’s tax policy.

    Which means that comparing the pre-tax $10 per week minimum wage increase to Labour’s $10 tax cut is meaningless and not altogether honest. To be clear. if Labour was instituting a 25c increase today, minimum wage workers would be receiving $10 (before tax…min wage increase) plus $10 in the hand from the tax change.

    Or about double what National are offering. (Assuming that a Labour government wouldn’t have welched on raising the min wage in lieu of them having introduced the tax change…which well, you decide how cynical to be.)

    • Bunji 5.1
      8 February 2011 at 9:54 am

      Right on Bill. The $5000 threshold would be $10 in hand, 25c minimum wage is $8.25 for a start, and it’s not an either/or. Labour are committed to raising the minimum wage to $15 by the end of the next term, which would have mean ~65c rise in minimum wage each year ($21.45/week after tax).

      So $8.25/week or $31.45/week – Labour are offering about 4x more than the Nats for low-income people.

      • Colonial Viper 5.1.1
        8 February 2011 at 9:59 am

        So, now I’m interested in the figure that LAB thinks the minimum wage should have gone to this round.

      • Pat 5.1.2
        8 February 2011 at 10:02 am

        Hows them apples and oranges you’re comparing?

        It is not $8.25 vs $31.45. The former is what National have provided this year, and the latter is what you expect Labour to provide over the next 3 years. Your comparisons assume National will provide no further increases to minimum wage over the next 3 years.

        Like the Viper said, it pays to not obfuscate with basic figures.

        • Lanthanide 5.1.2.1
          8 February 2011 at 10:10 am

          They were touch-and-go on whether to raise it by 25c at all last year, with the recession as the excuse.

          So I wouldn’t count on them raising it every year, or raising it by more than 25c at a time.

        • Bunji 5.1.2.2
          8 February 2011 at 10:13 am

          No, over 3 years Labour would give $84.25 after tax.

          Altho I’ve realised I’ve left ACC levy out, so:
          $8.05/wk from National this year
          $30.92/wk is what Labour would be offering this year
          or $82.49/wk over 3 years.

          • Pat 5.1.2.2.1
            8 February 2011 at 10:20 am

            You forgot the fruit and veges.

            Pray tell, why is Phil Goff not shouting from the rooftops that a vegetarian on the minimum wage would be $100 per week better off under Labour? Oh that’s right – cause it’s bollocks.

            • Bunji 5.1.2.2.1.1
              8 February 2011 at 10:28 am

              If you like we can add say a typical family’s $6 for no GST on fruit & vege. Make it $37/week versus $8/week.

              But you just keep believing it’s bollocks because you think so.

  6. vidiot 6
    8 February 2011 at 10:45 am

    “That 25c/hour won’t add up to a litre of milk at the end of the day, let along a block of cheese at the end of the week.”

    $2.80 for 2L of Milk – $1.40 per L (8 hours @ .25 after tax = $1.60 in hand)
    $7.99 for Anchor cheese block edam 700g (40 hours @ 0.25 after tax = $8.00 in hand)

    Well bugger me…. it does add up to both of those items.

    /me thinks back to those ‘chewing gum tax cuts’ that were promised and never delivered.

    • Lanthanide 6.1
      8 February 2011 at 10:49 am

      They were proposed, not promised.

      They weren’t delivered because National (and the media) started screaming about how misery Labour was being. So Cullen figured “screw it, save it for later”, and did. You got the tax cut in October 2008 from Labour.

      • vidiot 6.1.1
        8 February 2011 at 11:04 am

        “In addition, we will index personal income tax thresholds to adjust for inflation from 1 April 2008,”

        http://www.treasury.govt.nz/budget/2005/pdfs/exec-sum05.pdf

        we will, not we might…

        Next you will be saying that Goff’s promised spend up of $5bn is just proposed and not promised – will they say just about anything to try & secure a vote.

        • Lanthanide 6.1.1.1
          8 February 2011 at 11:52 am

          Was that provision voted on, and later repealed through another vote, or did it never get voted on in the first place?

          That’s the difference.

          National rushed under urgency in early 2009 tax cuts for 2009, 2010 and 2011. They then rushed under urgency to repeal the tax cuts in 2010 and 2011 – they cancelled them.

        • Bunji 6.1.1.2
          8 February 2011 at 11:55 am

          The fact that National cancelled them when they introduced their first round of tax cuts for the rich in 2009 doesn’t mean they weren’t delivered by Labour.

          • Lanthanide 6.1.1.2.1
            8 February 2011 at 12:41 pm

            Actually vidiot is talking about the tax cuts proposed in 2005, which has nothing to do with the tax cuts that Labour passed in 2008 and National repealed in 2009.

      • infused 6.1.2
        8 February 2011 at 11:25 am

        Yes they were – and canceled.

    • Bunji 6.2
      8 February 2011 at 11:53 am

      You get a very good price for milk – can I ask where you shop? Your cheese isn’t a bad price either.

      And the “block of cheese” was the one John Key referred to – a 1kg block, that currently costs an average of $14 (up from $12 in the last year, although JK had it costing $16 back in 2008, I certainly don’t want to shop where he does!)

      The press has milk at $2.40/litre, though I think the more normal consensus is $2.20.

      Milk and dairy sales are currently dropping in NZ due to price hikes – we pay much more than they do in Sydney or London – which doesn’t seem right…

      • vidiot 6.2.1
        8 February 2011 at 12:16 pm

        Milk is just the regular Dairy Dale brand, sold around Auckland at various dairies. Dairy Dale is made by Fonterra.

        $9.99 for 1Kg of Cheese @ Countdown.

        http://www.oilyrag.co.nz/The%20milk%20report.pdf

        • Lanthanide 6.2.1.1
          8 February 2011 at 12:42 pm

          My countdown had 2L milk for $3.49, and 1L bottle for $2.05. That’s the home brand or whatever is cheapest (since it’s all the same).

        • Bunji 6.2.1.2
          8 February 2011 at 12:44 pm

          From your oily rag link, in May 2009

          The lowest price for a standard 2-litre bottle was $2.40 for Dairy
          Dale brand at a speciality food outlet in Manukau.

          That was the cheapest it could be found at more than 600 outlets before 2 or 3 serious price rises on dairy in the last 20 months.

          You obviously don’t take note of what you pay for milk now, at your local.

          I try and buy my 1kg of cheese when it’s on super-special at $9.99, but that’s not the average price people have to pay…

          • Lanthanide 6.2.1.2.1
            8 February 2011 at 12:48 pm

            It’s about all I ever pay for cheese. Of course I buy the cheapest or almost-cheapest if it’s a better brand, rather than slavishly buying the same brand all the time.

            Then again I don’t have a family and so usually buy 1kg cheese once every 3 or 4 weeks usually.

            • Blondie 6.2.1.2.1.1
              8 February 2011 at 1:54 pm

              Well whereabouts do you shop then, cos that’s an awful lot less than I can find cheese at any supermarket out my way.

              Seriously. I’d love to know, as I’m sure would many other Standard readers.

              And I only ever buy cheese if it’s on special. Full stop. It’s just too expensive to treat it as a dietary staple anymore. Ice cream is a much cheaper way of getting dairy into ya.

              • Lanthanide …
                8 February 2011 at 2:42 pm

                Countdown. I’m not sure of the price of the homebrand blocks, they might be $12 for normal price, but are often on special. Countdown has about 5 or 6 different brands of cheese (seems to change over time), some are better than others. Signature range is one of the better ones, Alpine Farm is probably one of the worse ones. Homebrand is about in the middle, and Mainland or Anchor would be the best.

                I just buy cheese when it’s on sale, and if I see a good sale before I’ve entirely used my last lot up, I just buy a new one and keep it.

              • Draco T Bastard …
                8 February 2011 at 2:42 pm

                And I only ever buy cheese if it’s on special. Full stop. It’s just too expensive to treat it as a dietary staple anymore.

                Yep, cheese comes into this house about once every quarter or so now.

                Ice cream is a much cheaper way of getting dairy into ya.

                Dairy is pretty much bad for you any way so I don’t go out of my way for it.

          • vidiot 6.2.1.2.2
            8 February 2011 at 2:29 pm

            I paid $2.80 for 2L this am, so $1.40 a L

            • Lanthanide 6.2.1.2.2.1
              8 February 2011 at 2:42 pm

              Try buying a 1L bottle and see how much that is.

              • Colonial Viper …
                8 February 2011 at 2:46 pm

                $1.90 if memory serves correctly.

                Usual story, if you are rich enough to buy in bulk you always save. From twinpacks of Shrewsbury biscuits to bulk meat trays.

                • vidiot …
                  8 February 2011 at 3:16 pm

                  $1.89 for 1L UHT vs $2.80 for 2L of Dairy Dale – bit of a no brainer.

                  And buying in bulk/volume does not always save either – next time you are shopping compare the cost per 100g of items, larger packets != better value in some cases. It is cheaper some times to by 2 x 1Kg of Clothes wash powder than 1 x 2Kg – especially when on special.

                  • Lanthanide …
                    8 February 2011 at 4:41 pm

                    With cleaning products it’s quite frequent that smaller packets can be better value, especially when on special as you say.

                    With food this is much less often, although obviously buying cheaper brands can make a big difference – often homebrand/signature range can be a bigger pack for a cheaper price than the name-brand one.

  7. tsmithfield 7
    8 February 2011 at 11:25 am

    So, if the government regulates the minimum amount people are allowed to charge for their labour, why shouldn’t it regulate other costs such as the minimum amount supermarkets are allowed to charge for milk and bread, or the minimum amount that electricians are allowed to charge out at?

    • Colonial Viper 7.1
      8 February 2011 at 11:32 am

      In response, yes, I’d say that Government should definitely regulate the cost and availability of necessary utilities.

      Electricity, water, basic banking, basic internet, public transport.

      LAB has also declared it will treat the pricing of fresh fruits and vegetables differently, which although not regulation per se it is definitely specific treatment of a particular group of products.

      Common goods and services which are not necessities of civilised living – well, the market is still a pretty good mechanism for sorting 99% of that out.

      Any other questions tsmith?

    • Draco T Bastard 7.2
      8 February 2011 at 11:48 am

      The government should be regulating whatever needs to be regulated so that society is viable because the free-market is irrational and following an irrational, and incorrect theory, is insane.

      • tsmithfield 7.2.1
        8 February 2011 at 11:54 am

        Except neither of you read what I said. I said “minimum” not “maximum”.

        If the government is concerned that everyone has enough to get by on, shouldn’t they be regulating the minimum amount individuals and businesses are allowed to charge for the things they supply, just as with the labour rate?

        • Colonial Viper 7.2.1.1
          8 February 2011 at 12:05 pm

          Sorry about that, didn’t quite catch your min/max point in your first post.

          I’d suggest that if individuals and businesses can figure out what their costs are and what employees need to live on, its not too tough to calculate the margins that they need to operate to, and hence what they need to charge.

          The minimum wage is set because employers have no problems paying someone $7/hr or $8/hr if they can get away with it, even though there is no way someone can live and participate in society on wages like that, so communities end up with a whole class of working paupers.

        • Draco T Bastard 7.2.1.2
          8 February 2011 at 2:21 pm

          I said that the government should regulate whatever needs to be regulated. This could be minimum or maximum. Personally, I like the use of a <a href="http://thestandard.org.nz/universal-income-the-minimum-wage/Universal Income and enforcement of a Renewable Resource Base. The first dictates a minimum living standard while the second ensures that society is actually sustainable. The Renewable Resource Base would also, to some degree, enforce minimum pricing while the Universal Income would ensure that our resources are used to support us.

          And yes, I actually do think some things are too cheap resulting in over use of resources. A problem with productivity gains in extraction. As supply is increased prices are driven down resulting in more demand with less profits. To boost profits more extraction is required. Now, according to the really stupid economists, this should balance out at some point – It never will. Increasing population, increased market size, new technologies, wear and tear etc results in a permanently increasing extraction rate which must result in the resource being completely consumed. The “free-market” really is a cancer and it’s killing us and the rest of the planet.

          • Colonial Viper 7.2.1.2.1
            8 February 2011 at 2:47 pm

            And yes, I actually do think some things are too cheap resulting in over use of resources.

            store bought booze for instance.

  8. tsmithfield 8
    8 February 2011 at 12:15 pm

    Except in many industries there are cowboys who cut corners to undercut legitimate businesses. From a socialist perspective this puts the jobs of legit businesses at risk if they can’t compete. A minimum rate would sort this out, surely, especially if you believe minimum rates should be set for one thing, labour.

    Anyway, I don’t believe that minimum rates should be set for either labour rates or business charges.

    Why should someone be locked out of the workforce if they are happy to work for $7-$8 per hour, as there would probably be a lot more employers willing to employ at that rate.

    Surely, the social justice aspect would be served by increased top-ups from the government by through the various vehicles that exist for that purpose now (e.g. WFF etc). At least then we would have higher employment which is better for everyone.

    • Draco T Bastard 8.1
      8 February 2011 at 2:28 pm

      If people are being rational and doing budgets before hand there won’t be anyone willing to work for $7 to $8 per hour as their return just wouldn’t costs.

      BTW, a minimum wage actually does enforce minimum pricing to some degree as that cost needs to be covered.

    • Colonial Viper 8.2
      8 February 2011 at 2:54 pm

      Why should someone be locked out of the workforce if they are happy to work for $7-$8 per hour, as there would probably be a lot more employers willing to employ at that rate.

      Well lets do a societal cost benefit analysis.

      For starters, how much will unemployment drop by within 6 months of the minimum wage being reduced to $7/hr?

    • KJT 8.3
      8 February 2011 at 4:33 pm

      Why should the rest of us subsidise an employer who cannot meet the full costs of employing his labour. Including bringing up the replacements for the future.

      Tax payers already subsidise businesses like takeaways and temporary labour forces with benefits to enable their workers to survive.

      Even from a strictly capitalist point of view that is inefficient use of resources. That business should fail and free up resources for more efficient ones.

  9. JRM 9
    8 February 2011 at 12:25 pm

    IF there are so many people out there worried about the minimum wage being so low, why don’t you people gather your resources together, start a business (let’s say a small supermarket as we’re so concerned with putting food on the table at a reasonable price), pay every worker what you think they’re worth (at least $15), and then sell your fine produce at a price lower than any other food outlet.

    You could keep profit margins down by paying management barely more (or even less) than what workers get paid, and distribute no dividends to the shareholders (you guys), instead, redistributing this among the community directly (through charitable donations), or indirectly (making prices even lower, or expanding your company to more locations).

    People would flock to you, as (a) you sell good produce at a low price; (b) you pay your workers well; and (c) as management, you don’t take more than your ‘fair share’, even though you set up the entire enterprise.

    All these newly enriched workers can then band together and begin their own businesses (let’s say now a clothing store) selling fine produce at a low price and paying their workers high wages.

    Problem solved!

    • Lanthanide 9.1
      8 February 2011 at 12:47 pm

      You’re arguing absurd economies of scale and you know it.

      How about the existing supermarket duopoly simply drop their prices and stop posting record profits year after year?

      • JRM 9.1.1
        8 February 2011 at 1:19 pm

        Because they have no reason to.

        If people are mad at them for posting profits, they should do something about it. Shop somewhere else or grow your own. If there’s nowhere else to shop, there’s a niche to be filled. If you don’t have space to grow your own, improvise, or move (what’s more important, being able to provide food, or living somewhere which, although maybe close to the dairy or central city, has nowhere to grow food).

        Break the duopoly and compete. It’s not impossible to do, you just need enough people to do it.

        And those people are right here, but they would rather preach than do.

        • Colonial Viper 9.1.1.1
          8 February 2011 at 1:24 pm

          Break the duopoly and compete. It’s not impossible to do, you just need enough people to do it.

          Its tough as you need a high level of co-ordination and capitalisation to effectively break the hold of a monopoly or duopoly. That is best done by a central agency (Government) or another well moneyed competitor looking to angle in.

          Which is not to say that people are not trying (see the rise of farmers markets etc).

          However your suggestion that individuals for example move houses (!!!) just so they can take on the big supermarket chains with a bit of ‘grow your own’ does show that your methodology is pretty impractical. As you say this is not impossible, but clearly IMO just impractical.

          And those people are right here, but they would rather preach than do.

          Try not to be such an asshole.

          • Lanthanide 9.1.1.1.1
            8 February 2011 at 1:51 pm

            “That is best done by a central agency (Government) or another well moneyed competitor looking to angle in.”
            Yeah, even The Warehouse gave up, and they’re the biggest retail chain in the country.

            • Colonial Viper 9.1.1.1.1.1
              8 February 2011 at 2:57 pm

              Yeah, you actually require a massive and flexible logistics system able to manage perishable goods to compete with the big supermarkets. JRM totally underestimates the complexity and cost of establishing something like that.

              My suggestion would be to go to the Four Squares and other independent mini market chains and support them in becoming bigger players.

    • Draco T Bastard 9.2
      8 February 2011 at 2:30 pm

      They’re called co-operatives and they do work. Unfortunately, the business model used is a capitalist one that almost enforces the exploitation of the masses.

      • Colonial Viper 9.2.1
        8 February 2011 at 2:59 pm

        Exploitation would only occur if the aim was to maximise return on capital.

        There are plenty of not for profit enterprises out there who pay individuals who work in them a good wage, but are otherwise not geared to make huge profits off customers/clients.

  10. TightyRighty 10
    8 February 2011 at 2:39 pm

    Value is gained through acquiring skills or experience. Labour made acquiring experience and skills difficult for young workers by abolishing youth rates. Respect is earned.

    • Colonial Viper 10.1
      8 February 2011 at 3:06 pm

      Respect is earned.

      True.

      But like the average Righty you think money = respect.

      Untrue.

      Labour made acquiring experience and skills difficult for young workers by abolishing youth rates.

      Nonsense. A fair days pay for a fair days work. Any person doing the same job with the same work output should be paid the same. Whether the person is 16 or 26.

      • TightyRighty 10.1.1
        8 February 2011 at 5:00 pm

        You know what I think do you? Well I’m glad somebody does. Your arrogance is boundless.

        Your argument for no youth wage is fallacious. I would rather pay minimum wage to someone who is twenty six if the only other option is someone who is sixteen. I can be guaranteed to hire someone with more experience and skills, and if they are still on minimum wage at twenty six, will be that much keener. Therefore sixteen year old loses as they have lessto offer, with little chance of gaining it.

        Fuckwit

  11. frizaxojx 11
    8 February 2011 at 4:05 pm

    Only people working a 40 hour week get the full raise. I am on a sickness benefit and work 13 hours a week. After paying secondary tax of 19.5 % and haveing WINZ rebate my benefit by 70 cents in the dollar, I am .34 cents a week better off. Can’t even buy a packet of instant noodles in my super market for that.

    • Blondie 11.1
      8 February 2011 at 5:29 pm

      File an IR3 at the end of the year; you’ll probably get a tax refund. Not much help right now but at least you can get something nice for yourself then 🙂

  12. Flight 19 12
    8 February 2011 at 7:46 pm

    $13 an hour or $430 + a week is good money if you’re young with no bankable skiills (ie a qualification) and little to no responsibilities or bills except maybe some board to mum and dad or some rent if you’re flatting. Good if you can get it that is. If you spend wisely that should be plenty to live on + enough to start saving some. I’m starting a new website this year and if I can make enough to pay myself $10 an hour I’ll be happy. Why? Because I know that, just like a smart young worker on the first rung of employment that works it out, if I put in the hard yards to start with the benefits will come later. In this case next year I may then be able to pay myself $15 an hour and so on.

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  • Treasury warned Govt lower debt limits meant less ‘productivity-enhancing investment’

    Treasury’s advice to Cabinet was that the new Government could actually prudently carry net core Crown debt of up to 50% of GDP. But Luxon and Willis instead chose to portray the Government’s finances as in such a mess they had no choice but to carve 6.5% to 7.5% off ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago
  • Is the Media Complicit?

    This is a long read. Open to all.SYNOPSIS: Traditional media is at a cross roads. There is a need for those in the media landscape, as it stands, to earn enough to stay afloat, but also come across as balanced and neutral to keep its audiences.In America, NYT’s liberal leaning ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    8 hours ago
  • Black Friday

    It's Black Friday, the end of the weekYou take my hand and hold it gently up against your cheekIt's all in my head, it's all in my mindI see the darkness where you see the lightSong by Tom OdellFriday the 13th, don’t be afraid.No, really, don’t. Everything has felt a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    9 hours ago
  • Weekly Roundup 13-September-2024

    Ooh, Friday the thirteenth. Spooky! Is that why certain zombie ideas have been stalking the landscape this week, like the Mayor’s brainwave for a motorway bridge from Kauri Point to Point Chev? Read on and find out. This roundup, like all our coverage, is brought to you by the Greater ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    10 hours ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #37 2024

    Open access notables Early knowledge but delays in climate actions: An ecocide case against both transnational oil corporations and national governments, Hauser et al., Environmental Science & Policy: Cast within the wide context of investigating the collusion at play between powerful political-economic actors and decision-makers as monopolists and debates about ‘the modern ...
    Skeptical Science
    23 hours ago
  • What it is

    I liked what Kieran McAnulty had to say about the Treaty Principles bill this morning so much I've written it down and copied it out for you. He was saying that rather than let this piece of ordure spend six months in Select Committee, the Prime Minister could stop making such ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • A government-funded hate campaign

    Cabinet discussed National's constitutionally and historically illiterate "Treaty Principles Bill" this week, and decided to push on with it. The bill will apparently receive a full six month select committee process - unlike practically every other policy this government has pushed, and despite the fact that if the government is ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • How Substack works to take (some) craziness out of America’s elections

    I spoke with Substack co-founder yesterday, just before the Trump-Harris debate, about how Substack is doing its thing during the US elections. He talks in particular about how Substack’s focus on paid subscriptions rather than ads has made political debate on the platform calmer, simpler, deeper and more satisfying ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • David Seymour is such a loser

    For paid subscribersNot content with siphoning off $230,000,000 of taxpayers money for his hobby projects - and telling everyone his passion is education and early childcare - an intersection painfully coincidental to the interests of wealthy private families like Sean Plunkett’s1 backers, the Wright Family, Seymour is back in the ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Cross-party consensus: there’s no pipeline without good faith

    There’s been a lot of talk recently about a cross-party agreement to develop a pipeline for infrastructure, including transport. Last month, outgoing CRL boss Sean Sweeney talked about the importance of securing an enduring infrastructure programme. He outlined the high costs of the relentless political flip-flopping of priorities, which drives ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    1 day ago
  • Voters love this climate policy they’ve never heard of

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The Inflation Reduction Act is the Biden administration’s signature climate law and the largest U.S. government investment in reducing climate pollution to date. Among climate advocates, the policy is well-known and celebrated, but beyond that, only a minority of Americans ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago
  • ACC wants to administer inflation at more than double the RBNZ’s target rate

    ACC levies are set to rise at more than double the inflation rate targeted by the RBNZ. Photo: Lynn GrievesonKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 12:The state-owned monopoly for accident insurance wants ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Harris vs Trump

    We’ve been selected to rock your asses 'til midnightThis is my term, I've shaved off my perm, but it's alrightI solemnly swear to uphold the ConstitutionGot a rock 'n' roll problem? Well we got a solutionLet us be who we am, and let us kick out the jams, yeahKick out ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Treaty Bill “a political stunt”

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon appears to have given ACT Leader David Seymour more than he has been admitting in the proposals to go forward with a Treaty Principles Bill.All along, Luxon has maintained that the Government is proceeding with the Bill to honour the coalition agreement.But that is quite specific.It ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • An average 219 NZers migrated each day in July

    Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, September 11:Annual migration of New Zealanders rose to a record-high 80,963 in the year to the end of July, which is more than double its pre-Covid levels.Two ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • What you’re wanting to win more than anything is The Narrative

    Hubris is sitting down on election day 2016 to watch that pig Trump get his ass handed to him, and watching the New York Times needle hover for a while over Hillary and then move across to Trump where it remains all night to your gathering horror and dismay. You're ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • National’s automated lie machine

    The government has a problem: lots of people want information from it all the time. Information about benefits, about superannuation, ACC coverage and healthcare, taxes, jury service, immigration - and that's just the routine stuff. Responding to all of those queries takes a lot of time and costs a lot ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Christopher Luxon: A Man of “Faith” and “Compassion” Speaks on the Treaty Pr...

    Synopsis: Today - we explore two different realities. One where National lost. And another - which is the one we are living with here. Note: the footnote on increased fees/taxes may be of interest to some readers.Article open.Subscribe nowIt’s an alternate timeline.Yesterday as news broke that the central North Island ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Member’s Day

    Today is a Member's Day. First up is the third reading of Dan Bidois' Fair Trading (Gift Card Expiry) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the committee stage of Deborah Russell's Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill. This will be followed by the second readings of Katie ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Northern Expressway Boondoggle

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has been soaring high with his hubris of getting on and building motorways but some uncomfortable realities are starting to creep in. Back in July he announced that the government was pushing on with a Northland Expressway using an “accelerated delivery strategy” The Coalition Government is ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    2 days ago
  • Never Enough

    However much I'm falling downNever enoughHowever much I'm falling outNever, never enough!Whatever smile I smile the mostNever enoughHowever I smile I smile the mostSongwriters: Robert James Smith / Simon Gallup / Boris Williams / Porl ThompsonToday in Nick’s Kōrero:A death in the Emergency Department at Rotorua Hospital.A sad homecoming and ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Question Two of The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50)

    Kia ora.Last month I proposed restarting The Kākā Project work done before the 2023 election as The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50), aiming to be up and running before the 2025 Local Government elections, and then in a finalised form by the 2026 General Elections.A couple of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Why is God Obsessed with Spanking?

    Hi,If you’ve read Webworm for a while, you’ll be aware that I’ve spent a lot of time writing about horrific, corrupt megachurches and the shitty men who lead them.And in all of this writing, I think some people have this idea that I hate Christians or Christianity. As I explain ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago
  • Inside the public service

    In 2023, there were 63,117 full-time public servants earning, on average, $97,200 a year each. All up, that is a cost to the Government of $6.1 billion a year. It’s little wonder, then, that the public service has become a political whipping boy castigated by the Prime Minister and members ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • New Models Show Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes, and More of Them

    This is a re-post from This is Not Cool Here’s an example of some of the best kind of climate reporting, especially in that it relates to impacts that will directly affect the audience. WFLA in Tampa conducted a study in collaboration with the Department of Energy, analyzing trends in ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Where ever do they find these people?

    A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, is how Winston Churchill described the Soviet Union in 1939.  How might the great man have described the 2024 government of New Zealand, do we think? I can't imagine he would have thought them all that mysterious or enigmatic. I think ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Motorway madness

    How mad is National's obsession with roads? One of their pet projects - a truck highway to Whangārei - is going to eat 10% of our total infrastructure budget for the next 25 years: Official advice from the Infrastructure Commission shows the government could be set to spend 10 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Our transport planning system is fundamentally broken

    Ever since Wayne Brown became mayor (nearly two years ago now) he’s been wanting to progress an “integrated transport plan” with the government – which sounded a lot like the previous Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) with just a different name. It seems like a fair bit of work progressed ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago
  • Thou Shalt Not Steal

    And they taught usWhoa-oh, black woman, thou shalt not stealI said, hey, yeah, black man, thou shalt not stealWe're gonna civilise your black barbaric livesAnd we teach you how to kneelBut your history couldn't hide the genocideThe hypocrisy to us was realFor your Jesus said you're supposed to giveThe oppressed ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • How mismanagement, not wind and solar energy, causes blackouts

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections In February 2021, several severe storms swept across the United States, culminating with one that the Weather Channel unofficially named Winter Storm Uri. In Texas, Uri knocked out power to over 4.5 million homes and 10 million people. Hundreds of Texans died as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • The ‘Infra Boys’ Highway to Budget Hell

    Chris Bishop has enthusiastically dubbed himself and Simeon Brown “the Infra Boys”, but they need to take note of the sums around their roading dreams. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Media Link: “AVFA” on the politics of desperation.

    In this podcast Selwyn Manning and I talk about what appears to be a particular type of end-game in the long transition to systemic realignment in international affairs, in which the move to a new multipolar order with different characteristics … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • The cost of flying blind

    Just over two years ago, when worries about immediate mass-death from covid had waned, and people started to talk about covid becoming "endemic", I asked various government agencies what work they'd done on the costs of that - and particularly, on the cost of Long Covid. The answer was that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Seymour vs The Clergy

    For paid subscribers“Aotearoa is not as malleable as they think,” Lynette wrote last week on Homage to Simeon Brown:In my heart/mind, that phrase ricocheted over the next days, translating out to “We are not so malleable.”It gave me comfort. I always felt that we were given an advantage in New ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Unstoppable Minister McKee

    All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this townI'll do it 'til the sun goes downAnd all through the nighttimeOh, yeahOh, yeah, I'll tell you what you wanna hearLeave my sunglasses on while I shed a tearIt's never the right timeYeah, yeahSong by SiaLast night there was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Could outdoor dining revitalise Queen Street?

    This is a guest post by Ben van Bruggen of The Urban Room,.An earlier version of this post appeared on LinkedIn. All images are by Ben. Have you noticed that there’s almost nowhere on Queen Street that invites you to stop, sit outside and enjoy a coffee, let alone ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    4 days ago
  • Hipkins challenges long-held Labour view Government must stay below 30% of GDP

    Hipkins says when considering tax settings and the size of government, the big question mark is over what happens with the balance between the size of the working-age population and the growing number of Kiwis over the age of 65. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Your invite to Webworm Chat (a bit like Reddit)

    Hi,One of the things I love the most about Webworm is, well, you. The community that’s gathered around this lil’ newsletter isn’t something I ever expected when I started writing it four years ago — now the comments section is one of my favourite places on the internet. The comments ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Seymour’s Treaty bill making Nats nervous

    A delay in reappointing a top civil servant may indicate a growing nervousness within the National Party about the potential consequences of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill. Dave Samuels is waiting for reappointment as the Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri, but POLITIK understands that what should have been a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #36

    A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 1, 2024 thru Sat, September 7, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is about how peopele are not born stupid but can be fooled ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago
  • Time for a Change

    You act as thoughYou are a blind manWho's crying, crying 'boutAll the virgins that are dyingIn your habitual dreams, you knowSeems you need more sleepBut like a parrot in a flaming treeI know it's pretty hard to seeI'm beginning to wonderIf it's time for a changeSong: Phil JuddThe next line ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Six.

    The “double shocks” in post Cold War international affairs. The end of the Cold War fundamentally altered the global geostrategic context. In particular, the end of the nuclear “balance of terror” between the USA and USSR, coupled with the relaxation … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Buried deep

    Here's a bike on Manchester St, Feilding. I took this photo on Friday night after a very nice dinner at the very nice Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, on Manchester Street.I thought to myself, Manchester Street? Bicycle? This could be the very spot.To recap from an earlier edition: on a February night ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies, Excerpt Five.

    Military politics as a distinct “partial regime.” Notwithstanding their peripheral status, national defense offers the raison d’être of the combat function, which their relative vulnerability makes apparent, so military forces in small peripheral democracies must be very conscious of events … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • Leadership for Dummies

    If you’re going somewhere, do you maybe take a bit of an interest in the place? Read up a bit on the history, current events, places to see - that sort of thing? Presumably, if you’re taking a trip somewhere, it’s for a reason. But what if you’re going somewhere ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Home again

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Dead even tie for hottest August ever

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The month of August was 1.49˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels, tying with 2023 for the warmest August ever, according ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 7

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the debate about how to responde to climate disinformation; and special guest ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Have We an Infrastructure Deficit?

    An Infrastructure New Zealand report says we are keeping up with infrastructure better than we might have thought from the grumbling. But the challenge of providing for the future remains.I was astonished to learn that the quantity of our infrastructure has been keeping up with economic growth. Your paper almost ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago
  • Councils reject racism

    Last month, National passed a racist law requiring local councils to remove their Māori wards, or hold a referendum on them at the 2025 local body election. The final councils voted today, and the verdict is in: an overwhelming rejection. Only two councils out of 45 supported National's racist agenda ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Homage to Simeon Brown

    Open to all - happy weekend ahead, friends.Today I just want to be petty. It’s the way I imagine this chap is -Not only as a political persona. But his real-deal inner personality, in all its glory - appears to be pure pettiness & populist driven.Sometimes I wonder if Simeon ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Government of deceit

    When National cut health spending and imposed a commissioner on Te Whatu Ora, they claimed that it was necessary because the organisation was bloated and inefficient, with "14 layers of management between the CEO and the patient". But it turns out they were simply lying: Health Minister Shane Reti’s ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • The professionals actually think and act like our Government has no fiscal crisis at all

    Treasury staff at work: The demand for a new 12-year Government bond was so strong, Treasury decided to double the amount of bonds it sold. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 6-September-2024

    Welcome to another Friday and another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. As always, this and every post is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew. If you like our work and you’d like to see more of it, we invite you to join our regular ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies; Excerpt Four.

    Internal versus external security. Regardless of who rules, large countries can afford to separate external and internal security functions (even if internal control functions predominate under authoritarian regimes). In fact, given the logic of power concentration and institutional centralization of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • A Hole In The River

    There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...

    My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis

    As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2024

    Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live at 5pm

    Photo by Jenny Bess on UnsplashCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 pm - 5.10 pm - Bernard and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.

    I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?

    Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • A missed opportunity

    The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy

    Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies

    The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Three.

    The notion of geopolitical  “periphery.” The concept of periphery used here refers strictly to what can be called the geopolitical periphery. Being on the geopolitical periphery is an analytic virtue because it makes for more visible policy reform in response … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago

  • Need and value at forefront of public service delivery

    New Cabinet policy directives will ensure public agencies prioritise public services on the basis of need and award Government contracts on the basis of public value, Minister for the Public Service Nicola Willis says. “Cabinet Office has today issued a circular to central government organisations setting out the Government’s expectations ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Minister to attend Police Ministers Council Meeting

    Police Minister Mark Mitchell will join with Australian Police Ministers and Commissioners at the Police Ministers Council meeting (PMC) today in Melbourne. “The council is an opportunity to come together to discuss a range of issues, gain valuable insights on areas of common interest, and different approaches towards law enforcement ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • New Bill to crack down on youth vaping

    The coalition Government has introduced legislation to tackle youth vaping, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is aimed at preventing youth vaping.  “While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rise in youth vaping ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Interest in agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review welcomed

    Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have welcomed interest in the agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review. The review by the Ministry for Regulation is looking at how to speed up the process to get farmers and growers access to the safe, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Bill to allow online charity lotteries passes first reading

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is moving at pace to ensure lotteries for charitable purposes are allowed to operate online permanently. Charities fundraising online, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and local hospices will continue to do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Tax exempt threshold changes to benefit startups

    Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say. Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it

    The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Targeted supports to accelerate reading

    The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Survivors invited to Abuse in Care national apology

    With two months until the national apology to survivors of abuse in care, expressions of interest have opened for survivors wanting to attend. “The Prime Minister will deliver a national apology on Tuesday 12 November in Parliament. It will be a very significant day for survivors, their families, whānau and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Rangatahi inspire at Ngā Manu Kōrero final

    Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē - My success is not mine alone but is the from the strength of the many. Aotearoa New Zealand’s top young speakers are an inspiration for all New Zealanders to learn more about the depth and beauty conveyed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Driving structured literacy in schools

    The coalition Government is driving confidence in reading and writing in the first years of schooling. “From the first time children step into the classroom, we’re equipping them and teachers with the tools they need to be brilliant in literacy. “From 1 October, schools and kura with Years 0-3 will receive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Labour’s misleading information is disappointing

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