90 Day No Rights policy, why?

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 4:14 pm, July 15th, 2008 - 139 comments
Categories: national, workers' rights - Tags: 90 day policy

Why does National want to remove the right of workers to appeal against unjustifiable dismissal in the first 90 days of employment?

The reason National gives us is that workers having the right to sue for unjustified dismissal has a chilling effect on small businesses. Supposedly, they are afraid to hire workers because if they find they want to get rid of the worker they will have to go through a proper process and have a justifiable reason for dismissal. Employers avoid this risk by not hiring people. And that, we’re told, leads to less employment than would otherwise be the case.

First, employment is at record levels and the cry from employers is always ‘we want more workers’ not ‘I’m scared to hire people’. There is no evidence that the right to fair process and justified dismissal dissuades employers from hiring. The policy would not increase employment.

Secondly, a study shows there are 1.5 employment related problems per 100 workers a year in the private sector (2.9 for small businesses). The median cost was $5000 ($3,900 for small businesses). Of these ERPs, most were handled quickly and cheaply by agreements between the employer and the employee; only 5% went on to become personal grievance cases. Only 10% of disputes involved employees who had been employed for less than 3 months.

Personal disputes are rare, in most cases the employee is found to have a good claim and gets a settlement, the payouts are small, and very few involve employees employed for less than 3 months. Workers’ rights are not overly burdensome on employers and when they are used employers are usually in the wrong. Removing these rights would only give free rein to the few bad employers to threaten any workers who don’t ‘behave’ (eg work unpaid overtime, work in unsafe conditions, not join the union) with instant dismissal. Do we really want to reform the law to advantage bad employers?

National might believe its policy is good for employment and reduces a heavy burden on employers but it doesn’t. All it does is give power to coerce workers with the threat of dismissal, which some bad employers will exploit. The law ain’t broke, and that’s no reason to fix it.

139 comments on “90 Day No Rights policy, why? ”

Comments are now closed

roger nome 1

15 July 2008 at 4:30 pm

Excellent post Steve. National’s oficial rationale for this legislation truely is dead in the water.

Just to add a little more detail on the employment situation:

Unemployment is currently at 3.6%, and most of that is due to the work turnover that a modern economy creates. We know this because, of the 3.6% unemployed only 20% at any one time will have been unemployed for 6 months or more. That means that only 0.7% of the workforce (unemployed plus employed) are out of work because no employer will take them on.

What in fact National is doing with this legislation is taking away hundreds of thousands of people’s employment rights (as they did in the 1990s) to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.
Mike Collins 2

15 July 2008 at 4:39 pm

One thing you haven’t really acknowledged SP is the effect of the economy going sour.

I concede that when unemployment is running at low levels and small businesses are “crying out for more employees” then such a policy loses value.

However the current climate amongst small businesses is one of overwhelming pessimism and negative outlook. It is exactly this sort of policy which will give confidence to small businesses that they will not be burdened with poor performing employees. To get out of recession requires making it easier for the economic generators to take risks, pursue ideas and hire new staff.

Hunkering down and avoiding risks (and hiring new staff can be risky), only exacerbates recession.
Tane 3

15 July 2008 at 4:45 pm

Y’know Mike, taking a new job can be risky too. Workers have commitments like families, mortgages and bills to pay, which means losing your job without notice or redundancy can be pretty catastrophic. A person’s job isn’t just a huge part of their identity, it’s their means of economic survival.

But aside from the moral issues around being able to throw a person out on their arse with no notice and for no reason, there’s a good economic case against it too, because removing rights against unfair dismissal is likely to have a chilling effect on the mobility of labour between jobs.

Why would you take a new job if it meant risking economic catastrophe for yourself and your family if your new employer decided to take a dislike to you?

I know the right are big on the efficient allocation of labour, well don’t you think removing rights for the first three months in a new job would create perverse incentives in our labour market?

I’d certainly think twice if changing jobs meant giving up all my employment rights for three months.
roger nome 4

15 July 2008 at 4:55 pm

“I’d certainly think twice if changing jobs meant giving up all my employment rights for three months.”

Indeed, and doesn’t this run contrary to National’s “flexible labour market” rhetoric – i.e. if people are discouraged from advancing themselves in the Labour market through seeking higher paid jobs (because of the risk that carries), then you’re dampening productive incentives and stifling the “allocative efficiency” of the market. The end result is you have lower productivity growth and lower economic growth.
roger nome 5

15 July 2008 at 4:57 pm

oops – looks like tane alread said that…
Tane 6

15 July 2008 at 4:58 pm

I edited my comment bro, guess we wrote the same thing at the same time. Like minds, etc.
Mike Collins 7

15 July 2008 at 5:01 pm

Tane,

I never said taking on a new job is an undaunting prospect for new employees.

The point I was making was that SPs reasoning was based, in part, on an argument that small employers are crying out for more employees so this policy was not needed. I don’t think that is necessarily a valid observation with a recession looming (indeed we may already be in the thick of it).

That said a worker can leave at two weeks notice. This can place considerable stress on a small employer. To follow your moral compass, we should bring in legislation that protects employers from employees being able to resign. After all we wouldn’t want their business falling over and them not being able to pay their mortgages now would we?

Ok tongue in cheek aside. I think it is fair to say that a considerable amount of resources can go into training a new employee. I hardly think it is likely that there will be wholesale sackings as it is just not economic to hire and fire at will. Small business owners are typically not economically illiterate.

In fact small business owners are grateful for good employees – why would they want to fire them?
Anita 8

15 July 2008 at 5:04 pm

90 Days No Rights skews the power dynamic between the employer and the employee during the formation of the employment relationship; setting a foundation where the employer has all the power and the worker none.

Why would the business lobby want that? 😉
Steve Pierson 9

15 July 2008 at 5:04 pm

Mike. we’ll have a post tomorrow wherein everyone can contribute reasons that people may be dismissed under National’s no rights policy which are currently ‘unjustified’ grounds in law.
ants 10

15 July 2008 at 5:12 pm

Steven, enough with the lame Strawman arguments – it makes you look like a dirty sneak. No where was it claimed that the reason National wants this is so that workers can be fired without your “proper process”.

The sole reason for this is because it is near impossible to fire workers who have bullshitted/weasled their way into jobs or are not doing their jobs and costing the company thousands of dollars, without a costly legal battle, which often ends up in favour of the employee anyway (and yes, I have firsthand experience of this multiple times).

If you had some real-world experience in an SME you would realise this – you apparently don’t, so we get you dressing Nationals position up as the complete opposite of what it actually is.

How many of you morons actually have first hand experience of working in an SME and having to deal with such people?

[ants. “No where was it claimed that the reason National wants this is so that workers can be fired without your ‘proper process'”. That’s what the Bill does, it removes the right to proper process and justifible reasons for dismissal. Your tone and the fact that you state you’ve personally lost multiple personal grievance cases suggests you are one of the bad employers that National’s policy would give free licence. We shouldn’t be making policy to help out bad employers. If you want to call people morons, go to Kiwiblog. SP]
Billy 11

15 July 2008 at 5:13 pm

…in most cases the employee is found to have a good claim and gets a settlement…

I couldn’t see where the report concluded that? Or is there another link, Steve?

Settlement does not mean the employee has a good claim. It means there is an ongoing cost to the employer in maintaining the dispute. When your $400 an hour lawyer tells you it’ll take $10k (an alot of your time and resource) to give you an 80% chance of success or you can write out a cheque now for $5k it’s no wonder what employers choose.

The blind focus on the process and elevating it to the same level as the substantive reason for dismissal is the problem. This is why you guys can look forward to having a wife-beater reading your news or the state broadcaster giving him a big cheque not to.

There is no evidence that the right to fair process and justified dismissal dissuades employers from hiring.

Ballocks. Any employer will tell you you are better off having no-one rather than the wrong person. And how can you really know what a person is like before you have worked with him or her?
roger nome 12

15 July 2008 at 5:15 pm

Mike:

“That said a worker can leave at two weeks notice. This can place considerable stress on a small employer.”

Actually that depends on the employment agreement. Sometimes it’s up to 4-5 weeks.

“I hardly think it is likely that there will be wholesale sackings as it is just not economic to hire and fire at will. Small business owners are typically not economically illiterate.”

It’s a myth that business owners always act in their own economic interest. In fact studies have found that many employers hamstring themselves by being too authoritarian (power matters to employers more than money in some cases) in their management practices – resulting in higher staff turnover and lower output.

“I don’t think that is necessarily a valid observation with a recession looming (indeed we may already be in the thick of it).”

I also think that wage restraint can be necessary during a recession, so as to ensure reasonable employment figures. Having said that, the highly decentralised labour market that we currently have allows a lot of wage flexibility. We don’t need any more.

This Bill would allow nasty employers to get away without any censure (i.e. the legal institution to enforce human rights violations under this Bill would be the civil court, which will be too expensive for most employees).

So we may be back to the 1990s, when employers could literally get away without paying employees for weeks, and not face any consequences – i.e. it wasn’t economically rational for the employee to seek legal redress.
MacDoctor 13

15 July 2008 at 5:19 pm

Steve, here is your main reason why National propose this:

From the DOL report you quoted.

Even so, costs in the range of $3000-4000 could still have a large relative impact on a small business.

i.e. It’s expensive to dismiss employees. You might be rich enough to dismiss 4 grand as trivial, but I, for one, am not.

And I should point out that the statistic that only 10% are fired within the first 3 months is much more to do with the fact that it is still too hard to dismiss an employee for anything except major misdemeanors (such as theft or absenteeism). Small businesses tend to hang on to poor employees hoping they will improve, but, the reality is, if an employee is not satisfactory within a couple of weeks (barring simple mistakes from inexperience), he or she is unlikely ever to be.
Billy 14

15 July 2008 at 5:22 pm

So we may be back to the 1990s, when employers could literally get away without paying employees for weeks, and not face any consequences – i.e. it wasn’t economically rational for the employee to seek legal redress.

What are you on about ‘nome? There is really no practical difference between the dismissal regimes under the ECA and the ERA.
roger nome 15

15 July 2008 at 5:24 pm

MacDoctor – And even with this evil socialist government the world bank still says that NZ is the second easiest place to do business in the world. Who would have thought?
Steve Pierson 16

15 July 2008 at 5:24 pm

Macdoctor. Yes a $3000-$4000 claim might be large for some employers but the average small employer experiences less than one a decade(less than 20 employees/ 2.9 ERPS a year). Most ERPs are concerntrated among a few bad employers, and most go no further than an inhouse process.

Remember too, the employee usually wins. Don’t you want to see justice done?
Steve Pierson 17

15 July 2008 at 5:27 pm

Billy, in the report on mediations it says 60% found in favour of the employee (a large part of the rest there was no finding) and 50% had a payout.

Macdoctor. The 10% figure applies to Employment Related Problems, not sackings.
IrishBill 18

15 July 2008 at 5:33 pm

“There is really no practical difference between the dismissal regimes under the ECA and the ERA.”

Yes there is Billy, under the ECA avenues for doing it cheaply were not available. Under the ERA most issues are dealt with in mediation. That means no lawyers are needed and settlements are generally confidential. IMHO a lot of employers are scared of what is simple and liberal employment law. I suspect that self-interested employer lobby groups have done a good job of scaring their members out of a sensible position on this law and other perfectly manageable facets of IR law.
Draco TB 19

15 July 2008 at 5:34 pm

Why would you take a new job if it meant risking economic catastrophe for yourself and your family if your new employer decided to take a dislike to you?

This could actually be one of the reasons that National are pursuing this policy. Employees that are freely able to move to a new job are detrimental to employers. Staff turnover costs a huge amount and most businesses want to retain the staff that they have (especially the good ones). This would become a disincentive for employees to move to a better job.
burt 20

15 July 2008 at 5:35 pm

Jobs are for life and the only employer worth working for is the govt.

There I have said it – do I get my “I love ~~Corruption~~Labour” badge now?
jafapete 21

15 July 2008 at 5:37 pm

Ironically, the problems were caused by the ECA. In the old days (before 1991), only union members had the right to take personal grievances, but the unions took the cases and filtered out those lacking merit. The ECA widened coverage to all employees, including senior managers. This had two bad effects.

Because payments for lost wages and entitlements, and for loss of dignity, injury to feeling, etc, were related to pay rates, there were some spectacular decisions involving senior managers, which were widely reported. This led to perceptions that personal grievance actions are a goldmine for employees.

Worse still, lawyers got involved. Do lawyers care whether a case has merit? Maybe, but they get paid anyway (unless they’re one of the few on commission) so there’s less incentive to filter out poor cases. So, the number of PGs going to the Employment Tribunal, now Employment Relations Authority, exploded.
MacDoctor 22

15 July 2008 at 5:37 pm

Roger: NZ is the second easiest place to do business in the world. Who would have thought?

Actually, I agree with you, it is quite easy to run a business in this country. I don’t even have much problem with company tax. But I have had friends driven almost to bankruptcy by bad employees. The ERP payout was actually the least of their problems, quite frankly. It would have been better for both employee and employer if they could have said “sorry, mate, but it’s just not working out, is it?”, given them two weeks severance and go.

Steve: Remember too, the employee usually wins. Don’t you want to see justice done?

The employee usually gets paid out – this is a far cry from “wins” and has much more to do with expediency than justice.
burt 23

15 July 2008 at 5:39 pm

Draco TB

This would become a disincentive for employees to move to a better job.

A good employee has nothing to fear from this policy, a hopeless lying cheat who pretends they are something they are not in the interview has everything to fear. I note there is a lot of fear about it on this site.
IrishBill 24

15 July 2008 at 5:39 pm

Welcome back Burt.
Billy 25

15 July 2008 at 5:39 pm

IB,

I was addressing ‘nome’s apparent suggestion that the ECA allowed an employer to not pay his or her employees and there be no sanction. Patent nonsense.
Tane 26

15 July 2008 at 5:40 pm

Damn, lost my post in response to Mike, though ‘nome has largely covered it.

My point is basically that workers should not have to rely on the whims of their employer to know whether they’ll have a job tomorrow. There’s a subtext going on about how it’s really hard to fire bad workers and good workers have nothing to worry about.

I’d point out that ‘bad’ workers can already be fired, you just need to go through a fair process. It’s the fair process that National wants to scrap. And it’s in removing the fair process that ‘good’ workers with malicious employers will get caught up.

Under National’s law, being a good employee will mean nothing. If your boss takes a dislike to you then you’re out the door.

[Oh and Billy, don’t bring Veitch into this. If his employers were too stupid to put a clause in his contract about bringing the network into disrepute then it’s their own fault for failing to do so. Don’t think you can exploit public disgust with his behaviour to try and take rights off minimum wage workers.]
jafapete 27

15 July 2008 at 5:40 pm

What IrishBill said at 5.33pm

It’s not that hard to dismiss a worker who is not performing. If the job’s relatively simple — more likely to be the case in the SME sector I’m guessing — then the period for improvement after a warning could be as little as a few weeks.

PS Someone send Burt a Labour Party badge quick.
dad4justice 28

15 July 2008 at 5:48 pm

Typical sexist cartoon. What else would I expect over here in leftyland.
Steve Withers 29

15 July 2008 at 5:48 pm

Tane seems to have it nailed. This isn’t about new employees. It’s about putting fear into the ones already in jobs that they may find themselves up the creek without a paddle if they change jobs.

Also, a popular trick in the corporate world is to lure away a competitor’s key personnel asset(s)….even if you have no particular use for them. This law change would effectively let you sabotage a competitors business….and then cut your new hires loose after the damage has been done. Maybe they go back…maybe they don’t…..but you know you only have to pay them for 89 days. Period.
Tane 30

15 July 2008 at 5:49 pm

I think it’s meant to be ironic Dad. You might want to ask the PSA.

Good to see your newfound concern for feminism though, keep it up.
jafapete 31

15 July 2008 at 5:50 pm

What gets me is that the policy aims to strip these protections from the workers who most need them, and who have fewest alternatives.

Overwhelmingly it’s the lower paid and lower skilled. They’re the same workers who got hammered by the ECA. Lost their union membership and suffered pay cuts, forced to work longer hours, etc. National’s proposals just open these most vulnerable workers to further abuse.

And one study showed that these workers are the ones most likely to say that they would join a union if they could. They should be able to depend on the law providing the same protections that workers in larger organisations get, at least.
Oliver 32

15 July 2008 at 5:51 pm

Having actually worked under a probationary period in Dublin I can say that it was fantastic. In a country that is screaming out for workers like Ireland is I worked for a small family owned business. I only got the job because of the probationary period. I was a foreigner with no industry experience so the boss said that I had 90 days to prove myself. It worked a treat. When a delivery driver turned out to be a dud we were able to get rid of him when he had only lost us one customer. My colleagues there included refugees, immigrants with almost no English and a mother returning to the workplace; just the sort of people struggling to find work in NZ today. The boss was able to take a chance on these people because of the probtionary period. He wold not have hired them otherwise. If we had not been able to get rid of the delivery driver so quickly he could have cost us a quarter of our customers.
dad4justice 33

15 July 2008 at 5:54 pm

“Good to see your newfound concern for feminism though, keep it up.”

Sorry I read that Tane, as I feel rather ill now. I just brought me tea up.
James Kearney 34

15 July 2008 at 5:55 pm

“we were able to get rid of him”

“If we had not been able to”

“he could have cost us a quarter of our”

Someone’s a house slave.
burt 35

15 July 2008 at 5:55 pm

Steve Withers

Tane seems to have it nailed. This isn’t about new employees. It’s about putting fear into the ones already in jobs that they may find themselves up the creek without a paddle if the change jobs.

I think that is complete bollocks, good staff move for a combination of reasons;

* Because they can
* Because they are offered more money
* Because they want a change
* add more reasons here as you think of them….

We need to separate this homogenised thing called staff. There are staff and there are staff. Highly trained people earning lots of money, highly trained people earning stuff all (public sector health for example), there are low paid people doing mundane jobs that nobody has build a machine to do and everything in between.

The key problem I see is trying to make a “one size fits all” way to deal with them. Irrespective of how the ECA fits with your own ideology, it did provide a framework to allow the employer/employee relationship to be managed in a way that suited the particular situation.
burt 36

15 July 2008 at 5:59 pm

Oliver

Interesting to hear that perspective. I can see how that works. But you seem to have missed a key point to get along with the anon authors of the standard.

Employers are evil, they are nasty and they like spending most of their time trying to find new and exciting ways to ruin the lives of the people they hire.
Tane 37

15 July 2008 at 6:06 pm

It’s also worth noting that this isn’t just about money. Where unions are involved and where the circumstances make it viable, the preference is usually for reinstatement over a big cash payout.

Personal grievances are about putting right an injustice, not about screwing money out of small businesspeople. As Jafapete points out, the opportunistic ‘no-win, no-fee’ agents are largely a hangover from the ECA.
burt 38

15 July 2008 at 6:10 pm

Tane

I disagree, with your perspective on the preference being for reinstatement over a big cash payout.

Usually once either party reaches for the contract to see what provisions there are to cover a grievance the damage has been done. Often in employment situations trouble stems from personality clashes and/or peoples (employer or employee) inability to tolerate each others way or methods. When staff who do not have the skills are involved then reinstatement may be the preference, but this will typically be driven by fear of being unable to get another job. I don’t see why an employer suddenly becomes liable for a employees state of mind for ever.
Tane 39

15 July 2008 at 6:15 pm

Burt, do you have any experience in this or research to back up your assertions, are you just riffing off what you reckon might happen?

I can tell you for a fact that union advocates try for reinstatement where possible. It isn’t always, but that’s often due to the employer’s pride getting in the way of his or her economic self-interest.
Billy 40

15 July 2008 at 6:16 pm

But, Tane, Veitch is absolutely relevant. He is an employee who appears to have something reprehensible. And despite that, because his employer tripped up on an entirely procedural point, it’s looking like the only way to get rid of him is to write him a big fat cheque so he can profit from his wrongdoing.

This is the trap you fall into when you assume all employees are good and all meployers are bad.
burt 41

15 July 2008 at 6:17 pm

Tane

A significant portion of “our companies” revenue comes from employment disputes. God bless the ERA 🙂
Mike Collins 42

15 July 2008 at 6:20 pm

“employer’s pride getting in the way of his or her economic self-interest.”

Lucky we have union hacks telling employers what’s in their economic self interest. The fact that they have managed to create and sustain a business, when the union hack couldn’t is just an unimportant detail.
Oliver 43

15 July 2008 at 6:23 pm

Steve Kearney,

Your comment is actually quite offensive. Understanding that staff prosper when a business prospers and taking a bit of ownership in how things progress in your workplace are not negative qualities. Having some pride in your work, your achievements and the quality of your performance are not negative qualities. Showing a bit of loyalty to an employer that gives you a chance and helps you out when you are down is not a negative quality. Understanding that if the lousy employee had cost us a quarter of our customers then the whole business would have gone under costing all 13 other employees their jobs is not a negative quality. Understanding that if the business had gone under that not only would the employees lose their incomes but that the family that started the business would have been bankrupt is not a negative quality.

Identifying anyone that wishes the best for their employer as a house slave is a very negative quality that smacks of the worst kind close-minded hatred for anyone that is an employer rather than an employee or beneficiary. It is a negative quality that precludes rational constructive debate. It is a negative quality that shows a contempt for the entrepeneurs that have done so much to provide an income for us all and build our standard of living to the relatively high position that we enjoy in the world today.
Billy 44

15 July 2008 at 6:24 pm

Damn those evil meployers, meploying about the place!
Mike Collins 45

15 July 2008 at 6:26 pm

Well put Oliver!
MacDoctor 46

15 July 2008 at 6:28 pm

Steve: This law change would effectively let you sabotage a competitors business

Oh, come on, Steve. Any employer that tried anything like that would never be able to hire anyone again. Who would be stupid enough to work for them?
IrishBill 47

15 July 2008 at 6:45 pm

Billy, while most employers are fair there are still a lot who are not. Why are you advocating a law that rewards the poor ones (and would provide little gain to the good ones)?

On your point about TVNZ I would say that if there has been a failure to put a proper disrepute clause in Veitch’s agreement then he should be paid out and the HR manager who failed to properly negotiate the contract should be disciplined.

As with you “meployer” comment you seem to think that the answer to poor management should be relaxed law. That’s an answer that sends no market signal for managerial failure and rewards a lack of personal responsibility on the part of the manager/employer. In fact I would argue that there should be more responsibility for these people as they are the ones who are being particularly rewarded to “manage”. Are you sure you are a right winger?

Oliver, I would assume that the delivery driver in question was properly interviewed and had his/her references checked before s/he was employed. Or was s/he brought on without proper checks and balances based on the idea that if s/he didn’t work out then s/he could simply be sacked? If the latter is the case then the lost revenue that came from the short time that person drove for your company is the fault of your manager and a classic example of why no-rights laws damage productivity by protecting managers from the repercussions of their own bad hiring/HR behaviours.
Oliver 48

15 July 2008 at 6:56 pm

Irish Bill,

The driver was interviewed and references were checked, he blagged his way through the interview and the referees lied through their teeth to help out a mate.
Billy 49

15 July 2008 at 7:05 pm

Why are you advocating a law that rewards the poor ones (and would provide little gain to the good ones)?

I am not. I think the proposal is 180 degrees in the other direction to what you suggest. The gain to the small employer would be huge. The plumber without a dedicated manager or HR person can find out if the proposed employee is up to it. Under the present law, if the employee’s not and the plumber gets the procedure slightly wrong it will cost him or her (assuming there to be female plumbers) the “mere” $5k Steve has scoffed off. And it will probably mean he or she is less inclined to take a chance on the next potential employee.

I still doubt there is any real advantage to a bad employer employing a series of employees on 90 day trials. In my not inconsiderable experience in these matters employers are emotionally and economically invested in getting someone to actually do the job. Having found someone it’s just a pain in the arse to find someone else.

A great many employers are not managers and HR departments who need to be punished. They are plumbers, builders, farmers and shop keepers trying to get by like everyone else.
randal 50

15 July 2008 at 7:08 pm

does anyone remember the case in ashburton where the employer thought that the employment contracts act allowed him to beat up his workers because there was no provision in the bill against it?
burt 51

15 July 2008 at 7:13 pm

IrishBill

Billy, while most employers are fair there are still a lot who are not. Why are you advocating a law that rewards the poor ones (and would provide little gain to the good ones)?

This is back to the “one size fits all” mentality again. If most employers are fair then why do you want to create employment laws that work against them?

Do you really think that it is valid to make the process of employing staff so difficult that only large companies have the resources to risk it?
dad4justice 52

15 July 2008 at 7:22 pm

randal, I remember that one matey, something in the water down there, I think they call it nitrates. Talk about Joe 90 and a dry well.
IrishBill 53

15 July 2008 at 7:31 pm

“A great many employers are not managers and HR departments who need to be punished. They are plumbers, builders, farmers and shop keepers trying to get by like everyone else.”

Billy, if these people take the same care hiring workers that they would investing in tools, vehicles, stock or store frontage then they probably won’t have any worries. When you say “slightly wrong” you are being disingenuous. The mediation process is remarkable fluid and to get a payout based on a “process” error the error has to substantial and relevant to the grievance. If a small business person cannot follow the law as it stands (and it’s a very basic law) then they should consider whether they are cut out to run a business or not.

Or do you suggest we make allowances for failure to follow other basic laws? Should small grocers who can’t manage gst get released from the obligation? What about builders who find building regulations too tiresome? Or farmers who can’t manage to care for their stock or respect their neighbors’ boundaries? How about the small car sales yard owner who finds it too difficult to get his cars properly warrented? Or the electrician who wires your house but isn’t sure how to do so safely?

All of these small businesspeople have to deal with a whole lot of stuff in their businesses that is more complicated than the very simple employment law we currently have.

Oliver, if a worker is hired on false references they can be sacked already. Why do we need this law again?
Billy 54

15 July 2008 at 7:36 pm

If a small business person cannot follow the law as it stands (and it’s a very basic law) then they should consider whether they are cut out to run a business or not.

Remind me what Steve said about the percentage of mediations which ended in a payout? Are you sure it is as simple as you suggest, IB?
Oliver 55

15 July 2008 at 7:41 pm

The referees weren’t fake, it was what they chose to say. Also in the time it would have taken to sack him for that we would have lost more customers. Then, in Nz at least, if you put so much as a finger-nail wrong in the manner of sacking someone you can get burnt regardless of what the employee did.

But my first point was still valid, people were given a chance that normally would not have been given a chance, the sort of people who remain marginalised now.
Billy 56

15 July 2008 at 7:45 pm

And IB, if you want to make it hard for people to pay tax or get warrants of fitness that’s one thing. I’m just not sure what the benefit is of making it hard to employ people.
IrishBill 57

15 July 2008 at 7:52 pm

“Remind me what Steve said about the percentage of mediations which ended in a payout? Are you sure it is as simple as you suggest, IB?”

2.9% is a very low number Billy, I’d be surprised if the number of failures to follow other laws (such as builders breaching building regulations or shopkeepers failing to complete proper IRD returns) were that low. The truth is that businesses lose money in all sorts of ways due to poor management because some people are not cut out to run them. Why should workers bear the burden of their employer’s inability to practice business properly.

Edit: my point is that it is no harder to employ people properly than it is to pay taxes or invest sensibly in a work vehicle. You seem to think that it is an abomination that someone should have to pay a lawyer for employment advice (a very rare occurrence) but I doubt you would consider the same employer paying an accountant the same sort of rate to do their taxes a similar abomination. Are workers really worth less to a business than a tax return?

The problem is that the (irrational) HR behaviour of a lot of employers implies the answer is “yes”. I’ve know many small business people that would spend hours investigating and deciding on a work vehicle that might cost them $20k but spend bugger all time employing someone they might pay $40k to over a year. That’s bad management and a no-rights period will only concrete poor HR practice like that into place. That’s bad news for their productivity and our economy.
burt 58

15 July 2008 at 8:05 pm

IrishBill

If a small business person cannot follow the law as it stands (and it’s a very basic law) then they should consider whether they are cut out to run a business or not.

To that I would say:

If people in parliament can’t follow the electoral funding laws written by parliament/themselves then they should consider whether they are cut out to be in parliament.

Sadly employers can’t pass validations when they claim to have not understood the law, they live by it’s consequences.

It is a lot harder to employ people than pay taxes or invest sensibly.
Draco TB 59

15 July 2008 at 8:06 pm

Burt:

A good employee working for a good employer has nothing to fear from this policy,. Not all employers are good and this policy removes the protections people need from bad employers. After 3 years as a manager at McDs I know how frustrating it is when you can’t immediately get rid of a bad employee but I’ve also met managers that would fire people because the employee managed to show them up rather than because the employee did something wrong.

Innocent until proven Guilty – It’s an old custom we have but it’s one we put in place for a reason.
burt 60

15 July 2008 at 8:11 pm

Oliver

But my first point was still valid, people were given a chance that normally would not have been given a chance, the sort of people who remain marginalised now.

You are correct, having some ability to negotiate a trial period provides chances for employers to take some ‘risks’ in who they employ. Some candidates who don’t stack up well on paper but show ability and desire to work…

That’s the problem with one size fits all, no room for the ones who drop through the cracks.
dad4justice 61

15 July 2008 at 8:13 pm

“Innocent until proven Guilty ”

Ever experienced the Family Court and done 90 days locked up in a cell Draco TV? Any drop kick can see Helen is not up to the job and in 90 hours she can expire. Oops.
Brett Dale 62

15 July 2008 at 8:18 pm

Why won’t Labour let a hard working New Zealander who owns a business fire someone who is not working hard enough and costing them money.
Anita 63

15 July 2008 at 8:22 pm

Somewhere in all of this, there is a reasonable problem for SMEs; not everyone knows how to hire, manage, develop and exit staff. There are plenty of great business people out there who just don’t have either the skills or the confidence to do a great job of the people stuff.

National’s solution appears to be to put all the risk on the worker and destabilise them as much as possible in their first 90 days, but to make no substantive changes to anything else to actually help the SME get the best out of their staff.

So, what should the government do? What would the right policy look like?

All of us – union and employer, public and private sector – would like to see SMEs doing better at managing their staff. What would help them do that without screwing over the workers?
Anita 64

15 July 2008 at 8:43 pm

So, what should the government do? What would the right policy look like?

To answer my own question I’m going to set off the small-government brigade 🙂

1) Up the amount of effort put into small business mentoring schemes, and make sure there are mentors with good staff management skills. The existing business mentoring schemes seem to put a lot of effort into the business planning and marketing areas – but putting your business plan into action almost always means growth, and that usually means hiring new staff at a really risky time for the business.

2) Set up a SME employment law service (probably tendered out to private sector providers?) which provides some level of subsidised employment law services to SMEs – probably a few hours a year free of charge, and the rest at low cost. Perhaps tie it into the mentoring schemes, so if a mentor recognises an SME needs real help the amount of free services can be increased.

3) Provide basic employment law skills courses to SMEs (perhaps provided by either tertiary education providers or local business associations) the courses short be targeted at basic employment law safety skills for SME owners, and basic employment processes for admin staff (in lots of SMEs whoever balances the books does the employment contracts). As well as the nuts and bolts this should model good practices.

4) Create local SME employment forums where SME owners can come together (lunches or after work drinks) and maybe have a presentation about some aspect of employing staff and talk about it. This would be a good opportunity to occasionally get SME owners and unions in the same room – lots of the time they’re trying to solve the same problems (e.g. how to handle demand peaks and troughs when a business is experiencing new growth).
burt 65

15 July 2008 at 8:45 pm

Anita

I disagree that the National policy puts all the risk on the worker and destabilise them as much as possible in their first 90 days. However that’s my opinion vs yours.

However to address the possibility of rolling ‘probation’ periods it would be easy enough to modify the definition of probation period slightly. Wayne Mapp’s bill already said ‘up to 90 days or a period lesser agreed between the parties’ or something to that effect. So 90 days is the maximum.

Perhaps a simple requirement would be that during the ‘probation period’ a 10% loading is added to the salary/wage of the employee to cater for the ‘risk’ they face of being fired with no explanation. This would have a two fold effect, it would encourage employers to keep the period short and it would make it an advantage for workers to be on rolling probations.
Draco TB 66

15 July 2008 at 8:57 pm

So, what should the government do? What would the right policy look like?

Government should do what they’re already doing and the policy would look a lot like the one we already have. If the SMEs are having difficulty hiring good people because of their own lack of skills and losing money perhaps they should look at what’s available in the market:

http://www.finda.co.nz/business/c/employment-agencies/

EDIT: Ok, I’m going to say that I like your suggestions as well.

dad4justice:
Yes, I’m aware of the discrepancies in the Family Court. I have a friend who has been separated from his children for many years because of them but I still believe that it is better to have those laws there than not even if they’re imperfect and handled by a bunch of sexist bigots. The imperfections will get ironed out over time and the sexist bigots will eventually get fired.
burt 67

15 July 2008 at 9:05 pm

Draco TB

The imperfections will get ironed out over time and the sexist bigots will eventually get fired.

Not once they are hired… they are there for life and they hire more of the same sort of people as themselves. The cycle continues, no probation period is going to see a sexist bigot decide that another sexist bigot just like themselves shouldn’t work there.
burt 68

15 July 2008 at 9:10 pm

Anita

To answer my own question I’m going to set off the small-government brigade

Yes indeed. The small govt brigade solution was if employers want increased flexibility with a probation period then it has a small overhead for them when they exercise that flexibility. With direct benefit to the employee.

The big govt is good govt solution is to create an entire industry to support and control what should be a very simple process – pay somebody to do some work.
dad4justice 69

15 July 2008 at 9:11 pm

Draco TB ,yes the “sexist bigots” on the Family Court gravy train don’t have to worry about a thing as the truth doesn’t matter in the insidious court of lies. They are well paid and skilled in making male clients feel gobsmacked and poleaxed.Talk about NO RIGHTS for SEVEN YEARS, join up the fractured family business Ms Judge Maggot Brain.
Anita 70

15 July 2008 at 9:14 pm

burt,

Probation periods address a very very small amount of the employment related problems SMEs have. How do you propose the address the rest?
Bill 71

15 July 2008 at 9:15 pm

So why not have the power to fire invested in the workers?
burt 72

15 July 2008 at 9:24 pm

Anita

As I said earlier in this thread, the company I part own derives significant revenue for employment disputes, the gravy train that is the ERA. I understand this stuff quite well. I think the laws that we currently have are shit and although they provide personal benefits I think they should change. If my companies income is reliant on laws that are easily manipulated and misused then my companies imcome is not sustainable. Luckily it’s only a significant portion of the company revenue not the entire revenue stream. We (the directors) will utilise the opportunity while it exists but will be very happy to turn our mixture of skills to something more productive when it’s not available.

So what did you think of the idea of a salary/wage loading during a probation period – bit left field for a ‘right wing nut job’ eh?
johndoe 73

15 July 2008 at 9:35 pm

So let’s drop the probationary period to 30 days. That’s about how long it takes to train a McDonald’s worker. And having been in a lot of lines that were crippled by poorly functioning McDonald’s workers, if I were a franchisee I certainly would cherish the ability to give the job to someone who could actually perform it.
Anita 74

15 July 2008 at 9:35 pm

burt,

Do you think all the employment related issues SMEs have are related to the ERA? Personally I reckon there are a whole bunch of others to do with people who are not skilled at managing staff taking on risky staff management tasks at the most fragile times for their businesses.

So what did you think of the idea of a salary/wage loading during a probation period – bit left field for a â€˜right wing nut job’ eh?

It’s not dissimilar to the contracts-for-service used in many high skilled jobs. I think high skilled jobs would continue to use contracts for service, and for low skilled low cost jobs I can’t see employers being willing to pay 10% extra to new staff, even to contract out.

I also think it creates moral hazard problems and would make it very tempting to use this as a temping process while one tries to find a more perfect employeer (again a contracting model).
randal 75

15 July 2008 at 9:36 pm

cut to the chase… it is nationals policy to confuse and intimidate workers. a confused person is most controllable because as Kafka found out it is impossible to tell what the hell is going on when nobody is accountable or the rules are never made clear.
burt 76

15 July 2008 at 9:39 pm

randal

Are you are talking about our current govt or employment laws?
dad4justice 77

15 July 2008 at 9:42 pm

I think randal dropped his silly sandal again burt.
Ari 78

15 July 2008 at 9:46 pm

A good employee has nothing to fear from this policy, a hopeless lying cheat who pretends they are something they are not in the interview has everything to fear. I note there is a lot of fear about it on this site.

Right, and good employers have nothing to fear if they lose all their rights under some hypothetical Radical Socialist Greens government. The point is that IR disputes should be low-cost affairs that don’t unfairly favour either party.

Removing people’s rights to challenge their dismissal for a reason that can’t be described as “extraordinary” is exactly the sort of thing that unfairly favours one of the parties involved in the dispute.

Trial periods are well and good, but they should be contracted as such, and should last a short time- say, a couple weeks. Three months is pretty ridiculous- there are many jobs that don’t last that long, let alone need that long to establish competency.
killinginthenameof 79

15 July 2008 at 9:51 pm

Very simple solution, leave the law how it is. Currently the law allows for a probationary period, what is it with this National party, always trying to fix things with new laws! gosh youd think they were communists or something.

As the law stands if both the employee and the employer agree they can have a probationary period, why does this need changing? if a potential employee doesnt want a probationary period, they can go somewhere else, and the employer can hire some one else.

I coudl understand it being made compulsary if it was in wide spread use currently but its not.

I do ask for one consession on the proposal though, that employees under nationals proposed 90 day probationary period who are fired at the end of the 90 days are allowed to go to court for unpaid wages, as I understand under the current policy they are not.
Billy 80

15 July 2008 at 9:59 pm

randal,

Weed can be fun. I like smoking it then talking shit while eating french vanilla ice cream and dark chocolate. But seriously, you need to smoke a lot less. Or at least, stay off the blogs once you have indulged.
Steve Pierson 81

15 July 2008 at 10:07 pm

Remember what we’re talking about here – removing rights of hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders, allowing bad employers to use the threat of the sack to stand over vulnerable workers, and why? because of some anacedotal evidence of a few marginal cases of employers having trouble getting rid of bad employees.

Two basics of policy

– you don’t make policy for the exceptional case or the anacedote, you make it to work well for most people most of the time and based on real evdince. If there are marginal problems, you make policy targeted specifically at those problems.

– you don’t make policy that primarily advantages the bad actors.
Leftie 82

15 July 2008 at 10:08 pm

What about the workers? What do they want? This is just catering to a minority group.
Billy 83

15 July 2008 at 10:09 pm

killinginthenameof,

The current probationary period is utterly meaningless. At the end of the “probationary period” the employer must still have a good substantive reason to terminate the employment and must still follow the same procedure he or she would have had to follow after the probationary period. Whether the employment is being terminated within or outside the probationary period makes no difference.
burt 84

15 July 2008 at 10:10 pm

Anita

Do you think all the employment related issues SMEs have are related to the ERA? Personally I reckon there are a whole bunch of others to do with people who are not skilled at managing staff taking on risky staff management tasks at the most fragile times for their businesses.

I agree with you here, the ERA has produced a larger volume of work for employment lawyers than the ECA did but it’s not the cause of the problem. The issues could easily be much like you say but building an industry around managing the interaction of the unions and the employers is IMHO bureaucracy for bureaucracy sake.

If the unions want to increase their membership then they need to add more value for their members. Not be supported by additional assistance/programs to help them achieve what they say they are good at. Personally I’m not a union guy, I was a youth rate compulsory union member when I first started work and these great things called ‘unions’ I had been told about were hopeless when I had my first employment dispute. I reckon when it was normal for 400 men to go down a mine and only 395 would came out – unions were excellent at making sure that changed. I don’t see how they can expect to have employment laws changed to accommodate their inability to provide value to their customers.

Employment laws need to be fair and reasonable and address to some degree the power balance between the employer and the employee. However they still need to recognise the golden rule. He (or She) who has the gold makes the rules. It can’t be the only rule, but we cannot forget it exists.
Steve Pierson 85

15 July 2008 at 10:13 pm

Saying that ‘good employees’ have nothing to fear from having to work without rights is premised on the idea that all employers are always fair in their dealings with all workers.

Hell, why do we need Police to have a search warrent to search your house? Only bad people need to fear getting searched, because the Police are always fair and always that their facts right.

Why do we need any rights at all? Rights only protect bad people because those actors that are restrained by rights are always behave correctly, have their facts right, and always behave fairly.
Leftie 86

15 July 2008 at 10:16 pm

One other thing. The employers here talk like they pay workers good money…such good money they can demand the best out of their workers or goodbye, meanwhile the debate rages about the wage gap between us and Australia.
Billy 87

15 July 2008 at 10:17 pm

Two basics of policy

– you don’t make policy for the exceptional case or the anacedote [sic], you make it to work well for most people most of the time and based on real evdince. If there are marginal problems, you make policy targeted specifically at those problems.

– you don’t make policy that primarily advantages the bad actors.

My point exactly.

I guess Steve thinks good employers are the “exceptional case”. Or is he suggesting that “most” employers would abuse the 90 day trial “most” of the time. If some marginal employers abused the 90 day trial policy, why could we not “make policy targeted specifically at those problems”?

And, once again, this policy would advantage the 98.9% of good employers and the employees who would not otherwise have been given a chance.
burt 88

15 July 2008 at 10:18 pm

Steve Pierson

I think you are getting confused. Where you say

Hell, why do we need Police to have a search warrent to search your house? Only bad people need to fear getting searched, because the Police are always fair and always that their facts right.

The sort of thing that seems to be being suggested is that Police should be given a search warrant for every house and every person because they need it for a few.

Of course police need that power, but only after some bad behaviour has been brought to their attention. We don’t all walk around with an arrest warrant pinned to our backs just incase one of us stuff up and breaks the law.
Steve Pierson 89

15 July 2008 at 10:19 pm

National is meant to be releasing its industrial and labour policy this week or next – the 90 Day No Work Rights policy will be the centrepiece of it… what are the odds, do you reckon, that the interests of workers will be ignored in every aspect of the policies (apart from a cursory mention) and everything will be to weaken the position of workers and give more power to employers (that power balance is central to whether workers get decent wages or not)?
Steve Pierson 90

15 July 2008 at 10:23 pm

Billy. Don’t be silly and don’t purposely misinterpret me. I’m saying National’s policy will only help out the few bad employers. The current situation works just fine, the vast majority or employees have no trouble and the few disputes there are are resolved cheap and quickly.. if it’s not always perfect every time that’s no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Billy 91

15 July 2008 at 10:27 pm

I’m saying National’s policy will only help out the few bad employers.

And I’m saying the proposed law will help good employers and employees who are presently less likely to have a risk taken on them. At what I consider to be the unlikely risk of bad employers arbitrarily sacking employees who can do the job in the expectation that they’ll be able to find another.
Steve Pierson 92

15 July 2008 at 10:29 pm

burt. you’ve confused the notion of rights in my examples.

Workers have the right to a fair process and justified reason for dismissal

People have the right to not have their property searched by the Police without warrant.

We don’t take away the right to be free from unreasonable search by arguing that only bad people will get searched. So, why would we take away the rights of workers to fair process by arguing that only bad employees have anything to fear?
Billy 93

15 July 2008 at 10:29 pm

And why does everyone delight in using “Billy” and “silly” together all the time? It’s not even my real name.
burt 94

15 July 2008 at 10:30 pm

Steve Pierson

Are you willing to address the question of why this needs to be a one size fits all scenario.

Why can’t employers acting in good faith employing skilled people deploy a probation period. Why should a business owner/manager not be able to consult existing staff and see how they feel about the suitability of the ‘new guy’ they now need to work with?

One of the most difficult situations I have had to deal with in a team leadership role was an existing excellent employee telling me she would leave if we didn’t get rid of the new guy who was rude and incompetent. I was powerless, senior management were powerless and a great team member resigned. Loose/loose
Anita 95

15 July 2008 at 10:33 pm

burt,

I agree with you here, the ERA has produced a larger volume of work for employment lawyers than the ECA did but it’s not the cause of the problem. The issues could easily be much like you say but building an industry around managing the interaction of the unions and the employers is IMHO bureaucracy for bureaucracy sake.

I wasn’t suggesting building an industry around managing the interaction of unions and employers. In fact I wasn’t suggesting building an industry (use existing providers and schemes) or managing the interactions of unions and employers at all.

I was suggesting that the government should invest in providing both support services and training to SMEs so that they can do the best possible job of managing their staff.

Help SMEs be effective employers, make the staff as productive as they can be, make New Zealand’s economy boom. What could be better?
Steve Pierson 96

15 July 2008 at 10:34 pm

burt. I’m just dealing with the policy that National has proposed, which is a one size fits all. All workers trying to get jobs in small businesses will have to accept a 90 day period where they could be fired for no good reason.

If there was some sophisicated approach that wouldn’t disadvantage most workers and give unwarranted power to bad employers, that would be different, but that’s not what National’s policy does.
burt 97

15 July 2008 at 10:37 pm

Steve Pierson

burt. you’ve confused the notion of rights in my examples.

I think it’s still you who is confused although I agree my point was not clearly made.

Not allowing a probation period fullstop is like saying all people will need to be arrested one day so print an arrest warrant and attach it to them now. It will be handy when we need it later.

Allowing a probation period is not comparable to not needing a search warrant, it’s comparable to presumption of innocence.
Steve Pierson 98

15 July 2008 at 10:38 pm

Billy.
“And I’m saying the proposed law will help good employers and employees who are presently less likely to have a risk taken on them”

any actual evidence (not stories – stats or studies) that the current law discourages employment? Doesn’t seem to be doing us any harm.
Anita 99

15 July 2008 at 10:39 pm

burt,

Why can’t employers acting in good faith employing skilled people deploy a probation period.

They can now, as you know.

Why should a business owner/manager not be able to consult existing staff and see how they feel about the suitability of the â€˜new guy’ they now need to work with?

They can now, as you know.
burt 100

15 July 2008 at 10:40 pm

Anita

I like the idea, I don’t see it as a govt function. However be it govt or private it will have significant benefits so therefore the ownership of the scheme is inconsequential to it’s value as a concept.

Why do you think it needs to be govt?
Anita 101

15 July 2008 at 10:44 pm

burt,

Because the problem exists now and the private sector doesn’t seem to be dealing with it.

I think one of the roles of government is to see the gaps where things are needed and make sure the gaps are filled. You will note I was suggesting that government use/encourage existing (largely private) providers to fill the gap, not that central government do it.

Ideally the private sector would take over and the government would quietly back out.
Steve Pierson 102

15 July 2008 at 10:46 pm

burt. the current law is not akin to arresting everyone and taking their fingerprints. The hypothetical you describe is not a right, it’s a restriction on freedom of individuals, forcing them to be fingerprinted.

What rights do is protect the weaker party from unreasonable use of power against them (in fact, the whole of the law can be seen as a restriction of the unreasonable use of power by the powerful to empower the rest of us) – the public is protected from unreasonable exercise of power by the Policy, the employeee is protected from unreasonable exercise of power by the employer. When you take away rights, you are opening the door for unreasonable use of power by those in powerful positions against those with less power – you should only do that with good reason.
burt 103

15 July 2008 at 10:47 pm

Anita

Why should a business owner/manager not be able to consult existing staff and see how they feel about the suitability of the â€˜new guy’ they now need to work with?

They can now, as you know.

No I don’t know, how is this achieved without a messy process when there is no probation period?
Anita 104

15 July 2008 at 10:52 pm

burt,

Involve existing staff heavily in the recruitment process. Make sure the recruitment process is effective at checking how the potential employee would interact with existing staff. Do recruitment properly!

(This is part of my point about why SMEs need support with employment processes, these things are entirely possible you just have to have the knowledge and the confidence)

Which reminds me, I’ve exited a staff member for incompetence – it’s entirely possible under the current law. I think it sucks that your organisation couldn’t work out how – again good training and support gets you a long way!!
Billy 105

15 July 2008 at 10:54 pm

Anita,

They can now, as you know.

This is just plain wrong. You can employ someone and say they are employed on a probationary period. But there is no difference to the procedure or practice when terminating an employee’s employment during or after a probationary period under the current law. If you have a 60 day probationary period, whether the employment is terminated on day 58 or day 62 makes no difference. A probationary period is utterly meaningless under the present law.

Steve, sorry, I haven’t had time to conduct any surveys into this. In fairness, I’ve been too busy managing my staff. I know quite a few employers. We talk. No one is desperate for a 90 day trial period so they have an opportunity to screw their staff. Sometimes, however, they say they’ve decided not to employ someone because they are worried they are not the right person. Maybe they were wrong. Guess we’ll never know.
burt 106

15 July 2008 at 10:58 pm

Anita

Involve existing staff heavily in the recruitment process.

Yes yes, great… everybody, stop what you are doing and come and have a chat with Jo Blogs, Jo wants to work here and we need an extra staff member because we are busy. Can you all stop what you are doing and socialise with Jo for a while. Sign-off sheets are over here once you have made an assessment.

Yep – that will work in all cases (one size fits all) – NOT!
Anita 107

15 July 2008 at 10:59 pm

Billy,

So what do you want from your probationary period if the one you’ve got now isn’t good enough?

must … go … to … bed! 🙂
Draco TB 108

15 July 2008 at 11:01 pm

However they still need to recognise the golden rule. He (or She) who has the gold makes the rules. It can’t be the only rule, but we cannot forget it exists.

That rule was outlawed 800 years ago.
burt 109

15 July 2008 at 11:09 pm

Draco TB

I like this bit….

“It required the King to renounce certain rights, respect certain legal procedures and accept that his will could be bound by the law.”

Makes me think of Darnton Vs Clark. 🙂

But seriously, do you think that the Magna Carta removes the inherent right of a person spending their own (or their companies) money to decide who should work for them and that it denies them some form of ‘testing period’ when they are spending that money?
Anita 110

15 July 2008 at 11:12 pm

burt,

“Hi, this is Jo, as you know we’re looking for a new and Jo’s our final candidate at this stage. Jenny, Shane and I think Jo’s great, but we’re not quite sure yet, and Jo’s pretty keen to work here, but she’s not sure yet either.

She’s come in for the afternoon so she can get a feel for the job, and you all can get a feel for her. She’ll be spending a while with Bill talking about the job and having a look at the workspace and running through some of the spreadsheets and the tasks she’ll need to do. Then I want her to spend maybe 15 minutes with each of you, have a chat about what you do, what you think her job will be like, and ask her anything you’d like to check out.

Could whichever of you she’s with at afternoon tea time make sure she gets a cuppa and show her the break area.

Afterwards I’ll catch up with each of you about how it went, then Jo and I will meet tomorrow lunchtime for coffee and see how we want to proceed from here.”

It’d take 20 mins from each staff member and would be a robust, fair, effective process that would be far less work than hiring her then dismissing her.

Sure it’s not going to work in a big call centre, but the problem we’re supposed to be trying to solve is an SME hiring a new employee and being concerned about making sure they perfect.
burt 111

15 July 2008 at 11:19 pm

Anita

I have interviewed like that, I have been interviewed like that.

Yes it sorts out a lot of things. But what about the guy who after he has been there a week still hasn’t had a shower since the day of the interview three weeks ago? There is still no way to get past the ‘first impression” in 20 minutes. This is the issue, if it were as simple as this in all cases it would be the norm. It might be commonplace in higher paid roles but as you say it won’t work for the call centers etc, which if I’m not mistaken is where workers rights are a bigger issue.

One size will not fit all, why must we try and work around a law that tries to make that so?
RedLogix 112

15 July 2008 at 11:37 pm

“One size fits all”… that IS kind of how most laws work.

The moment you start to make up exceptions, or complex gradations of application is the same moment the sharp men in sharp suits start working the angles.
J Mex 113

16 July 2008 at 12:10 am

At the heart of The standard’s arguement is an absurdity…

– That an employer would fire a good employee after 89 days (and 89 days of training investment), so they don’t need to give them rights, and then roll the dice in the hope that they get someone as good.

No recruiters would work with such employers. Recruiters only get paid when the employees stay for 6 months.

An employee can leave at any time (ever tried to make someone, who didn’t want to, work out their two weeks notice?), but employers are currently locked in to employees to a large extent.

Most developed countries have this law and the sky hasn’t fallen in those countries.

This is just patch protection from the EPMU and their bloggers.

[lprent: I wearily point out yet again. You are attributing an opinion to a lump of software running on some hardware. Now I realise this may come as a shock to you, but software doesn’t think.

Direct your criticism to the writer of the post, and I’d suggest that you read the About and Policy sections at the top of the site. It appears you are ignorant about how this site runs.]
Oliver 114

16 July 2008 at 2:55 am

Has anybody else commenting on this thread acutally worked somewhere overseas with a probationary period written into employment law??
Anita 115

16 July 2008 at 7:45 am

burt,

Yes it sorts out a lot of things. But what about the guy who after he has been there a week still hasn’t had a shower since the day of the interview three weeks ago?

Then you talk to him, and if that doesn’t work you run a nice short tight process and fire him if he doesn’t sort himself out. I’ve had personal hygiene conversations with staff I’ve managed; they’ve all sorted themselves out without a lot of effort on my part, they would have been gone if they hadn’t.

It might be commonplace in higher paid roles but as you say it won’t work for the call centers etc, which if I’m not mistaken is where workers rights are a bigger issue.

National’s proposal does nothing to address the issues of call centres it is explicitly about small employers. My suggested approach would work fine for them, and it would give far better outcomes than try-and-fire alone would.
Anita 116

16 July 2008 at 7:48 am

lprent,

Now I realise this may come as a shock to you, but software doesn’t think.

Now, as a professional coder, you know that’s just not true. Late at night code is a devious and vicious opponent!
Darren Rickard 117

16 July 2008 at 8:36 am

The legislation, when passed in 2009, will allow more opportunity to employers and employees alike.

Labour’s attack on employers, under the current system, make them afraid to hire new staff.
RedLogix 118

16 July 2008 at 9:02 am

Labour’s attack on employers, under the current system, make them afraid to hire new staff.

A speculation that flies in the face of the measurable FACT that under the current Labour laws New Zealand employers have employed so many of us that our unemployment rate is at a record low.

You employ a person because you hope to benefit from their efforts. This obliges the employer to meet a number of socially and professionally accepted minimum standards and codes of behaviour; exactly as is required in every other aspect of their business.

Why should the vast majority of decent New Zealanders who do an honest day’s work be placed at such an enormous power disadvantage during the first three months of working for a new employer? In my experience the first six months of ANY new role has been a learning curve; a period of heightened vulnerability while I learn not only the job, but unravel all the unwritten, unspoken politics about the place. The last thing most of us need during that initial period is the feeling that our manager could unilaterally sack us on a whim.

While this proposal might protect a minority of employers from a minority of bad employees; for the rest of us it’s bad news. (And so much for ‘one size fits all’.)
Phil 119

16 July 2008 at 9:02 am

“One size fits all’ that IS kind of how most laws work.

The moment you start to make up exceptions, or complex gradations of application is the same moment the sharp men in sharp suits start working the angles.”

For once, I actually agree with RedLogix. But s/he needs to remember that not all of us in sharp suits are ‘working an angle’. I just wear the suit ‘cos I make it look good.
Draco TB 120

16 July 2008 at 10:22 am

But seriously, do you think that the Magna Carta removes the inherent right of a person spending their own (or their companies) money to decide who should work for them and that it denies them some form of â€˜testing period’ when they are spending that money?

The Magna Carta is the base of most of our laws and it doesn’t prevent people from hiring or firing. What it does is ensure that those doing the hiring and firing do so under some rules that help ensure consistency.
slightlyrighty 121

16 July 2008 at 10:28 am

Question:

Why not regard the notion of a probationary period as part of the recruitment process?

Lets be honest. There are those out there who interview terribly. the idea that you can accurately predict who is going to be a good candidate for a given role is great if you have a large, well resourced HR department at your disposal.

Most small businesses do not. The idea that you can take a chance on an employee and that if it doesn’t work out, then no harm, no foul would be of great benefit to many small businesses looking to grow their business.

I am sure that such a trial would not, nor should not, remove the obligation of an employer to ensure that any employee, even probationary, is given every reasonable assitance to perform to the required level.

In all of this I am still reminded of my own employer, who is the most fair minded employer that I have ever worked for, having to take time out of his business, costing him money to engage legal representation, to defend himself in a PG case after he had dismissed a recently hired part time worker who had verbally abused a customer with various four letter words.

Either through settlements or legal fees, employers get nailed. Larger employers can absorb these costs. $3900 to settle a PG case for a small business could be the difference in a loss or profit situation.
roger nome 122

16 July 2008 at 10:53 am

Billy:

“I was addressing â€˜nome’s apparent suggestion that the ECA allowed an employer to not pay his or her employees and there be no sanction. Patent nonsense.”

It did. Some facts that you don’t appear to know.

1) Under the ECA parties could wait a year or more for mediation and two years for an adjudicated hearing. As a result, many people would just move on, not wanting to be bothered with having that worry hanging over their head for years.

In contrast, under the ERA the process is quick and easy with the average time spent waiting for a hearing being just 3 weeks.

2) Under the ECA a typical one day hearing would commonly involve legal costs of $5,000 for each party. So unless your claim(s) involved more than $5,000 in wages in arears it wasn’t economically rational for an employee to seek legal redress.

The result was that employers could get away without paying employees for weeks, and not face any consequences.

In contrast, under the ERA mediation is free. So that one’s a no brainer.

A probationary period would take us back to the days of the ERA, as National has stated that the ERA’s employment institutions won’t apply, and employees will have to seek legal redress for grievances through the civil courts. That means lawyers and a lot of money for low-paid workers, who are the ones who are most commonly screwed over.

If you don’t believe me, go read the following academic article:

McAndrew, I., Morton, J. and Geare. A. (2004) The Employment Institutions, in: Employment Relationships: New Zealand’s Employment Relations Act, Rasmussen, E. (ed) Auckland University Press, Auckland.
roger nome 123

16 July 2008 at 11:02 am

SR:

“Why not regard the notion of a probationary period as part of the recruitment process?”

Because it could mean being totally screwed over – i.e. not getting the money that you worked for because you employer decides they don’t want to give it to you.

“$3900 to settle a PG case for a small business could be the difference in a loss or profit situation.”

But as Steve points out in his post, that’s a very rare situation that law abiding employers don’t have to worry about.
J Mex 124

16 July 2008 at 3:51 pm

“Most developed countries have this law and the sky hasn’t fallen in those countries.

This is just patch protection from the EPMU and their bloggers.”

[lprent: I wearily point out yet again. You are attributing an opinion to a lump of software running on some hardware. Now I realise this may come as a shock to you, but software doesn’t think.

Direct your criticism to the writer of the post, and I’d suggest that you read the About and Policy sections at the top of the site. It appears you are ignorant about how this site runs.]

Sorry for the lazy typing.

In my defence, my guesss would that be that every contributer on the standard would buy into the business owners/baby eaters are mainly into this this legislation so they can strip worker of their rights and churn them every 89 days argument.

My points still stand, and I will direct them at Steve in the first instance…

1. It is uneconomic to continually churn employees every 3 months. Advertising, Interviewing and Training all cost time and money. I don’t know one employer who likes the interview and recruitment process.

2. If you churn employees for no good reason you are just as likley to end up with worse employees every time you churn. Your existing employees are going to get very tired of this very quickly, continually “helping the new guy”.

3. Recruiters are not going to work with you if you churn employees every 89 days.

4. The sky hasn’t fallen in, in countries where this has been tried. This is a little like a paid internship. My guess is that Steve would reel in horror at the idea of the overseas unpaid intership and proclaim it to be nothing more than slave labour.

5. Employees can walk away from a job whenever they feel like it (I was just talking to a friend who did that very thing), while employers have far less freedom.

6. There are large benefits to the long term unemployed and new job starters in this law. They get a chance to prove themselves in the workplace and the employer can take a calculated risk on them.
Steve Pierson 125

16 July 2008 at 4:06 pm

J mex. in reverse order.

6. There’s no evidence that people are being barred from the workforce solely by lack of a probationary period in which they can be fired for no reason (probationary periods with protection against unjustified dismissal are already legal). Incidentally, less than 0.3% of the workforce has been on the unemployment benefit for over a year.

5. Employers innately have the power in the employer/employee relationship – they own the means of production, they are the gatekeepers to employment, workers need to work to make a livable income. Workers rights law only goes some way to balancing the odds.

4. I’m not a fan of unpaid internships either – they prevent anyone who dons’t have another means of support from getting their foot in the door to many professions. In other countries the probatioanry period is not a no rights period, you still ahve protection against unjustified dismissal.

1, 2, & 3. I’m not saying that a significant number of workers will be churned every 89 days. Rather, this law gives licence to a few bad employers to exert great power over new employees (you can be fired for joining a union, refusing to do unpaid overtime, refusing unsafe work etc) and will be exploited by the same kind of people currently exploiting triangular employment relationships to avoid the costs of workers’ rights like sick pay.
Oliver 126

16 July 2008 at 5:14 pm

Hsving actuall worked in a country with a probationary period I can assure you that 99% of the negative comments about National’s policy are irrelevant. NZ unions are going to lose a lot of credibility when this becomes law and their dire predictions are shown to be nonsense.
Steve Pierson 127

16 July 2008 at 5:25 pm

Oliver. In the country you worked in, could a probationary worker be fired for refusing to work in dangerous conditions? Because that’s what the Nats are proposing.
lprent 128

16 July 2008 at 5:28 pm

J Mex: I post here on the odd occasion. I have no idea how I’d feel about trial periods, I can see good and bad points. However I have run across a few crap managers in my time. I had a look at even more case studies when I did my MBA. If you give some crappy managers a position without some redress then they will abuse it. They will do it on the most vunerable, the young elderly, and the people who have a stand-down period.

I’d be very loath to have this available if there wasn’t any type of comeback on unprofessional idiots that abuse it. For preference make it a criminal act akin to fraud with a mandatory prison sentence if convicted. Some safeguard like that would probably satisfy me.

Because you are so sure it wouldn’t be a problem, then there would be no real hassle adding abuse of this provision to the crimes act?
Oliver 129

16 July 2008 at 5:29 pm

Steve,

Bollocks, safety laws will still apply. As I said earlier you’ll look pretty silly in a year or so, just ask people with actual experience of probationary laws.
RedLogix 130

16 July 2008 at 5:47 pm

Oliver,

Safety laws may well apply; but the useful application of them still requires that both employer and employee act in good faith to make them work.

The kind of employer that worries me will pressure people to take shortcuts and take risks when they think no-one will notice. 99.99% of the time they get away with it.

It’s only when Mum or Dad doesn’t come home one night that the penny drops. But then it’s too late isn’t it?
Oliver 131

16 July 2008 at 5:52 pm

Redlogix,

I’ve been around a few workplace accidents in my time. None of them have come from fundamental safety issues, they’ve all come from worker stupidity or laziness.

Protections will still apply, if a worker is pressured to take shortcuts they can just contact OSH.
Tane 132

16 July 2008 at 6:22 pm

Oliver, re: safety laws. This is the Australian experience.
RedLogix 133

16 July 2008 at 6:35 pm

Oliver,

None of them have come from fundamental safety issues, they’ve all come from worker stupidity or laziness.

If worker ‘laziness and stupidity’ is the SOLE cause of industrial accidents; then why has the workplace death rate dropped over 60% in the last few decades since the introduction of comprehensive H&S systems? If your claim were true, then all those new safety measures and systems put in place by employers in that time would have made very little difference.

Or are you claiming that workers have gotten less lazy and stupid in that time? And if this is true would you be happy for them to be paid more as a result?

Protections will still apply, if a worker is pressured to take shortcuts they can just contact OSH.

And a week later… bye bye job.
burt 134

16 July 2008 at 11:09 pm

RedLogix

“One size fits all’ that IS kind of how most laws work.

For a few examples of where you are wrong about ‘how most laws work’ think about tax laws, Shop trading hours (I can buy petrol but not plants or alcohol on Easter Sunday!), speed limits, parking fines, postal rates, freight charges, RUC, assault laws, private property laws, drug laws.

I agree everybody should be treated equally under the law (I’m an idealist I know) but I don’t agree the law should homogenise the things it controls into as few rules as possible or just one.

Badly drafted laws or laws drafted to distort ideologically unpleasant natural orders (eg progressive tax laws) is what invites the sharp men in sharp suits to work the angles. Simple identification of different circumstances under the law IS the law reflecting the real world, which is the way it should be. No good will come from attempting to change the real world because political parties haven’t got the balls to back down on a belligerent ideological stance taken years ago to defeat the oppositions policy.
Oliver 135

17 July 2008 at 10:12 am

Redlogix,

I didn’t say that laziness and stupidity are the sole cause of all workplace accidents, only the one’s I’ve witnessed.

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5 days ago
Corrections is torturing prisoners again

In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

5 days ago
HYEFU and BPS data shows New Zealand is way off track

New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...

NZCTUBy Jack McDonald

5 days ago
“Better economic management”

At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

5 days ago
Shameless, clueless

AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...

More Than A FeildingBy David Slack

5 days ago
Minimum wage ‘increase’ is an effective cut

The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...

NZCTUBy Jack McDonald

5 days ago
Crazy ’bout a Sharp-dressed Man

Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

5 days ago
How much should you worry about a collapse of the Atlantic conveyor belt?

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson In this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...

Skeptical Science

5 days ago
8% ACT Party Creates One Ring To Rule Them All

In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour 1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...

Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tūī

5 days ago
When austerity worsens public debt & cuts GDP

Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

5 days ago
Govt to double number of toll roads

On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...

Greater AucklandBy Matt L

5 days ago
Luxon’s pre-emptive strike

The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...

PolitikBy Richard Harman

5 days ago
Gordon Campbell On The Coalition’s Empty Gestures, And Abortion Refusal As The New Slavery

This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...

WerewolfBy ScoopEditor

6 days ago
More public service contempt of parliament

Back in 2023 the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties raised concerns about the inherent conflict of interest involved in public service agencies supporting parliamentary select committees. Our parliament is run on a shoestring, so depends on the public service for advice. But public service agencies work for Ministers, not ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

6 days ago
If There Is A God

And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

6 days ago
A Lipstick Government

Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...

Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tūī

6 days ago
NZCTU open letter to Treasury on undue restrictions on restricted briefings

Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...

NZCTUBy Jack McDonald

6 days ago
Why you won’t hear me advocate for electric cars

This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate. I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...

Greater AucklandBy Guest Post

6 days ago
Coalition forced to back down on tolling Pahiatua track

A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...

The KakaBy Bernard Hickey

6 days ago
Thank You

Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

7 days ago
2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #50

A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...

Skeptical Science

7 days ago
Making Gravy

I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

1 week ago
Nothing here but the shadows

Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...

More Than A FeildingBy David Slack

1 week ago
The United Right: the FSU’s Continued Efforts to Undermine Academia

The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...

Sapphi’s SubstackBy Sapphi

1 week ago
Showing the Americans how to do it

Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...

No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant

1 week ago
2 Men, 1 Haircut

Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...

David FarrierBy David Farrier

1 week ago
Chris Penk’s Hate Parade

What Chris Penk has granted holocaust-denier and equal-opportunity-bigot Candace Owens is not “freedom of speech”. It’s not even really freedom of movement, though that technically is the right she has been granted. What he has given her is permission to perform. Freedom of SpeechIn New Zealand, the right to freedom ...

Sapphi’s SubstackBy Sapphi

1 week ago
Tell me a story

All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...

Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel

1 week ago
As Our Power Lessens: Accepted

2024 is now officially my best-ever year for short stories. My 1,850-word dark fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens, has been accepted for the upcoming solstice edition of Eternal Haunted Summer (https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/), thereby making that six published short stories for the calendar year. As always, see the Bibliography page for ...

A Phuulish FellowBy strda221

1 week ago

National’s Greatest Misses 2023-4

National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...

Labour Blog

2 days ago
Release: Minister’s plan for tertiary sector a backwards step

Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...

Labour Blog

2 days ago
Release: National buries 1019 planned homes

It’s been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...

Labour Blog

2 days ago
Release: Rule-Czar bill a right-wing power grab

The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...

Labour Blog

2 days ago
Release: Why not both? Luxon shuns Waitangi celebrations

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is running away from problems of his own creation, with his decision not to go to Waitangi. ...

Labour Blog

3 days ago
Govt’s ‘free speech’ legislation stokes fear, not freedom

The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...

Greens

3 days ago
Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession

The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...

Labour Blog

3 days ago
Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis

Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...

Labour Blog

4 days ago
ECE no place to cut corners

The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...

Greens

4 days ago
Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders

A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...

Labour Blog

4 days ago
Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects

Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...

Labour Blog

5 days ago
Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects

The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...

Greens

5 days ago
Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity

The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...

Greens

5 days ago
Release: Visa changes let migrant workers be paid less

The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...

Labour Blog

5 days ago
Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis

With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...

Labour Blog

5 days ago
Warning to Fast-Track Applicants – ‘Exploit the Whenua, Face the Consequences’

Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...

Māori Party

5 days ago
Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers… again

For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...

Labour Blog

5 days ago
Govt’s miserly 1.5% minimum wage will take workers backwards

The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...

Greens

5 days ago
Release: Govt shirking responsibility for rate hikes

All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...

Labour Blog

5 days ago
Luxon’s ‘localism’ strikes again

The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...

Greens

6 days ago
Release: Govt breaks promise on EV chargers

The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...

Labour Blog

6 days ago
Greens call for end to subsidies for Methanex

The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...

Greens

6 days ago
Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty

The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat

The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Govt’s emissions plan for measly 1% reduction

New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day

The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families

Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas

Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...

Greens

1 week ago
Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation

Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker

The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...

Labour Blog

1 week ago
One year on, still no progress on new ferries

Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more

After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...

Labour Blog

2 weeks ago
Bill to sanction unlawful occupation of Palestine

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Release: Labour fully supports greyhound racing ban

The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...

Labour Blog

2 weeks ago
Greyhound racing industry ban marks new era for animal welfare

After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Rangatahi voices must be centred in Government’s Relationship and Sexuality Education refresh

In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Govt introduces archaic anti-worker legislation

The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
Winston Peters – Kinleith Mill Speech

Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...

NZ First Press Release

2 weeks ago
Swarbrick calls on Auckland Mayor to end delay of revival of St James Theatre

Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago
He Ara Anamata: Greens launch Emissions Reduction Plan

Today, the Green Party of Aotearoa proudly unveils its new Emissions Reduction Plan–He Ara Anamata–a blueprint reimagining our collective future. ...

Greens

2 weeks ago

Internationally-trained doctors jump at chance to boost health workforce

Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 hours ago
PM appoints business leader to APEC Business Advisory Council

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

2 days ago
New intelligence oversight appointments

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

2 days ago
New housing developments able to progress more quickly

Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

2 days ago
Actions to speed up air travel delivering results

The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

2 days ago
Ending contracted emergency housing in Rotorua

The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

2 days ago
Vocational education and training decisions support return to regions

The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

2 days ago
Reducing the environmental impact of synthetic refrigerants

The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

2 days ago
Ngāruawāhia section of Waikato Expressway back to 4 lanes for Christmas

People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

2 days ago
Appointments to the ENZ board

Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

3 days ago
Government to celebrate Waitangi Day around NZ

The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

3 days ago
More gangs added to Gangs Act list

Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

3 days ago
Judicial appointment announced

Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

3 days ago
GDP data highlights importance of growth

The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

3 days ago
Strengthening Free Speech in Universities

Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

3 days ago
Launch of Emergency Cellular Priority Service

Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

3 days ago
Minister reopens Mangamuka Gorge

State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

3 days ago
Funding confirmed for second Ashburton Bridge

The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

3 days ago
Government boosts support for avian influenza response

The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

3 days ago
Levelling the playing field for media advertising

Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Inspector-General of Defence appointed

Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Fire and Emergency New Zealand final levy rates confirmed

Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
More AML relief on the way for Kiwi businesses

The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Hawke’s Bay Expressway moving at pace

Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Government seeks partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned-land

The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Wide ranging legislation to make justice system more efficient

Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Diverse skills in community trust appointments

A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Torture redress for survivors of the Lake Alice Unit

The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
A busy year in the House

It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Consultation opens on working with engineered stone

“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Greater reporting on Treaty settlement commitments

Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
New appointments to the Charities Registration Board

Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Building consent processing times improve

More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Faster access to support through Innovation Fund

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
New Zealand to assist Vanuatu on earthquake response

New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Government takes steps to reduce card fees for Kiwis

The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Review recommends ECE regulation shakeup

Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

4 days ago
Offshore Renewable Energy Bill passes first reading

The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

5 days ago
Local Government (Water Services) Bill passes first reading

Legislation to enable new water service delivery models that will drive critical investment in infrastructure has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking a significant step towards the delivery of Local Water Done Well, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly say.“Councils and voters ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

5 days ago
Gene Technology Bill passes first reading

New Zealand is one step closer to reaping the benefits of gene technology with the passing of the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. "This legislation will end New Zealand's near 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab and is ...

BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz

5 days ago

Signs of the hīkoi: More than just ‘words on cardboard’

The placards seen at the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti conveyed "huge kōrero with immediacy", expert says: "People know the power of the word." ...

Radio NZ – political

5 minutes ago
A final Ode to .. King Luxon

Cosmic CatastropheThe year draws to a close.King Luxon has grown tired of the long eveningsListening to the dreary squabbling of his Triumvirate.He strolls up to the top floor of the PalaceTo consult with his Astronomer Royal.The Royal Telescope scans the skies,And King Luxon stares up into the heavensFrom the terrestrial ...

NewsroomBy Victor Billot

7 hours ago
A hater and an enthusiast review The Royal Free by Carl Shuker

Spinoff editor Mad Chapman and books editor Claire Mabey debate Carl Shuker’s new novel about… an editor. Claire: Hello Mad, you just finished The Royal Free – overall impressions? Mad: Hi Claire, I literally just put the book down and I would have to say my immediate impression is ...

The SpinoffBy Claire Mabey

9 hours ago
Survive to 25 (December, that is)

Christmas and its buildup are often lonely, hard and full of unreasonable expectations. Here’s how to make it to Jesus’s birthday and find the little bit of joy we all deserve. Have you found this year relentless? Has the latest Apple update “fucked up your life”? Have you lost two ...

The SpinoffBy Anna Rawhiti-Connell

9 hours ago
All I want for Christmas is modern day slavery legislation

Despite overwhelming public and corporate support, the government has stalled progress on a modern day slavery law. That puts us behind other countries – and makes Christmas a time of tragedy rather than joy, argues Shanti Mathias. Picture the scene on Christmas Day. Everyone replete with nice things to eat, ...

The SpinoffBy Shanti Mathias

9 hours ago
Israeli-American historian describes attacks on Gaza as ‘war of annihilation’

Asia Pacific Report “It looks like Hiroshima. It looks like Germany at the end of World War Two,” says an Israeli-American historian and professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University about the horrifying reality of Gaza. Professor Omer Bartov, has described Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza as an ...

Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report

12 hours ago
NZ govt plans to make ‘heavy handed’ change to free speech rules for universities

The New Zealand government coalition is tweaking university regulations to curb what it says is an increasingly “risk-averse approach” to free speech. The proposed changes will set clear expectations on how universities should approach freedom of speech issues. Each university will then have to adopt a “freedom of speech statement” ...

Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report

12 hours ago
Caitlin Johnstone: Where does the aggression really begin?

Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with “murder as an act of terrorism” in his alleged shooting of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. This news comes out at the same time as ...

Evening ReportBy David Robie

15 hours ago
OECD Report Highlights That More Is Needed

This report reflects that gap in our dealings overseas, and it shows that legislators, the public sector and businesses need to walk the talk. ...

Scoop politics

23 hours ago
Government quietly scraps waste minimisation policies

The government has quietly cancelled plans to improve recycling and roll out a kerbside food scraps composting scheme. ...

Radio NZ – political

24 hours ago
MEAA welcomes News MAP funding ‘leg up’ for Australian journalism

Pacific Media Watch The union for Australian journalists has welcomed the delivery by the federal government of more than $150 million to support the sustainability of public interest journalism over the next four years. Combined with the announcement of the revamped News Bargaining Initiative, this could result in up to ...

Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report

1 day ago
Transmission Gully partnership breakdown will not hurt future public-private partnerships, Infrastru...

The roads partnership unravelled under a confidential settlement this week, meaning NZTA will now finish off what it had said was incomplete work. ...

Radio NZ – political

1 day ago
Funding cuts to charity particularly felt over Christmas period

The number of people seeking help from Lifeline is expected to increase by 10 to 20 percent over Christmas. ...

Radio NZ – political

1 day ago
Nelson Hospital conditions ‘unbearable’ – staff

One worker says the building is decrepit and falling down around them. ...

Radio NZ – political

1 day ago
Early-onset dementia under the microscope

Comment: If we say the word ‘dementia’, many will picture an older person struggling to remember the names of their loved ones, maybe a grandparent living out their final years in an aged care facility. Dementia can also occur in people younger than 65, but it can take time before ...

NewsroomBy Shruti Sharma and Dr Brigid Ryan

1 day ago
Keeping the pirates at bay: Should the Australian ‘Blocking Order’ case prompt a discussion in N...

Piracy is a reality of modern life – but copyright law has struggled to play catch-up for as long as the entertainment industry has existed. As far back as 1988, the House of Lords criticised copyright law’s conflict with the reality of human behaviour in the context of burning cassette ...

NewsroomBy Tania Goatley and Oscar Zambuto

1 day ago
The Secret Diary of .. Luxon at Xmas

MONDAY“Merry Xmas, and praise the Lord,” said Sheriff Luxon, and smiled for the camera. There was a flash of smoke when the shutter pressed down on the magnesium powder. The sheriff had arranged for a photographer from the Dodge Gazette to attend a ceremony where he handed out food parcels to ...

NewsroomBy Steve Braunias

1 day ago
Stand by for cricket’s Smash Palace

It’s a little under two months since the White Ferns shocked the cricketing world, deservedly taking home the T20 World Cup. Since then the trophy has had a tour around the country, five of the squad have played in the WBBL in Australia while most others have returned to domestic ...

NewsroomBy Aiden McLaughlin

1 day ago
‘We were as famous as Tom Cruise’: Craig Parker on 90s Shortland St fandom

As he makes a surprise return to Shortland Street, actor Craig Parker takes us through his life in television. Craig Parker has been a fixture on television in Aotearoa for nearly four decades. He had starring roles in iconic local series like Gloss, Mercy Peak and Diplomatic Immunity, featured in ...

The SpinoffBy My Life in TV

1 day ago
‘I prioritise the mission, not my health’: Adam McGrath’s perfect weekend playlist

The Ōtautahi musician shares the 10 tracks he loves to spin, including the folk classic that cured him of a ‘case of the give-ups’. When singer-songwriter Adam McGrath returns to Kumeu’s Auckland Folk Festival from January 24-27, he’s not planning on simply idling his way through – he wants the late ...

The SpinoffBy Weekend playlist

1 day ago
The rescue dog bringing joy to Christchurch retirement homes

Alex Casey spends an afternoon on the job with River, the rescue dog on a mission to spread joy to Ōtautahi rest homes. Almost everyone says it is never enough time. But River the rescue dog, a jet black huntaway border collie cross, has to keep a tight pace to ...

The SpinoffBy Alex Casey

1 day ago
Fiji pro-Palestine nativity scene exposes Gaza as ‘hell on earth’ at Christmas

Asia Pacific Report Fiji activists have recreated the nativity scene at a solidarity for Palestine gathering in Fiji’s capital Suva just days before Christmas. The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network recreated the scene at the FWCC compound — a baby Jesus figurine lies amidst the ...

Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report

2 days ago
Vanuatu quake: ‘Our shop was flattened like a deck of cards’

By 1News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver and 1News reporters A number of Kiwis have been successfully evacuated from Vanuatu after a devastating earthquake shook the Pacific island nation earlier this week. The death toll was still unclear, though at least 14 people were killed according to an earlier statement from ...

Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report

2 days ago
How diplomats have broken the law in NZ – and what happened next

A handful of foreign diplomats have misbehaved during their time here - and not all of them have been brought to justice. ...

Radio NZ – political

2 days ago
Swim schools report sinking enrolments as downturn deepens

Being able to swim is often considered a life skill, but tough economic times are forcing many families to pull their children out of lessons. ...

Radio NZ – political

2 days ago
‘There will be deaths because of this’ – Warning over Health NZ IT cuts

A West Coast IT worker is warning patients will die as Health New Zealand aims to slash its data and digital staff. ...

Radio NZ – political

2 days ago
Polytech sales possible but unlikely when Te Pūkenga disestablished – minister

In a surprise move, the sale of polytechnics will be on the table when the national institute of technology Te Pūkenga is disestablished. ...

Radio NZ – political

2 days ago
Parliament’s final sitting day an insight into party factions

On Parliament's last day of the year, there was a rare glimpse of the factions within the major parties. ...

Radio NZ – political

2 days ago
Former Labour MP, North Shore mayor Ann Hartley dies

Former Labour MP and mayor of Auckland's North Shore City Ann Hartley has died. ...

Radio NZ – political

2 days ago
The closest thing Australian cartooning had to a prophet: the sometimes celebrated, sometimes contro...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Scully, Professor in Modern History, University of New England Bunker. Image courtesy of Michael Leunig, CC BY-NC-SA Michael Leunig – who died in the early hours of Thursday December 19, surrounded by “his children, loved ones, and sunflowers” – was the ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

2 days ago
Labour moves Speaker from the ‘nice’ to ‘naughty’ list

Last week's fights with the Speaker over the Fast Track schedule may have changed the tone in Parliament. ...

Radio NZ – political

2 days ago
Govt ends pilot programme for Māori and Pacific, sparking outrage

The Government announced the end of the programme that allowed Māori and Pacific people to acess bowel cancer screening at 50-years-old. ...

Radio NZ – political

2 days ago
Parliament fits an extra morning into final sitting day

The House - On Parliament's last day of the year, there was the rare occurrence of a personal (conscience) vote on selling booze over the Easter weekend. While it didn't have the numbers to pass, it was a chance to get a rare glimpse of the fact ...

Radio NZ – political

2 days ago
The Friday Poem: ‘Bejeweled log’ by Holly Fletcher

A new poem by Holly Fletcher. bejeweled log i was dreaming about wasps / wee darlings that followed me / ducking under objects / that i was fated to pickup / my fingers seeking / and meeting with tiny proboscis’s / but instead / i wake up / roll sideways ...

The SpinoffBy Holly Fletcher

2 days ago
Sunglasses don’t just look good – they’re good for you too. Here’s how to choose the right p...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne Versta/Shutterstock Australians are exposed to some of the highest levels of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the world. While we ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

2 days ago
How does franchising work?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Terry, Professor of Business Regulation, University of Sydney Michael von Aichberger/Shutterstock Even if you’ve no idea how the business model underpinning franchises works, there’s a good chance you’ve spent money at one. Franchising is essentially a strategy for cloning ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

2 days ago
The one episode of Shortland Street you need to watch this year

If something big is going to happen in Ferndale, it’s going to happen at Christmas. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If there’s one episode of Shortland Street you should watch each year, it’s the annual Christmas cliffhanger. The final episode of ...

The SpinoffBy Tara Ward

2 days ago
As China expands its cyber espionage and sabotage operations, how will the Trump administration resp...

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William A. Stoltz, Lecturer and expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University US President-elect Donald Trump has named most of the members of his proposed cabinet. However, he’s yet to reveal key appointees to America’s powerful cyber warfare and intelligence institutions. ...

Evening ReportBy The Conversation

2 days ago
The Unity Books bestseller chart for 2024

Announcing the top 10 books of the the year at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber, $37) The phenomenal Irish writer is the unsurprising chart topper for 2024 with her fourth novel that, much like her first ...

The SpinoffBy The Spinoff Review of Books

2 days ago
Government confirms plan to dismantle Te Pūkenga, re-establish polytechs

The government has confirmed its plan to break up Te Pūkenga / New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology and re-establish independent polytechnics. ...

Radio NZ – political

2 days ago

90 Day No Rights policy, why?

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