National and the wage gap

Written By: - Date published: 2:24 pm, December 13th, 2007 - 74 comments
Categories: same old national, workers' rights - Tags: ,

I see National’s complaining about the wage gap between New Zealand and Australia again. As usual they have no answers on what to do about it other than to blindly hope that tax cuts for the rich will lead to economic growth and somehow it’ll all trickle down into the ordinary worker’s pay packet. Ever feel like someone’s trying to sell you a dud for a second time?

Because as anyone who lived through the 90s can tell you, National has a shameful record on wages, as this graph of median wage growth shows:

nominal-small-revised.jpg

The reason for this is simple. When National and its allied employer groups introduced the Employment Contracts Act in 1991 it was deliberately designed to reduce the ability of workers to bargain for better wages through their unions. This was done in a number of ways, but one of the most effective was its restrictions on the ability of unions to negotiate collective agreements across an entire industry.

This meant each collective agreement had to be negotiated on an enterprise (site by site) level, which both moved the balance of power firmly towards the employer and encouraged companies to compete against each other on labour costs. The result was a race to the bottom. Workers lost conditions, wages stagnated or fell for the majority of workers and collective bargaining was largely replaced by the market. Productivity suffered as the low cost of labour made capital investment uneconomical.

So when National talks about the need to lift wages and improve productivity, just remember who it was that slashed Kiwis’ take home pay in the 90s and put us in the position we’re in today. And don’t for a second think they wouldn’t go back there if given half a chance.

The challenge now for Labour is to finish the job they started in 2000 and strengthen the Employment Relations Act to restore effective industry bargaining. Wage growth has improved under the ERA, but it’s not nearly enough if we want to catch up with Australia.

As Council of Trade Unions economist Peter Conway points out, leaving it to the market alone hasn’t worked:

“New Zealand now has a structural problem of low wages, and the 30% wage gap with Australia will only be closed through more widespread industry wide collective bargaining, supported by ongoing improvements in productivity.

‘Wages were broadly comparable with Australia until the late 1980s, but then fell to 60% by 2002, according to Treasury analysis.

‘Similarly, in 1978 New Zealand and Australian workers had about the same amount of capital per hour worked but by 2002, capital intensity in Australia was over 50 percent greater than in New Zealand.

The CTU agrees that lifting productivity is essential to lift incomes on a sustainable basis. However this must be accompanied by effective measures to ensure the benefits are shared, with a strong minimum code and effective industry bargaining.

The next election may well be fought on the wage gap between New Zealand and Australia. It’s up to Labour to show the electorate which party’s really looking out for the interests of working New Zealanders.

74 comments on “National and the wage gap ”

  1. SweeetD 1

    Pretty graph Tane, but if you are comparing NZ with Aust, what is the point in showing the last 15 years of NZ medium wage growth? Could you post similar Aust data so we can comapre?

  2. James Kearney 2

    Thank you. It really sticks in my craw to hear National talk about wages as if they’ve going to do anything but cut them to make their big business backers even wealthier. Why don’t the media ever take National to task on this? Maybe the PM was onto something about youth and inexperience…

  3. The Double Standard 3

    Double Standard Alert!

    Tane, I’m wondering what Labour is doing about it – after it was Clark who made the ‘top half of the OECD’ prediction? Surely it is the job of the government in power to provide the solutions, not the opposition?

    After 8 years, I’d have thought that they could have made more progress. The Nats haven’t been in power since last century and it is a bit lame to be continually blaming them.

    Apart from quoting Peter Conway, how is Teh Party addressing the issue? How about nationalising Toll NZ, and agreeing to an immediate doubling of wages for the employees. Would that be a good plan? Or maybe doubling the income of those 44,000 core civil servants?

    It’s not like there is a magic wand to wave!

  4. Tane 4

    SweeetD, that’s a graph I already had on hand from a previous post:
    http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=527

    I used it because I felt it illustrated the effect the ECA had on our wage path and what’s happened since its repeal. People often don’t understand the effect industrial relations law has on people’s wages.

    Certainly some Aussie stats would be good but I don’t have them on hand right now. I’ll get something together eventually though.

  5. Lampie 5

    We must also not forget we have to make a “comfortable” environment for business to grow (someone got stats on that?) as in tax relief towards R&D (addressed already?) and company tax (addressed already). Even if this has become more of a reality we still have to a)don’t forget about business and b)blow our trumpet that we have created a better business environment.

  6. Tane 6

    TDS, taken another read of what I said:

    The challenge now for Labour is to finish the job they started in 2000 and strengthen the Employment Relations Act to restore effective industry bargaining. Wage growth has improved under the ERA, but it’s not nearly enough if we want to catch up with Australia.

    As for your suggestion that we double wages etc, you obviously haven’t understood a word I’ve written. But then given your efforts last night I suspect you’re here to disrupt rather than to engage.

  7. Lampie 7

    Bet they wouldn’t print your graph in the Herald, Tane. It’s too positive for them.

  8. djp 8

    I think the graph needs to be inflation adjusted.

    Also how did the Nats “slashed Kiwis’ take home pay in the 90s”? Does not the graph show steadily increasing there in the blue zone?

  9. SweeetD 9

    Tane

    without the aussie evidence, the graph simply shows that medium wage growth has carried on at the same rate under labour as they they receieved from national.

    I might be making a gereralised statment on this one, but then again, so are you. No where does this data show the economic conditions present at the time, so that in isolation, this data set is pretty much meaningless, but it is still a pretty graph.

    Get thise aussie figures up, as we’ll have something to compare.

  10. The Double Standard 10

    Tane – if you think that abusing me personally makes you look better then I guess I can’t stop you. Disappointing though. You might have to do better if you want H1 to comment on your little blog.

    You seem to be saying that improved collective bargaining is a magic wand. If so, why do you think Teh Party hasn’t done it already? Surely it would be an easy election winner?

    And why doesn’t it ‘lead they way’ with state sector wages – after all if its good enough to impose increased labour costs on businesses, then shouldn’t the state cough up significantly as well?

    Might help with our chronic medical staff shortage.

  11. Tane 11

    DJP, there’s a graph adjusted to inflation and taxation in this article:
    http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=527

    And a large number of Kiwis did have their pay slashed in the 90s. See for example Conway’s research on the wages of supermarket workers under the ECA:
    http://www.dol.govt.nz/publication-view.asp?ID=96

  12. Santi 12

    “..that tax cuts for the rich will lead to economic growth..”

    That’s where you problem lies Tane: the notion that people earning over $60,000 per year are rich. You’re wrong, completely wrong.

    Families with that income are probably getting even after having to pay mortgages and living expenses. They are not able to put some funds aside for later in life.

    The income belongs to the people who earn it, not to the state, which in the case of Labour’s Cullen & co appear so ready to get thier sticky fingers in opur wallets.

    Labour’s Working for Families is another attempt at wealth redistribution, with the idea of making some of the middle class even more dependent on the state (Do I need to mention the votes gained in the process?).

    Blatant socialism at its worst.

  13. James Kearney 13

    “medium wage growth has carried on at the same rate under labour as they they receieved from national.”

    Ah no it hasn’t. Look at the trend lines.

  14. SweeetD 14

    James

    under national from ’98, the graph edged up. It has carried on more or less in the same direction under labour. Yes, the increase is slightly steeper under labour, but it is still in the same gereral direction. Therefore, labour is just carrying on the work achieved under national.

    As I said to Tane, without aussie data to compare, this data set in isolation is pretty much meaningless if the whole point of this post is the wage gap between nz and aust.

  15. The Double Standard 15

    Interesting too to consider the effect of housing affordability on perceived income. Spiralling interest rates and house prices (to be following by rents no doubt) will have soaked up much (if not all) of wage growth in the last few years. Prices have more than doubled in many places since 1999 after all.

  16. Tane 16

    SweeetD, the point of the post was not about the difference in wages between NZ and Australia, it was to point out that National has no credibility criticising the government over wages, and to offer an idea of what we can do to lift wages in general.

    We don’t need Australian data to do that. Having said that, I’m happy to pull together some comparative data at some stage. In the meantime you might want to check out NRT’s post over here:
    http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2007/12/productivity-and-wage-gap.html

    And spin all you like, the trend lines for wages under National and
    Labour are significantly different, and the reason is industrial law. Workers were better able to bargain collectively and the wage path showed that. Why else do you think business has been so vehement about attacking work rights and repealing the ERA?

    TDS, I don’t know why you keep demanding I defend everything Labour has or hasn’t done. My position is that National will attack workers while at worst Labour will keep the status quo. I’d like to see them do better.

    Santi, my point was that the bulk of National’s tax cuts (at least based on 2005 policy) will go to the rich while the average worker will get crumbs. They’re certainly not a substitute for wage growth, no matter how many times Bill English says so.

  17. The Double Standard 17

    Tane – Maybe because you complain that National is not providing all the answers for Teh Party to steal? If the Nats are not providing the answers surely its not unreasonable to ask why Teh Party is not providing them either?

    Or maybe its because you continually misrepresent the facts. As djp pointed out you say “National… slashed Kiwis’ take home pay in the 90s

    The word slashed means that take home pay reduced under National but your chart clearly shows that it increased. I take it this is a new standard for the definition of slashed. This will be useful when the next health minister claims that “New Zealanders who have already seen their primary health bills slashed by Labour” or somesuch we will know that they have actually been increasing by 15% a year?

    It is obvious to all that the primary purpose of this blog is to attack National and John Key, but doesn’t banging the same note on the old piano get boring for you?

    How about some thoughts from the standardistas on how to go about this? “The CTU agrees that lifting productivity is essential to lift incomes on a sustainable basis.”?

  18. Pascal's bookie 18

    “but doesn’t banging the same note on the old piano get boring for you?”

    You don’t have any self awareness whatsoever do you TDS?

  19. Sam Dixon 19

    kiwiblogblog has a look at the economic indictors report and that stas its based on http://kiwiblogblog.wordpress.com/

    double stndard – the grpah only shows increase becuase it isn’t inflaiton adjusted… went went through this a couple of months ago.

    And this, mate ” Maybe because you complain that National is not providing all the answers for Teh Party to steal?” is both desperation stuff and shows the fundemental hollowness of National poltiics – for them its gettign into power that matters first and foremsot not getting policies in place.

  20. The Double Standard 20

    PB – hook, line, and sinker.

    Cap: week work hmmm.

  21. The Double Standard 21

    Sambo – I hope you use a spell checker in your professional life, and post here under an assumed name, because what you write online is just embarrassing.

  22. James Kearney 22

    “Sambo – I hope you use a spell checker in your professional life, and post here under an assumed name, because what you write online is just embarrassing.”

    I thought you were taking a stand against personal attacks double.

    And I still don’t get why you think Labour would steal National’s right wing policies on employment relations that are completely at odds with their policy programme of the last eight years. Why in the world would they do that?

  23. Pascal's bookie 23

    You might need to expand on your fishing analogy TDS/IP, the portion I quoted was pretty much the only content in your comment. If you are suggesting that it was in some way satirical, then I’m afraid I don’t get it.

    Perhaps you are acknowledging that you are a repetitive, boring one (flat)note wonder. If so, well played Sir. You done got me good.

    I would also second Sam’s point that the idea that “labour would steal our policy” is a good reason for not having any policy at all, only displays yourself to be hollow in the extreme.

    If you had a political bone in your body, an ounce of actual ideology or even a coherent philosophy, you would realise that when your opponents steal your policy… you win. That is because, and it’s sad that this has to be spelled out on a political blog, only partisan fuckwits care who initiates the policy, serious people just want the policy. So all your cant about ‘Labour good National bad’ is just (more) projection.

    Who woulda thunk it?

  24. r0b 24

    “you would realise that when your opponents steal your policy. you win.”

    Bookie is right on here. And we should all smile ourselves a smile every time Key flip flops and adopts a Labour policy. Because, much as I abhor the thought of a National led government, it won’t be so bad if they are implementing Labour policy (and constrained form the worst of their own excesses by the magic of MMP).

  25. The Double Standard 25

    What are you guys, a double team?

    PB – It was entirely predicable that Tane or one of his acolytes would post a response like you did. A pity that y’all have nothing better to do than bang on at me eh?

    JK – I don’t usually mention spelling (glass houses and all that), but that one was soooo bad. Ask Robbo – bad english over a threshold gets him a bit wound up too. Of course, he wouldn’t point it out to any of the standardistas though.

    As for National’s employment policies – why are you so keen to know then? I’ve seen various commentary that Teh Party is going to try and make it an election issue, so I guess posts like this are just a bit of framing for Labour.

  26. Tane 26

    Na, I just put this post up because I was pissed off that National would have the audacity to talk about lifting wages given their history and the fact they still have exactly the same policy agenda. I bet their business backers (especially the Australian ones) are gagging for a bit of WorkChoices over here too – gotta keep the flame alive now that Johnny Howard’s gone.

  27. The Double Standard 27

    Rob – funny that I was thinking along the same lines. I wonder if we will see posts here praising the Nats when they confirm (yet again) that they will keep Kiwisaver. I won’t be holding my breath though.

    And of course, I’m sure all here are pleased that Labour picked up this little gem from National for this years budget. Shame they hadn’t thought of it before.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10440386

  28. Pascal's bookie 28

    TDS, you’re so hollow I suspect you come with “life like sucking action”.

    The phrase ‘hook line and sinker’ implies that you caught me out in some ploy.

    So what was the ploy, to get someone to respond? Is that it?

    Jeebus wept. Aside from the fact that it confirms that as well as being an politically empty partisan fuckwit, all you are doing here is trolling. Which is sad more than any thing else. The only thing you can do, for hours and hours is to try and get people to talk to you on-line by being a contrary wanker. Why don’t you take up bridge or something?

  29. r0b 29

    Rob – funny that I was thinking along the same lines.

    That must be a first!

    I wonder if we will see posts here praising the Nats when they confirm (yet again) that they will keep Kiwisaver. I won’t be holding my breath though.

    I’ll try and remember to do so on that happy day. Have they confirmed supporting KiwiSaver II yet?

    And of course, I’m sure all here are pleased that Labour picked up this little gem from National for this years budget. Shame they hadn’t thought of it before.

    Indeed. A good idea is a good idea, no matter where it comes from. National could probably have achieved so much more over the last 8 years if they had grasped that fact, and been a constructive opposition, instead of being a knee-jerk “anti everything” opposition.

  30. Phil 31

    30-odd posts on this topic, and yet not a single reference to GDP… another case of wanting to beat people over the head with an ECON101 textbook, I suspect.

    We can argue all we like about the root causes, but if the national income “pie”, GDP, grows fairly weakly, and there isn’t any additional money to go around, there isn’t any reason for wages to increase.
    On the other hand, if GDP has done quite well – the “pie” has gotten bigger – as you would expect, wages should improve.

    Looking at NZ, the economy as a whole grew 24% between June 1990 and June 1999, while growing 32% from June 1999 to June 2006.

    Once you take into account the impact of inflation, as you have done in the previously noted article where this frst came up, you will note that under BOTH NATIONAL AND LABOUR, the increase in GDP is greater than the increase in wages (14% real income to 24% real GDP under National, and 21% real income to 32% real GDP under Labour)

  31. PhilBest 32

    You guys just do not like it when I mock the notion that prosperity is dependent on strong unions, industrial legislation, and minimum wage laws.

    Would you advise Somalia and Bangladesh that this was the way out of their economic malaise?

    Can you guys see ANY role at all for enterprise, investment, and capital? And the right incentive structure?

    You just CAN’T wave a magic wand, and say, presto! henceforth New Zealanders, Somalians, and Bangladeshis, will be paid just as much as Americans or Frenchmen. The wealth has to BE there in the first place before you can “share it around”. And it is not as if it isn’t obvious HOW that wealth GETS created. No GOVERNMENT creates it.

    But I’m banging my head on a brick wall. YOUR type’s legacy to the world is North Korea.

    “Reason supported by evidence is insufficient to dislodge from the human heart, a lie grounded in desire” – David Horowitz.

  32. “30-odd posts on this topic, and yet not a single reference to GDP. another case of wanting to beat people over the head with an ECON101 textbook, I suspect.

    We can argue all we like about the root causes, but if the national income “pie”, GDP, grows fairly weakly, and there isn’t any additional money to go around, there isn’t any reason for wages to increase”

    Guess you haven’t read my links then Phil.

    Actually, from 1991-2004 GDP growth in NZ averaged 0.2% per year less than Australia, yet growth in average wage was 0.6% per year lower than Australia’s. So NZ has been doing fine with regard to GDP growth – it’s just that, unlike the situation in Australia, workers haven’t been receiving the benefits of that growth. I hear growth in corporate profits haven’t been too bad though.

  33. Phil 34

    I started reading them, Roger, but got bored and fell asleep.

    Just kidding.

    Here is a little bit of speculation, which I have no data for, but is still a reasonably interesting thought that I’ve just considered (take that as a disclaimer, if you will)

    I suspect that a great deal of Australia’s growth has been in Minerals (especially the mines in WA). Going down a mine shaft is a dangerous job, but it doesnt require a great deal of training (I have an older brother over there, a qualified mechanic, repairing machinery) so it’s fairly easy to get a foot in the door and earn good money quickly.

    Perhaps, just perhaps, the compositional effect of all those workers has pushed up the averages?

    Contrast this to NZ where our growth has been more Agricultural – an industry comparatively dominated by sole traders and family owned farms – whose income is probably not included within employee wage and salary measures.

    Might help to explain some of the apparent lack of growth here?

  34. I suspect that a great deal of Australia’s growth has been in Minerals (especially the mines in WA). Going down a mine shaft is a dangerous job, but it doesnt require a great deal of training (I have an older brother over there, a qualified mechanic, repairing machinery) so it’s fairly easy to get a foot in the door and earn good money quickly.

    I read in a treasury report that the mining industry only represents 3-4% of Australia’s GDP – it really doesn’t impact the economy that much.

  35. Leftie 36

    On the subject of increasing NZ pay…
    We should not forget the manipulation of the unemployment rate upwards, resulting in worker versus worker competing for jobs. This is an excellent tool to control escalating wages.

  36. The Double Standard 37

    I read in a treasury report that the mining industry only represents 3-4% of Australia’s GDP – it really doesn’t impact the economy that much.

    Similarly, the diary industry is a bigger contributer to GDP in NZ. I’ve seen it quoted at 7% for Fonterra alone.

    Makes me wonder why Cullen gets away with statements like this

    Well if we had the kind of natural resources they have we’d be digging them up and exporting them to Japan and China as they do and getting the kind of growth that they’ve had

    Just trading on public ignorance I suppose.

  37. burt 38

    Tane

    Pledge to do better as NZ slips back

    New Zealand has “a solid platform for future growth” but is 22nd out of 30 OECD countries on material standard of living – two places lower than in 2005.

    So Tane, just how is this graph representing the big picture in NZ?

  38. Robinsod 39

    DS – you’re citing an agenda transcript I see. That’s some nice work bro, but just outta interest did you come up with the quote first and then frame the dairy angle around it or did the dairy=natural resource=mining angle come first and the quote follow?

  39. The Double Standard 40

    Robbo – you are getting boring. Perhaps another curry? It might help you have an original thought or two.

    PB – no, not a ploy to get a response. Just an feeling that some standard plonker would likely respond in that way to that bit of the post and completely ignore the rest of it. Have you ever heard of self-deprecation? I guess not. Why don’t you go defenestrate yourself?

  40. Robinsod 41

    DS – it was a kebab you fool. Now you’ve bored us all to tears lately and we’ve answered you. How about a little reciprocation?

  41. The Double Standard 42

    Curry/Kebab who cares?

    Here’s a link that might help you understand

    http://www.monpa.com/wcp/documentry.html

  42. Robinsod 43

    So you do have a sense of humour. Nice diversion bro, but it still doesn’t answer my question. Here’s an easier one: how’d you come across the agenda transcript anyway? Actually more to the point – why were you looking for it?

  43. Dean 44

    roger nome said:

    “Sweet – at the risk of appearing to be self-promoting i’ll post a couple of links that may answer some of you questions re-Australia vs NZ.”

    Have you remembered to include tax rates in those posts roger?

  44. The Prophet 45

    Mike, why do you use the name Robinsod?

  45. Robinsod 46

    Robinson was my Grandmother’s maiden name. I changed it to Robinsod after “Robinson” was disabled on KB – it was funny at the time because it is only one consonant different and “sod” is a funny word. See how easy it is to answer a simple question.

    Now, why do you refuse to call me by my handle and instead use my real name?

  46. The Prophet 47

    Well Mike, I like to think I’m a friend of yours so I thought I’d use the name your mates call you.

    ‘Sod’ – Yeah man, that IS pretty funny.

    Ha ha

    Ha ha

  47. Robinsod 48

    Um dude – between that comment and your handle you’re sounding a little creepy. Oh, and you’ll never be a mate of mine, even I’ve got standards higher than that so you better start calling me “robinsod” again. Sorry.

  48. r0b 49

    The Prophet has appropriated a very auspicious handle, but methinks that Khalil Gibran would not approve…

  49. The Prophet 50

    So Mike – you don’t want to be my friend? Oh, thats sad. I quite like callng you Mike though, so I hope you don’t mind if I continue to in our future conversations.

    The “even I’ve got standards” comment is much funnier than ‘Sod’ by the way

    Bahahahahaha.

    Rob – KG is dead mate, he won’t care.

  50. r0b 51

    “Rob – KG is dead mate, he won’t care.”

    False Prophet, I don’t think your words will be remembered as long as his.

  51. Mike Porton 52

    Ok Prophet – If you’re gonna be my mate we should probably catch up and make it official. I get the feeling you’re a Wellington boy so you should ring me, my number’s in the book and it’s a local call. Or if you want you can email me at mickyporton[]hotmail.com

    I reckon we’ll get on like a house on fire.

  52. The Prophet 53

    Are you asking me out on a date Mike?

  53. Mike Porton 54

    Damn straight Prophet. I figure clever fellows like you and me would hit it off real well. We should have a beer or something. I’m thinking the Bristol – I’d say that’s probably not too far for you to go. I don’t want to post a time up here though ‘cos there’s like y’know some odd people on line. How about you email me at mickyporton[]hotmail.com?

  54. “Have you remembered to include tax rates in those posts roger?”

    No – not sure how you would – they have property taxes and stamp duties that NZ doesn’t. Mr Farrar and the rest of the Nat research unit never seem to take these into account so their figures are always flawed.

  55. Matthew Pilott 56

    Phil, Roger Nome and TDS – i was looking at this: http://kiwiblogblog.wordpress.com/2007/12/13/what-do-the-indicators-indicate/

    and noticed the WA stats were much higher than the rest of aussie. Reckon that could be because of mining?

    If so, then NZ having WA’s resources would have quite an impact! Mebbe Cullen ain’t so dumb after all…

  56. The Prophet 57

    THE BRISTOL – Fuck, I wouldn’t be seen dead in a joint like that.

    How about Liks?

  57. Mike Porton 58

    Prophet. Ring/email me.

  58. Mat Pilott:

    WA only represents about 10% of Australia’s population. Nuff said?

    BTW – while not being overly significant in terms of wages, the mining industry certainly could be considered an important part of Australia’s export industry – remember, most GDP in Aus is accounted for by goods and services produced locally for domestic consumption. So while the mining industry only represents 3-4% of GDP in Aus it might comprise something like (at a guess) 10% of export $. So it certainly is important for the Aus economy in terms of balance of payments (i.e. stopping capital from leeching oversees).

  59. PhilBest 60

    At 0.2% growth per annum, how long will it take for OUR economy to double in size compared to an economy that is growing at 0.6%, or at 6.0%?

    0.2% is PISS-POOR. NO-ONE is going to get the increases in wealth, living standards, and social services that we WANT and feel entitled to because we’re a “first world” nation. Yeah right.

  60. Matthew Pilott 61

    PhilBest, bash yourself once more with the ECON101 book yeah?

    Do you seriously think that our economy is growing at 0.2%??

    Roger Nome mentioned that our economy is growing at a rate 0.2% slower than that of Australia’s. Unless Australia’s economy is growing at only 0.4%…

    With knowledge like that, I can see why you imagine New Zealand isn’t a developed (you used the backwards “first world”) nation. BTW Have you ever been to a developing nation?

    Roger Nome – what I meant is that if NZ had WA’s resources, while it cotributes only 3-4% of Australia’s GDP, that would be a far greater percentage in NZ.

    That would make Cullen’s comment accurate – the one TDS thought was clearly wrong…

  61. Joshua 62

    Very interesting graph, although perhaps for completeness it should be extended back to 1984 to show what happened during the Douglas Regime. This is not an argument that the ECA was not detrimental to wage conditions, rather an attempt to ascertain what kind of position the National government inherited in 1990

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    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    8 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    8 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    8 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    9 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    10 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    13 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
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