A living wage: living with dignity edition

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, February 12th, 2013 - 49 comments
Categories: class war, cost of living, poverty, quality of life - Tags:

The concept of a living wage is one that just makes good sense to me.  A wage should be enough to live on, right?  Because it’s a wage?  Because what’s the point if it doesn’t?  Because … because we have to work to support ourselves and our families and if the wage isn’t enough to live on surely it makes no sense?

(As I ask these questions, my expression gets progressively more and more confused.  I assure you it’s very cute.)

But I realise I am not everyone, and so when a group of very knowledgeable people put together some estimates of what a “living wage” would really be (covered by Eddie here and Ben here), I go “sounds fair to me” and other people go, “But I could live on far less than that, these numbers are too high!!!”

What I’ve come to realise is that “living wage” means vastly different things to different people.

To some people, it means enough to tread water.  Enough to fulfil basic caloric requirements and pay for rent on the smallest place you can find (probably in Kawerau, or Gore, because if you claim you can’t afford rent and you live in Auckland, where all the jobs are, you’re just being demanding), wearing underwear from a $2 shop and using minimal power because you don’t need a television if you’re really struggling.

Honestly, I’m surprised I haven’t yet seen a comment saying “but you don’t need to go out even once a month if you really can’t afford to!!!”  And I will thank you not to link me to it if you see it.

To me, there’s an unspoken “with dignity” that sits after “living”.  It means more than the bare bones, more than scraping by, more than just making ends meet.

It means being able to save, so you have a safety net when things go wrong.  It means not shifting from flat to flat when the landlord raises the rent, moving the kids from school to school, and certainly never having the temerity to aspire to home ownership.  It means having treats – a day at the zoo, a movie, a bottle of wine, opportunities to bond and socialise and enjoy the company of your family and other people.

It means being able to hold your head up at the school gate because your kid can have a new pair of shoes (which aren’t shitty plastic that’s going to hurt their feet) to wear to school.

Sure, the kid could wear jandals, and nobody’s going to die without a glass of $10 sav, and takeaways are going to kill us all … but seriously.  What complete sociopathic lack of empathy do you have if you can’t even allow that human beings deserve lives which include enjoyment and reassurance and dignity?

And if you really are a middle class bastard motivated purely by self-interest, you know what else letting people live with dignity means?

People not becoming totally disillusioned with our society.  People not doing everything they’re told they have to do, only to feel like they’re never going to get ahead.  People not turning into criminals, breaking into your home, stealing your shit, and burning your fucking house down because they have been browbeaten and shat on and starved and shuffled from low-paying temporary job to low-paying temporary job until they have fucking snapped and said “fuck it, why the fuck not go eat the rich?”

People don’t have bread and you’re sitting back saying “Let them NOT eat cake, cake’s a luxury item!” and you don’t expect this shit to bite you in the ass?

A living wage is a wage that lets people live with dignity.  Is that so much to fucking ask?

49 comments on “A living wage: living with dignity edition ”

  1. KJT 1

    Exactly right. Less than a living wage is a subsidy from the employee, and often the rest of the tax paying public, to the employer.

    We all know what good capitalists say about firms that cannot meet the true costs of the resources they use, don’t we!

  2. But what is ‘dignity’ under capitalism?
    Even a good wage that buys most of the things we need, still leaves us as wage slaves.
    Where is the dignity in that?
    Because who defines needs under capitalism?
    When you look at it, our needs are defined as what is necessary to make us fit to to be exploited.
    Fighting for a ‘living wage’ is a good step to prove that unless you make a profit for the boss your need to live is not a right.
    Because unless you are making a profit the bosses don’t need you alive you are cheaper dead.
    A step along the way in realising that for us to live capitalism must die.

    • karol 2.1

      wage slaves may need to stifle their dignity at work. however, if they get some leisure time, and have enough money to make it possible, they can get some dignity from those activities.

      People getting only enough to physically survive, don’t even have those moments when dignity is possible.

    • QoT 2.2

      Fighting for a ‘living wage’ is a good step to prove that unless you make a profit for the boss your need to live is not a right.

      Bullshit. Fighting for increased wages clearly has fuck-all to do with “making a profit for the boss”. The “boss” can happily make profits by churning through an underemployed class of starving workers, especially with Paula Bennett at the helm of our welfare system. (That is, until the aforementioned burning-down-of-fucking-houses).

      There are some good conversations to be had about the inherent inequities of all capitalist wage-labour relationships. I’m sure they’re really fun and engaging for people who aren’t struggling just to feed their kids three meals a day.

      You want a revolution? You better make sure people have the basic headspace for a revolution. When they’re being trodden into the dirt they might just be a little more focused on the dirt.

      • Olwyn 2.2.1

        Excellent post QoT. It is disgraceful to insist that the best the non-middle class should expect is a subhuman existence, and to whinge about the extravagance of their $10 bottle of wine through cosmetically enhanced teeth. I am deeply grateful to the people who have actually worked out what a living wage is at the moment, since it shows us how bad things have become, and also gives us a goal to work toward if we are to be citizens rather than denizens.

      • red rattler 2.2.2

        “You want a revolution? You better make sure people have the basic headspace for a revolution. When they’re being trodden into the dirt they might just be a little more focused on the dirt.”

        Qot: you havnt noticed that the struggle for survival wages is met by repression which becomes a motivator to question the need to get rid of the wage system? eg Marikana.
        Nothing to do with ‘headspace’ or ‘fun’. But in every sense being ‘focused on the dirt’.

        Karol: capitalism does not allow ‘dignity’ in leisure. You should know that. Dignity is won by fighting capitalism at work and when leisure becomes time for organising its overthrow.

        • Colonial Viper 2.2.2.1

          Karol: capitalism does not allow ‘dignity’ in leisure. You should know that. Dignity is won by fighting capitalism at work and when leisure becomes time for organising its overthrow.

          That’s exactly right.

  3. Blue 3

    wearing underwear from a $2 shop

    Geez, you have high standards, QOT. The poor should never buy anything new. If they can afford underwear from the $2 shop they need their wages/benefits cut.

    Used underwear is the only way to go.

    • felixviper 3.1

      Why are they wearing underwear at all?

      I mean are we talking about a living wage or an exotic luxury lingere wage?

      • QoT 3.1.1

        Shit, you’re both right. My extravagant indulgence will destroy New Zealand’s whole economy. *weeps for our nation*

  4. Mel 4

    Yesterday during a discussion on the living wage I heard national radio commentator on ‘The Panel’ state…” If we give them more how will we know they’ll spend it wisely?” (or similar comment).

    Felt vomit in my throat and my chest constricting.

    Since when was employers paying workers for work undertaken a charity? Employers don’t GIVE workers money for goodness sake. Workers work for it!

    How on earth has the language of work been hijacked by such crap?

    And how have we come to be a country where the rich Prime Minister can publicly utter that a living wage is a not a priority for Government with no subsequent media nor public outrage??

    • QoT 4.1

      Well, I think you’ve answered your own question, Mel. There’s no outrage because the narrative of “poor people just make bad choices / spend it all on booze and the TAB” is so strong.

    • Colonial Weka 4.2

      The Panel will be the first against the wall.

    • Olwyn 4.3

      “If we give them more how will we know they’ll spend it wisely?” It’s amazing that some people cannot even hear themselves saying such things. Haven’t they noticed people who behave like that are not depicted in literature as urban sophisticates, but as cruel, vulgar upstarts?

      • RedLogix 4.3.1

        Well the logic in their heads tells them that being poor or on a low income is a result of their bad life choices already … and that giving them more money is just throwing good after bad.

        It’s a snobbery thing really.

        • Olwyn 4.3.1.1

          Yes, it’s snobbery, but dissociative, self-defeating snobbery. They would not go and see some Jane Austen or Dickens movie and think that the people who behave as they do are the good guys.

          • RedLogix 4.3.1.1.1

            I think maybe we’re all guilty of that to some degree or another. We all we tend to judge others by their actions …. and ourselves by our intentions.

            It’s late and the next thing eludes me right now …. but it’s worth remembering that almost no-one thinks of themselves as a bad person, let alone setting out to be a ‘cruel, vulgar upstart’. Yet we are almost always blind to exactly that sin in ourselves.

            • Olwyn 4.3.1.1.1.1

              True, but thoughts that would comfortably condemn others to privation do need to be challenged, wherever they come from.

            • Mike 4.3.1.1.1.2

              Sadly, it has come to pass that many don’t “judge others by their actions”. They judge them by the perceptions they have which is brainwashed into them by politicians and the mainstream media, some commentators in particular. How else could it be perceived so widely that people unlucky enough to find themselves on an unemployment benefit are on it for the lifestyle, living the high life with booze, drugs, gambling and sky TV. Not to mention nice cars, state houses and so on and so on. Amazingly, people never stop to think critically about this perception, else they would come to the realization that this isn’t possible at all on $200 a week (plus accommodation sup, max $100 per week). Yet still this belief persists, because the mainstream media never ever comes out and declares constantly that $200 to $300 a week is fuck all.

              Just today there was a letter in the Herald talking about full time employed people getting less than what they would on the unemployment benefit. This simply is not true. The max you get on the unemployment benefit is around $200 per week plus accommodation supplement. But anyone on low wages (less than around $700 per week) can also claim the accommodation supplement. Yet people I know still blindly believe this shit. Maybe if the unemployment benefit was much higher, employers would be forced to raise wages. Imagine if wages had risen in line with productivity increases over the last 40 years, instead of profits from productivity increases all being gobbled up by executives and shareholders.

              Then again, imagine if we had free mobility of labour but no mobility of capital (instead of the opposite which is what we currently have). Corporations would be forced to compete to attract workers by providing high wages and other benefits.

              • fatty

                well said mike…can you (or someone) clarify this – I don’t understand – Then again, imagine if we had free mobility of labour but no mobility of capital (instead of the opposite which is what we currently have).

                • karol

                  Then again, imagine if we had free mobility of labour but no mobility of capital (instead of the opposite which is what we currently have).

                  Capital can take their jobs to any country – and many do offshore their factories to lower paying countries. Workers do not have so much choice to follow the jobs internationally.

                  The quotation suggests that, if workers had global choice of where to work, and employers/corporates couldn’t move globally, the employers would have to raise their game in providing jobs with living wages.

                  • fatty

                    thanks…I get it now.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      karol’s comment also explains a lot of what you see happening today on borders between countries and the hoopla around boat people.

                      A lot of countries welcome and in flow of foreign capital, but would shoot at, sink or detain an inflow of unwanted foreigners.

              • Colonial Viper

                Maybe if the unemployment benefit was much higher, employers would be forced to raise wages.

                Universal Basic Income mate 🙂

  5. Draco T Bastard 5

    I, and many others, can survive on the unemployment benefit but we can’t actually do anything (and if we could there’d be people complaining that we had too much income) and that’s not living. A person with a job has much higher expenses than someone just surviving on the UB and thus their income needs to be significantly higher again. The minimum wage is high enough to allow a worker to survive but, again, not actually do anything and the same people are complaining about raising their income.

    Why is it, do you think, that a large portion of our society isn’t allowed to do anything and are, in fact, prevented from doing anything?

    • QoT 5.1

      Because then some other people couldn’t have houses so large it’s difficult for the Diplomatic Protection Squad to protect them.

    • Colonial Weka 5.2

      “A person with a job has much higher expenses than someone just surviving on the UB and thus their income needs to be significantly higher again”

      how do you figure that?

      • QoT 5.2.1

        I don’t know what Draco specifically means, but a person in paid employment probably has additional transport and clothing costs for the commute and to maintain the expected “standard” of work attire (or even uniforms.)

        Or you could work for Overland.

        • Colonial Weka 5.2.1.1

          That would be true for some workers and not others.

          I was thinking transport particularly. Not sure that it qualifies as ‘much higher’ as a generalisation, I guess it would depend on where and the circumstances.

          • felixviper 5.2.1.1.1

            Generally true. Apart from transport, clothing, food (yeah many people need more food when they’re working than when they’re not) there are a whole lot of things that are hard to find time for with a full time job that save a lot of money. Vege gardening is one example.

            • just saying 5.2.1.1.1.1

              Once you are set up with all the gears and materials, preferably in a congenial climate with good soil… sometimes vege gardens save money . But saving a lot of money?….. Nah
              And often the costs outweigh any savings.

              It’s a hobby for most people.

              • RedLogix

                True js … but it’s only one example. The trap we’ve fallen into is the idea that everything has to be monetised …when in fact for most of human existence we got by just fine on a gift economy combined with bartering whenever we had a surplus.

                Actually trading with money was pretty much reserved for special items like luxury status goods, or those shipped long distances from other countries.

                One of the reasons why capitalism has been so dominant is that it has usurped this normal gifting/bartering economy of ordinary everyday life, in order that the profits could be captured by the owners of capital.

                Being unemployed would be a whole lot less of a bastard if we made it a lot easier for them to participate in this sort of ‘off the grid’ economy. Instead we penalise them if they do.

                • just saying

                  You’re quite right RL.

                  I was going to say that the only way that domestic gardening really “works” economically is when harvests (and also preferably, time and resources) are shared because fruit and vege gardens are feast or famine most of the time. It’s what I’m involved in, and it feels great.

                  I don’t even think it was what Felix was talking about, but I tend to bristle at any suggestion that the poor just need to dig a garden (presumably with their kitchen cutlery or their bare hands) and they will magically be able to feed themselves. It tends to go with the meme that the poor are just lazy.

                  Community gardens, transition towns and time-banking are working on changing communities in just these ways, but progress is slow because so much has been lost, in the past thirty years particularly.

                  But I believe that this kind of community-building should never replace political action for social justice, the two movements must go together.

                  • felixviper

                    Yes js that’s very true, it’s in co-operation and trade with others and over longer timeframes that growing your own food makes a real monetary difference.

                    But the same applies: It’s a lot harder to find the time to network and co-operate and trade food and garden at a community level when you’re working 40 hours.

          • Mike 5.2.1.1.2

            Yep, especially if they are self employed or contractors where they can claim back pretty much all their expenses in tax rebates. I’ve always wondered why we allow such an unfair system. For example, a self employed person has to drive themselves to work and back each day. They can claim back the expense of doing work (cost of doing business) in their taxes. A person on salary or wages has to drive themselves to work and back each day, but they cannot claim back the expense of this. Why the fuck is that? Am I missing something? They’re both having to pay money to get to work, yet one of them can get that money back whilst the other can’t. Small things like this never seem to see the light of day in any public arenas.

            • Draco T Bastard 5.2.1.1.2.1

              Yeah, that’s something I’ve been wondering about for the last few years as well. A worker on PAYE is as much in business as the self-employed contractor. As far as I can make out the reason why we treat them differently is because it costs the IRD too much to treat everyone the same. This could be changed with modern technology but no one seems willing to change it. Probably because it would mean trashing a few private businesses.

      • Draco T Bastard 5.2.2

        Transport, clothing, food – it all adds up. Hell, the job I applied for the other day comes with $5000 per year in transport costs. It’s not a minimum wage job but it’s not an average wage job either. Yes, I’d be better off than on the dole but not that much better off.

  6. djp 6

    Well lets assume that everyone should have a living income (whatever that number is determined to be).

    That does not mean that it needs to be 100% supplied by a wage. Better to have a universal benefit or some such and abolish wage floors so that price signals can still communicate what work actually provides utility.

    • felixviper 6.1

      What makes you think price signals reflect utility in pay now?

    • Mike 6.2

      Great, more rent seeking. You’re suggesting more subsidies for business instead of companies paying people a fair and decent wage as compensation for their labour. Why should taxpayers subsidize companies which are making good profits? It used to be that as profits increased often through gains in productivity that the wealth was “shared” with executives, shareholders and workers all getting income increases. Since the 80’s, all of the additional profits from increased productivity have been kept by those at the top, on of the reasons for the drastically increasing income inequality between those at the top and everyone else. Yet you want taxpayers to pay out even more money to the rent seekers, rather than sharing the wealth.

      And no, I’m not a communist and I don’t want everyone to be equal and receive equal pay and so on. I just believe in fairness. Yes, executives should get more pay than their workers (not that their input to society is greater though) but having an income 40 times that of their workers should be enough, not 400 times.

      • Colonial Viper 6.2.1

        Don’t fuss, just increase taxes on corporates, asset wealth and top tier incomes.

        but having an income 40 times that of their workers should be enough, not 400 times.

        I reckon 10x to 15x is more than enough a differentiator. That’s a very common ratio in Japan. In the Mandragon co-operative Corporation a more usual ratio is 7x.

      • Draco T Bastard 6.2.2

        You’re suggesting more subsidies for business instead of companies paying people a fair and decent wage as compensation for their labour.

        Nope, suggesting that taxes be high enough to ensure that everyone has a decent living standard.

        http://thestandard.org.nz/social-democratic-economy-part-2/
        http://thestandard.org.nz/universal-income-the-minimum-wage/

        The point is that there must be enough produced to support that living standard and thus the universal income which informs us the minimum that needs to be produced. If we also work with penal rates to ensure that everyone has a job then that work gets spread around effectively so that we don’t get people whinging about bludgers on the dole.

        What effectively happens with a universal income is that we start working together rather than competing with each other.

    • McFlock 6.3

      The current government is working towards universal implementation of at least half of your solution.

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    Don’t expect any fiscal shocks or surprises when the books are opened on December 20 with the unveiling of the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). That was the message yesterday from Westpac in an economic commentary. But the bank’s analysis did not include any changes to capital ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2023
    113 articles in 48 journals by 674 contributing authors Physical science of climate change, effects Diversity of Lagged Relationships in Global Means of Surface Temperatures and Radiative Budgets for CMIP6 piControl Simulations, Tsuchida et al., Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0045.1 Do abrupt cryosphere events in High Mountain Asia indicate earlier tipping ...
    4 days ago
  • Phone calls at Kia Kaha primary
    It is quiet reading time in Room 13! It is so quiet you can hear the Tui outside. It is so quiet you can hear the Fulton Hogan crew.It is so quiet you can hear old Mr Grant and old Mr Bradbury standing by the roadworks and counting the conesand going on ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • A question of confidence is raised by the Minister of Police, but he had to be questioned by RNZ to ...
    It looks like the new ministerial press secretaries have quickly learned the art of camouflaging exactly what their ministers are saying – or, at least, of keeping the hard news  out of the headlines and/or the opening sentences of the statements they post on the home page of the governments ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Xmas  good  cheer  for the dairy industry  as Fonterra lifts its forecast
    The big dairy co-op Fonterra  had  some Christmas  cheer to offer  its farmers this week, increasing its forecast farmgate milk price and earnings guidance for  the year after what it calls a strong start to the year. The forecast  midpoint for the 2023/24 season is up 25cs to $7.50 per ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • MICHAEL BASSETT: Modern Maori myths
    Michael Bassett writes – Many of the comments about the Coalition’s determination to wind back the dramatic Maorification of New Zealand of the last three years would have you believe the new government is engaged in a full-scale attack on Maori. In reality, all that is happening ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Dreams of eternal sunshine at a spotless COP28
    Mary Robinson asked Al Jaber a series of very simple, direct and highly pertinent questions and he responded with a high-octane public meltdown. Photos: Getty Images / montage: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR The hygiene effects of direct sunshine are making some inroads, perhaps for the very first time, on the normalised ‘deficit ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Oh, the irony
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Appointed by new Labour PM Jacinda Ardern in 2018, Cindy Kiro headed the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms to the welfare system. Kiro had been Children’s Commissioner during Helen Clark’s Labour government but returned to academia subsequently. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Transport Agencies don’t want Harbour Tunnels
    It seems even our transport agencies don’t want Labour’s harbour crossing plans. In August the previous government and Waka Kotahi announced their absurd preferred option the new harbour crossing that at the time was estimated to cost $35-45 billion. It included both road tunnels and a wiggly light rail tunnel ...
    4 days ago
  • Webworm Presents: Jurassic Park on 35mm
    Hi,Paying Webworm members such as yourself keep this thing running, so as 2023 draws to close, I wanted to do two things to say a giant, loud “THANKS”. Firstly — I’m giving away 10 Mister Organ blu-rays in New Zealand, and another 10 in America. More details down below.Secondly — ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • The Prime Minister's Dream.
    Yesterday saw the State Opening of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne, and then Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s dream for Aotearoa in his first address. But first the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Governor General.Dame Cindy Kiro arrived on the forecourt outside of parliament to a Māori welcome. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • National’s new MP; the proud part-Maori boy raised in a state house
    Probably not since 1975 have we seen a government take office up against such a wall of protest and complaint. That was highlighted yesterday, the day that the new Parliament was sworn in, with news that King Tuheitia has called a national hui for late January to develop a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Climate Adam: Battlefield Earth – How War Fuels Climate Catastrophe
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). War, conflict and climate change are tearing apart lives across the world. But these aren't separate harms - they're intricately connected. ...
    5 days ago
  • They do not speak for us, and they do not speak for the future
    These dire woeful and intolerant people have been so determinedly going about their small and petulant business, it’s hard to keep up. At the end of the new government’s first woeful week, Audrey Young took the time to count off its various acts of denigration of Te Ao Māori:Review the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Another attack on te reo
    The new white supremacist government made attacking te reo a key part of its platform, promising to rename government agencies and force them to "communicate primarily in English" (which they already do). But today they've gone further, by trying to cut the pay of public servants who speak te reo: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • For the record, the Beehive buzz can now be regarded as “official”
    Buzz from the Beehive The biggest buzz we bring you from the Beehive today is that the government’s official website is up and going after being out of action for more than a week. The latest press statement came  from  Education Minister  Eric Stanford, who seized on the 2022 PISA ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again
    There was another ETS auction this morning. and like all the other ones this year, it failed to clear - meaning that 23 million tons of carbon (15 million ordinary units plus 8 million in the cost containment reserve) went up in smoke. Or rather, they didn't. Being unsold at ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Assault On Maori
    This isn’t news, but the National-led coalition is mounting a sustained assault on Treaty rights and obligations. Even so, Christopher Luxon has described yesterday’s nationwide protests by Maori as “pretty unfair.” Poor thing. In the NZ Herald, Audrey Young has compiled a useful list of the many, many ways that ...
    5 days ago
  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago
  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    6 days ago
  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago
  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    6 days ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    7 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    7 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    1 week ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    1 week ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 week ago

  • First step to flexible labour market
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to repeal the Fair Pay Agreement legislation by Christmas 2023. “We are moving quickly to remove this legislation before any fair pay agreements are finalised and the negative impacts are felt by the labour market,” says Minister van Velden.  “Fair pay agreements undermine ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    34 mins ago
  • Extending 90-day trial periods to all employers
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to extend the availability of 90-day trial periods to all employers.  “Extending 90-day trial periods to all employers gives businesses the confidence to hire new people and increases workplace flexibility,” says Minister van Velden.  “Whether a business has 2 or 200 employees, bringing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    34 mins ago
  • COP28 National Statement for New Zealand
    Tēnā koutou katoa Mr President, Excellencies, Delegates. An island nation at the bottom of the Pacific, New Zealand is unique.          Our geography, our mountains, lakes, winds and rainfall helps set us up for the future, allowing for nearly 90 per cent of our electricity to come from renewable sources. I’m ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Ministers visit Hawke’s Bay to grasp recovery needs
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in the Hawke’s Bay. The visit reinforced the coalition Government’s commitment to support the region and better understand its ongoing requirements, Mr Mitchell says.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New Zealand condemns malicious cyber activity
    New Zealand has joined the UK and other partners in condemning malicious cyber activity conducted by the Russian Government, Minister Responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau Judith Collins says. The statement follows the UK’s attribution today of malicious cyber activity impacting its domestic democratic institutions and processes, as well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Disestablishment of Te Pūkenga begins
    The Government has begun the process of disestablishing Te Pūkenga as part of its 100-day plan, Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills Penny Simmonds says.  “I have started putting that plan into action and have met with the chair and chief Executive of Te Pūkenga to advise them of my ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend COP28 in Dubai
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will be leaving for Dubai today to attend COP28, the 28th annual UN climate summit, this week. Simon Watts says he will push for accelerated action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, deliver New Zealand’s national statement and connect with partner countries, private sector leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New Zealand to host 2024 Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins yesterday announced New Zealand will host next year’s South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM). “Having just returned from this year’s meeting in Nouméa, I witnessed first-hand the value of meeting with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security and defence matters. I welcome the opportunity to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Study shows need to remove distractions in class
    The Government is committed to lifting school achievement in the basics and that starts with removing distractions so young people can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.   The 2022 PISA results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked 5th in the world for being distracted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Post-Cabinet press conference
    Most weeks, following Cabinet, the Prime Minister holds a press conference for members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. This page contains the transcripts from those press conferences, which are supplied by Hansard to the Office of the Prime Minister. It is important to note that the transcripts have not been edited ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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