Andrew Little’s pre-budget speech
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2:45 pm, May 22nd, 2016 - 170 comments
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Thanks so much for coming along today, and for giving up some of your weekend.
Today, I want to talk about the type of Budget that New Zealand needs to see this coming Thursday.
As every Kiwi family knows, setting Budgets is about making choices.
It’s about choosing where the priorities lie.
For most Kiwis, our priorities are pretty simple.
People want a good job, a home they can call their own, a good school to send their kids to, and healthcare if they get sick.
They want to know if they put the effort in, they will have a decent chance to get ahead.
These are the goals most New Zealanders have for themselves and for their families. That’s the Kiwi Dream.
But right now, too many people feel like those goals are further and further out of reach.
It’s becoming harder for many people to get ahead.
Harder to find a good job or get a pay rise.
Harder to find a home, put some savings aside, or get the health care you need.
Parents are paying more for their childrens’ education, but our schools aren’t performing as well.
And for those who are already doing it tough, life is only getting worse.
What this means is that some of the things about our country that we are proudest of are slipping away.
Look at the headlines from the last couple of weeks:
Children sleeping in cars or forced to lives in houses that make them sick.
Plummeting home ownership.
Rising unemployment
Stalled wages for many people.
And while this is happening, look at who is doing well. The property speculators. The land bankers. The tax dodgers.
This isn’t who we are. It’s not the kind of country we want to be.
Today, I want to talk about why and how we got here.
And I want to talk about a different, better way of doing things.
I want to talk about the kind of Budget my government will deliver in our first year in office.
A positive plan that’s about rewarding effort and supporting ambition.
A plan to ensure that middle New Zealand is better off, not just the few at the top.
Let me start with why we need a different approach.
Our country is facing some big challenges right now.
In the economy, in housing, in health and education.
In all of these areas, things are going in the wrong direction, and the government just isn’t doing enough to set them right.
Let’s start with the economy.
It’s been pretty clear in the last few weeks where this government’s economic priorities lie.
Faced with multinational corporates who earn big revenue in New Zealand but pay little or no tax, our government says there’s nothing they can do.
Seeing an opportunity to attract the wealth of the world’s mega rich, the government did nothing to stop the explosion in foreign trusts that let the mega-wealthy dodge their tax obligations.
And while the few at the very top got to enjoy special rules that meant they didn’t have to pay their fair share – everyone else is paying the cost.
We’ve seen increases in unemployment. There are now 144,000 people out of work in New Zealand, 40,000 more than when National took office.
And it’s not just that more people are out of work – it’s that many more are out of work for longer.
Under this government the number of people unemployed for more than a year has tripled – up over 11,000 since they took office.
The situation is especially tough for our young people.
Under this government the number of young people who aren’t in work, education or training has risen by more than 26,000.
The truth is those are the young people this government has given up on – the ones they label as ‘pretty damn hopeless.’
For those in work, getting a pay rise has become harder. 43% of New Zealanders saw no increase in their incomes at all in the last 12 months.
With special rules for those at the top and a sluggish economy for everyone else, it’s no surprise that we are seeing a growing inequality in how the gains from economic growth are shared.
Under the last Labour government, the share of economic growth going to wage and salary earners was over 50%.
Today, it’s 37%.
The slice of the economy going to workers has fallen each year under National.
This year, that lost income works out to be fifty bucks a week for the average family.
That’s the real cost to Kiwi families of an economy that’s tilted in favour of those at the top.
This growing inequality means that even if economic performance does improve, the gains are more likely to go to the very wealthy, rather than middle New Zealand.
That’s only going to make it harder for people to get ahead.
And as incomes have failed to keep pace, private borrowing has shot up.
In fact, New Zealand’s level of private debt is higher now than it was on the eve of the global financial crisis.
An increase in interest rates or economic pressures from other parts of the world could cause real problem’s here.
When the Reserve Bank says it’s worried about the country’s financial stability, that’s what they are talking about.
As well as stagnant wages, the big driver of household debt is our runaway housing market.
Here’s the thing, we have a housing crisis in this country. And it isn’t just confined to Auckland anymore.
The Government doesn’t like to admit it buts it’s true.
When kids are sleeping in cars. That’s a crisis.
When families are crowded into garages. That’s a crisis.
When an entire generation is locked out of ever owning their own home, that is a crisis.
Instead of owning up to that and fixing it, the government is siding with property speculators and land bankers, while everyone else misses out.
Every initiative our bumbling housing minister Nick Smith has tried on housing has failed. Rather than go after the causes of the problems, he’s flailed around with gimmicks.
Remember special housing areas? Fewer than 1000 homes actually built.
Remember his gimmick from the last Budget? Releasing crown land? It turned out to include substations, cemeteries and even Government House.
While the government’s been tinkering, the problem’s gotten so much worse.
In March, the average house price in Auckland rose by over $2,200 a day.
Let me say that figure again. Over twenty two hundred dollars a day.
How on earth are you meant to save enough to keep up with that?
We can’t keep going like this.
If we do, we’re going to be left with a country where home ownership becomes the privilege of just a very lucky few, rather than a birth right for most Kiwis.
But if we don’t have a government that makes restoring widespread homeownership a priority, that’s what’s going to happen.
We can also see the problems the government’s misplaced priorities are causing when it comes to health.
Because while our Prime Minister speculates about fuelling his next election campaign with three billion dollars of unfunded tax cuts, the public services that middle New Zealand relies on are stretched to breaking point.
According to Infometrics, we’ve had $1.7 billion dollars cut in real terms from our health budget over 6 years.
That’s meant that 160,000 people in the last 5 years have been unable to get the appointment they need with a specialist.
And there are real people behind those numbers.
People like Ken Smith, a pensioner from the Hawkes Bay, whose knee was bone on bone, who was in agony, who was told he desperately needed surgery, and who saw a specialist only to be told “if I could do your knee tomorrow, I would, but there’s just no money.“
So Ken had to spend $20,000 of his own retirement savings. $20,000 gone.
That’s wrong. People like Ken are who our health system should be there for.
Instead of talking about giveaways to the very rich, our government should be providing a public health system that can look after every Kiwi.
We’re seeing the same issues in education.
At the same time as National has poured millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money into privately run charter schools, our public education system is struggling.
In the last year alone, National has cut funding for pupils by $150 each.
And so schools load more costs on to parents in order to fill the gaps.
Ask any parent and they’ll tell you the cost of uniforms, class activities, camps and of course ‘voluntary donations’ just keep on rising.
And what parent doesn’t want to do the best they can for their children.
No parent wants their child to miss out.
But here’s the thing: while costs are rising, standards are falling.
In 2006, we were ranked 5th in the world for reading.
Now we’re 13th.
We were 7th in science.
Today? 18th.
And in maths? We’ve fallen from 11th to 23rd.
We’ve got to do better.
Education is fundamental to our ability to provide opportunity for the next generation.
We know that education changes lives. It inspires and empowers people.
It is the single best way to lift people out of poverty and deprivation
Because while our economy may be delivering bigger gains than ever for the very wealthy, more and more Kiwis have found themselves struggling.
As a country, we pride ourselves on being compassionate and big hearted.
On looking after our mates and our neighbours.
On not leaving people out or leaving them behind.
But in the last few years, that’s been slipping away.
305,000 children growing up in poverty.
Sleeping in cars, going to school hungry.
42,000 children a year hospitalised because they are forced to live in poor quality homes.
That’s where we are today in New Zealand.
That’s the background to John Key and Bill English’s 8th Budget.
That’s the direction their first seven Budgets set us in.
More roadblocks that stop people getting ahead, fewer opportunities for our young people, a struggling health system, an education system in decline.
After 8 years in office, one thing is blindingly obvious this government has lost touch.
Their priorities are all wrong. They’re increasingly interested in looking after the few at the very top, and forgetting about everyone else.
We can see that in an economy where more of the gains of growth go to the mega-rich.
We can see that in a housing market that rewards speculators while locking out first home buyers.
In a health system where people miss out on the care they need because of a lack of funding, while our Prime Minister calls for more money to be given away to the already wealthy.
And we can see it in a public education system where achievement is falling while more money than ever is pumped into privately run charter schools.
That’s the plan our current government is delivering.
Focusing on the few at the top while it gets harder for everyone else.
But it doesn’t have to be like this.
We can do so much better.
This isn’t how a responsible government should be running a country after eight years in power.
Eight years in to the last Labour government, they had implemented significant and enduring changes such as Working for Families and KiwiSaver.
One of those policies responded to the failure of the labour market to lift incomes and avert poverty, especially for low income earners. The other lifted our national savings and deepened our pool of local capital.
These were big measures. They boosted incomes. They added to the country’s wealth.
They were nation building.
They were good for the economy. Unemployment fell. The government paid off debt. New Zealand prospered.
We expanded opportunity to more New Zealanders than ever. We lifted people out of poverty.
That’s the kind of approach we need again.
An approach that gives people opportunities, that helps them fulfil their ambitions.
That backs them to get ahead and make the most of themselves.
If it was Grant Robertson and me delivering the Budget next week, that’s where we would start and things would look very, very different.
We’d start with building an economy that works for everyone, not just the few at the top.
Labour would kick-start our economy, and deliver a sustained lift in living standards.
We know our economy does best when everyone has a stake in it and everyone gets a fair shot to make the most of themselves.
Our economic focus needs to be on the things that will deliver more good jobs, higher wages and stronger growth for everyone.
We’d invest heavily in new infrastructure to kick-start the economy, especially in our struggling regions.
We’ll work with businesses and with unions on lifting productivity and sharing the gains fairly.
We’ll diversify our economy with research and development tax credits and back our small businesses with simpler tax rules.
We’ll make a greater investment in skills training to make it easier for our businesses to find skilled staff.
And we’ll encourage more young people to start their own business, to be their own boss, with our young entrepreneurs policy.
We’ll provide mentoring and start-up grants to young Kiwis who might have the next great business idea but who just need a chance to get started.
In Labour, we know that the economy is there to serve people, and that it does best when all our people can succeed.
That will be the economic philosophy of the next Labour-led government.
And to help everyone succeed, the government I lead will address the real causes of the housing crisis.
We’ll roll out a comprehensive plan to restore the dream of home ownership.
We’ll crack down on the offshore speculators who are driving up house prices and locking families out of the market.
That’s why Labour will say to overseas buyers, if you want to purchase a house in New Zealand, you have to add to the stock, just like they do in Australia. It’s a commonsense solution that our current government has opposed for far too long.
The other thing that’s commonsense is that we simply don’t have enough houses.
That’s why Labour will launch a mass home building programme to deliver new, affordable homes in Auckland and around the country.
It’s why we’ll replace the urban limit in Auckland that has choked the supply of housing for too long, with a smarter way of managing Auckland’s growth.
We will also turn around the decline in health and education.
Under a government that I lead, our health and education systems will be amongst the best in the world.
Under Labour, Kiwis will know that if they get sick, the public healthcare system will be there for them.
That’s why we are committed to meeting the cost pressures that are depriving people of the care they need.
We know we can’t do it overnight but we will progressively restore the money National has cut from health, and give our doctors and nurses and healthcare professionals the tools to do their jobs.
That’s what’s going to keep Kiwis healthy.
Budgets are about priorities, and under Labour, health will be a priority again. We shouldn’t be spending money on $3 billion of unaffordable tax cuts when we could be fixing our health system instead.
We can use that money so much smarter. For example, Labour will introduce an early access scheme for the latest life-saving medicines purchased through Pharmac.
That will mean people with hard to treat diseases will be able to get new medicines early. It means when the latest medical breakthrough happens, when we have the power to save lives, Kiwis won’t have to wait.
On health our approach is simple:
Labour stands for a stronger public health system where everyone can get the care they need.
And the next Labour Government will recommit our country to the principle of high quality, free public education.
We’ll end the government’s practice of pulling money out of public schools to pay for profit focused charter schools, and we’ll put that money to work building great schools for everyone.
We’ll fund schools properly so parents don’t constantly have their hands in their pockets or feel ashamed they can’t afford to contribute.
We’ll restore 100% qualification requirements in ECE so kids get better teachers earlier.
And under Labour, the education system will support you throughout your working life. We’ll never give up on expanding opportunity and giving people the tools they need.
That’s why we are committed to three years’ free post-school education so that Kiwis can train and retrain across their working lives, without having to take on huge debt. That’s how we support our people and its how we tackle the challenge of the future of work.
If there is one thing I am clear on it is this: the next Labour government will not tolerate poverty in New Zealand in the 21st century.
Under Labour, our focus will be on lifting people up and giving people opportunity, instead of giving more money than ever to the people already doing well.
Our priority will be getting the building blocks of strong communities right. Good housing, good healthcare, good education and support when people need it.
We’ll introduce a dole for apprenticeships scheme to give young people the opportunity to get into paid work.
We’ll raise the number of hours people can work without having their benefit cut.
We will feed hungry kids in schools and when I’m Prime Minister, every Kiwi kid will grow up in a house that is warm and safe and dry. That’s what my Member’s Bill which is going through parliament is about and I hope all parties will support it.
We don’t have to settle for poor quality housing and we’re going to fix it.
Eight years into John Key’s government, there are too many areas this government is neglecting. Too many areas where people are struggling.
It isn’t economic success when thousands of people don’t have a roof over their head they can call their own, or a roof over their head at all.
It isn’t economic success when tens of thousands are missing out on healthcare they would have received just a few years ago.
It’s not economic success when we put more of the cost of education on families even as we tumble down the international rankings.
Right now, the government isn’t focused on these things and people are missing out.
That needs to change. If a Labour government was delivering the Budget this week it would.
So, this week, when you see the Budget, look past the gimmicks. Look past the spin.
Ask yourself, is this a Budget for middle New Zealand?
Will this help most Kiwis get ahead?
Will it grow our economy and give New Zealanders their fair share?
Will it fix the housing crisis and restore the dream of home ownership?
Will it restore our health system?
Will it help send our kids to better schools?
If it doesn’t do all of those things, then we need a new plan.
If it’s just another Budget that favours the few at the very top over everyone else, then we need a new approach.
We need a government that will build a fairer country, for everyone.
Because if we work together, that’s what we can deliver.
We can make sure everyone can get ahead and that everyone can fulfil their ambitions.
We can grow our economy and share the gains fairly.
We can restore the dream of home ownership.
We can have world-class public services again. Better schools. Better hospitals. Doctors and nurses with the resources they need.
That’s what a Labour government will deliver, with your support.
Together, we can restore the Kiwi Dream.
Thank you.
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Is Rwanda turning into a country that seeks regional dominance and exterminates its rivals? This is a contention examined by Dr Michela Wrong, and Dr Maria Armoudian Dr Wrong is a journalist who has written best-selling books on Africa. Her latest, Do Not Disturb. The story of a political murder ...5 days ago - We’ve got issues
5 days ago - ‘Happy to watch your grandkids grow up in Australia via WhatsApp?’
Globally, NZ has the second-highest share of its population living overseas permanently, many of them now permanently in Australia. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, October 29: A ...5 days ago
- October-24 AT Board Meeting
Today the Auckland Transport board meet again as a whole for the first time in two months. AT note: Members of the public are welcome to join the meeting via Teams. Please note, due to technical difficulties, the video feed will be unavailable. However, attendees will still be able to view ...5 days ago
- The fourth article of the Treaty
While Parliament struggles with David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill, a Christian scholar and some heavyweight mainstream church leaders have developed a different perspective on the Treaty of Waitangi. Theologian Alistair Reese presented a petition to Parliament’s Petitions Committee on Thursday asking Parliament to legislate to recognise the oral agreement “4th ...5 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on why so many young males like Donald Trump
To foreigners, the fact that so many millions of Americans are buying the used and poisonous goods that Donald Trump is selling is an unfathomable mystery. However, some clues to the allure of Trumpism can be found in the gender gap of unprecedented size that has opened up between those ...5 days ago
- Building a Safer Future for Every Worker
Every New Zealander deserves a workplace that puts safety and wellbeing first. Too often, we’ve seen the real cost of a system that doesn’t fully protect workers. Lives are lost, families grieving, and communities bearing the burden of preventable tragedies. That’s why, alongside Business New Zealand, the New Zealand Institute ...6 days ago
- Not all authoritarians are fascists.
A few days ago I responded to a post about Trump being a fascist on one of my friend’s social media page, then made a few comments on the consultancy social media page by way of follow up. Given the … Continue reading ...6 days ago
- Keep the Vampires From Your Door
I'll protect you from the hooded clawKeep the vampires from your doorWhen the chips are down I'll be aroundWith my undying, death-defying love for youEnvy will hurt itselfLet yourself be beautifulSparkling love, flowersAnd pearls and pretty girlsLove is like an energyRushin' an' rushin' inside of me, ehSongwriters: Brian Philip Nash ...6 days ago - The Odd Couple.
Strange Political Bedfellows: Matthew Hooton’s support for Winston Peters’ New Zealand Futures Fund reflects the Radical Right’s newfound reluctance to bet everything on the efficacy of market forces.AS IF HE WASN’T IN ENOUGH TROUBLE, Matthew Hooton has now come out for Winston Peters’ New Zealand Futures Fund (NZFF). Not only ...6 days ago
- Your Friends Should Be Close By
Hi,I’ll never forget the time the guy next to me on the plane got really angry because the Wi-Fi wasn’t working. Here we were, 40,000 feet in the air, and he couldn’t get Facebook. He was huffing, he was puffing. He was insufferable.I’m constantly amazed you can get the internet ...6 days ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #43
A listing of 30 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, October 20, 2024 thru Sat, October 26, 2024. Story of the week As an experiment, we asked Google's Gemini for help categorizing the articles we shared during the week. ...6 days ago
- Labour Weekend
Stand up all victims of oppressionFor the tyrants fear your mightDon't cling so hard to your possessionsFor you have nothing if you have no rightsLet racist ignorance be endedFor respect makes the empires fallFreedom is merely privilege extendedUnless enjoyed by one and allSongwriters: Eugene Edme Pottier / Petrus Christianus De ...7 days ago - Fact brief – Do volcanoes emit more CO2 than humans?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Do volcanoes emit ...1 week ago
- People of Courage & Decency. And Everyone In Between.
Today, news broke that Jeff Bezos, the American billionaire with a net worth of $206 B (NZ $344B), personally vetoed Washington Post’s Editorial Team from endorsing Kamala Harris.That stops the decades-old tradition of the Wapo for endorsing Presidential candidates. And editors have resigned - that includes Editor at large Robert ...1 week ago - Let’s Talk About… Anything.
Can't we talk about anything else but love?Love that launched a thousand shipsPlease! Let's talk about anything else but loveLove that causes war and famineCan't we speak about real estate?Love of wifeWatergate?Love of children!Seasonal fluctuations in the prime interest rate?Love of chocolate, you must love chocolate, everybody loves chocolate, say ...1 week ago - Can you hear me now?
1 week ago - Why Nations Fail
This year’s Nobel awards in economics raise critical issues about the future of the world.I was not alone with high hopes when the Soviet Union collapsed. It has been good to see various nations leave the yoke of the Soviet Empire and move towards liberal democracies with thriving economies although ...1 week ago - All very instructive
1. Who played the sax solo on Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street?a. Kenny Gb. Lisa Simpsonc. Bill Clintond. Raphael Ravenscroft2. What did Nicola Willis, addressing a large gathering of senior public servants this week, ask them to do?a. Come up with fresh ideas and innovative audacious out of the box thinking b. ...1 week ago - More Sabotage
The Waitangi Tribunal has been one of the most effective critics of the National government and its racist, anti-Māori agenda. So naturally, they're sabotaging it with a crony appointment: Former ACT Party leader Richard Prebble has been appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal. Prebble, a Commander of the British Empire, ...1 week ago
- Ghost of a (Mad) Dog
How can that dog be barkin' in the backyard?We ran over him years agoHow can that dog be runnin' by the backfence?We ran over him years agoGhost of a dogBarkin' in the backyardSongwriters: Edie Brickell, Kenny Withrow.I have to say this one caught me by surprise. I had to check ...1 week ago - David Seymour’s School Lunch Provider Has Questionable Record – Including Listeria, Hors...
Yesterday, I looked into Seymour’s school lunch provider and found out it was Compass Group - a group that has had a long list of food quality issues and settled out of court for corruption and bribery of officials.Never mind the food looked like slop - heavy, process laden food ...1 week ago - After years of cover ups and hacks, the truth on gas is out
Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:Gas is worse for the climate than coal, over any timeframe that is relevant for a ‘bridging strategy’. The ...1 week ago
- Brown orders motorway building to start before business case done
Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, October 25: Scoop of the day: Oliver Lewis reported for BusinessDesk-$$$ this morning that Transport Minister Simeon Brown ordered construction to start on the four-lane Hawkes Bay ...1 week ago - The Hoon around the week to October 25
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate news, including another extreme climate event in the United States; on the escalating conflict between Israel, Iran ...1 week ago
- Weekly Roundup 25-October-2024
Happy Friday, even more so as we’re head to a long weekend, so welcome to another round-up of interesting stories about what’s happening in Auckland and other cities. Feel free to add your links in the comments! This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely ...1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #43 2024
Open access notables The rate of global sea level rise doubled during the past three decades, Hamlington et al., Communications Earth & Environment: The rise in globally averaged sea level—or global mean sea level—is one of the most unambiguous indicators of climate change. Over the past three decades, satellites have ...1 week ago
- Does New Zealand need Vegas-style transit security on our busses?
There’s a reason why people are supposed to stay on the Strip when they go to Las Vegas, and it’s not just proximity to the best attractions. This city of fluorescent lights and gambling halls extends in all directions across the Nevada landscape, for as far as the eye can ...1 week ago - No Enemies To The Left – Or The Right.
Wrong Turn: Labour and National can only reduce the toxic influence of their electoral competitors by rejecting their extremism.“NO ENEMIES TO THE LEFT” has always been Labour’s rule-of-thumb. What, after all, does a moderate, left-of-centre party gain by allowing its electoral rivals to become repositories for every radical (i.e. congenitally dissatisfied) ...1 week ago
- All the tools we need
Off I went yesterday, me and my little ear robots, to a workshop.Did I hear every word? Reader, I most surely did. Did I have to ask anyone to repeat themselves? I did not, not one single time.Ironically, the subject of the workshop was one that prompts many to cover ...1 week ago
... 
- Greens call for bottom trawling ban and call out Minister for lacklustre response
The Green Party is urgently calling on the Government to ban bottom trawling, following news a New Zealand bottom trawler caught 37kg of coral in international waters, prompting the suspension of all fishing in the area until 2026. ...2 days ago - Mark Patterson: Farmers understand we have their backs
Spring is here which means the start of the A&P show season. Those treasured community days where town meets country. There's no rural-urban divide here, just a chance to meet up with family and old friends and celebrate all things that make rural New Zealand so special. I'm embarking on ...3 days ago - Release: Funding for Gumboot Friday should pause
The National Government should review its support for Gumboot Friday after unacceptable comments by its leader and champion Mike King. ...3 days ago - Louise Upston cherry-picks data to punch down on the poor
The Government has very conveniently cherry-picked data from the latest MSD projections to justify its cruel agenda and punch-down policy when it comes to people living in poverty. ...3 days ago
- Luxon needs to address the cow in the room
The Green Party was appalled to hear Prime Minister Christopher Luxon claim we are “doing everything we can” on climate change, while his government does nothing to address emissions in our most polluting sector. ...5 days ago
- Govt Must Clean Up ‘Its Shit’ From Sunken HMNZS Manawanui
Te Pāti Māori is calling out the Government and New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) for their inaction and disgraceful downplaying of the impact caused by the sunken HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa. “We demand the Government move without further delay to clean up its shit from the sunken HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa,” said co-leader Debbie ...6 days ago
- Jamie Arbuckle: Inquiry into Banking Competition
This week was the start of the bank inquiry hearings into banking competition. The inquiry was confirmed in the NZ First/National Coalition agreement. 140 submissions were received on the inquiry, and we will hear from over 60 submitters including all the major banks. ANZ, New Zealand's largest bank, was first ...7 days ago
- Tanya Unkovich: It’s time to start the debate on palliative care as a ‘right’
There is one topic that is the great human leveller, and that is of death and dying. One day, we will all have to face it, and I am of the belief that being able to pass away with grace and dignity is a vital, basic, human right. How we ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour backs Christchurch City Council sanctions on Israel
Labour is backing Christchurch City Council’s decision not to do business with firms involved in Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Territories. ...1 week ago
- Release: Government driving away offshore wind industry
The Government has created a hostile environment for companies seeking to build offshore wind farms. ...1 week ago
- Another step towards Pasifika justice
The Green Party acknowledges the historical importance of MP Teanau Tuiono’s Member’s Bill, Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982 Bill, passing its second reading in Parliament today. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions Soar, Jobs Vanish – National’s Cruelty Exposed
Te Pāti Māori is enraged at the National government’s ruthless punishment of beneficiaries, all while jobs are disappearing. MSD data shows a 133% increase in sanctions over the past year, with over 14,000 sanctions in just three months. The kicker? The jobs this government insists people should find are nowhere ...2 weeks ago
- Police Perpetuate Siege on Ōpōtiki
Te Pāti Māori MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi, says today’s police-sponsored terrorism in Ōpōtiki is a continuation of the State’s predatory behaviour towards the iwi of Te Whakatōhea. "Ōpōtiki is once again being intentionally targeted and is the direct byproduct of this Government’s 'tough on crime' legislative changes,” said MP ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt cuts school lunches even further
The Government has gone back on its word and cut the full school lunch programme in primary schools after saying it wouldn’t. ...2 weeks ago
- Time to shut down failed Youth Justice Residences
The Green Party is calling for Youth Justice Residences to close, following a protest in which a group of young people spent the night on the roof of an Oranga Tamariki justice facility. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Appalling process on three strikes law
The Government is subverting parliamentary process on laws the evidence already shows don’t work. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour calls for investigation into tobacco tax cut
The Government’s decision to award a $216 million tax break for Philip Morris’ heated tobacco products reeks of tobacco industry interference and needs to be thoroughly investigated. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Delay to retirement village review won’t help residents
The National Government is treading water on a much-needed review of the Retirement Villages Act, kicking any amendments down the road till the next parliamentary term in 2027. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Serious concerns ignored in Govt’s fast track bill
National’s fast track bill enables the most radical and unbalanced consenting regime in living memory. ...2 weeks ago
- Fast-Track, off the rails: Submitters show strong opposition to Bill
Despite resounding public opposition, the fast-track legislation is being pushed through Parliament with provisions that could have real consequences for people and planet. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour supports continuing fight for dairy access
Labour welcomes the National Government’s decision to further pursue our access to the Canadian dairy market under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Job losses devastating for Timaru
Confirmed news that the Smithfield meatworks will close is devastating for the hundreds of people who work there, Timaru and the wider region. ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand First Member’s Bill to Improve Access to Palliative Care
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill which aims to improve access to palliative care for all New Zealanders, ensuring kiwis have better access to the compassionate palliative support they may need. The ‘Improving Access to Palliative Care Bill’ seeks to guarantee that every New Zealander has the right ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Further uncertainty for Kiwirail as jobs set to go
KiwiRail offering voluntary redundancy to all its staff is hugely concerning given the future of New Zealand’s rail system is under threat. ...2 weeks ago
- ASA Declares Hobson’s Pledge Advertising Misleading and Socially Irresponsible
Te Pāti Māori Co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer welcome today’s ruling from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which found that a Hobson's Pledge advertisement regarding customary marine titles was misleading and socially irresponsible. The two-page wraparound ad, published in The New Zealand Herald, suggested that nearly the entire coastline ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Benefit numbers continue to soar under National
National’s all pain approach to beneficiaries has yielded no gain as benefit numbers continue to surge past projected figures. ...2 weeks ago
- Casey Costello: What Once Was…
Entering politics is a privilege afforded to very few and, as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Being an MP is a call to service. Whatever your politics you have a duty to show up. Whatever your party's policy, you have made a promise to those who ...2 weeks ago
- Soaring benefit sanctions push more into poverty
Sanctions on beneficiaries have sky-rocketed since the Coalition Government came to power, pushing more families into poverty. ...2 weeks ago
- International Energy Agency issues wake-up call on climate action
Today’s report from the International Energy Agency highlights how far this Government’s actions are dragging us backwards in the fight against climate change. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Lack of funding puts pressure on frontline Police
News that 173 roles are being cut at Police will only put more pressure on the frontline. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Bipartisan agreement on outdated marriage law
Changes to outdated relationships legislation has passed its third reading giving family violence survivors the power to quickly dissolve abusive marriages. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Cuts to Apprenticeship Boost will fail future NZ
The Government’s cuts to the Apprenticeship Boost programme will leave New Zealand without the workforce it needs to build homes, schools and hospitals. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Sluggish economy means struggles ahead for Kiwis
While today’s inflation numbers are good news for Kiwis, there are still struggles ahead with rising rents, rates, insurance and high unemployment. ...3 weeks ago
- CPI figures show rents continuing to soar
Stats NZ has confirmed that higher rent prices were the biggest contributor to the annual inflation rate. Almost a fifth of the 2.2 per cent annual increase in the CPI was due to rent prices. ...3 weeks ago
- New Charter to guarantee better access for hunting and fishing
Minister for Hunting and Fishing Todd McClay has today launched an Access Charter (the Charter) to ensure better access for recreational hunting and fishing on public conservation land (PCL) across New Zealand. “This Charter establishes guiding principles for the Department of Conservation (DOC) to provide clear and transparent decisions on ...20 hours ago - Pou Whenua blessing honours Tongariro
A beautiful new Pou Whenua at the beginning of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing will introduce visitors to the sacred landscape they are entering, says Conservation Minister Tama Potaka. Mr Potaka attended a blessing for the specially carved Pou Whenua at Mangatepopo, at the start of the track on 1 November. ...2 days ago
- New members appointed to the NZTA Board
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today announced two new appointments to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Board. Mary-Anne Macleod and Mike Rudge have both been appointed as members for three-year terms commencing 1 November 2024 and ending 31 October 2027. “Transport is a critical part of our Government’s plan ...2 days ago
- Welcome relief from new oestradiol gel funding
Associate Health Minister David Seymour is welcoming Pharmac’s funding of oestradiol gel, following global shortages of oestradiol patches earlier this year. “I’m well aware of the stress caused by the global shortage earlier this year. At the time I said I was confident Pharmac was working hard to find a ...2 days ago
- Deputy Prime Minister visit to Australia
Foreign Minister and Racing Minister Winston Peters will visit Australia next week. “Australia is New Zealand’s closest partner, and we are pleased to make this second official visit there for 2024 following the first ever Foreign and Defence Ministers 2+2 Meeting between our two countries in Melbourne in January,” ...2 days ago
- Applications now open for new training pathway
Applications have now opened for tertiary education organisations to seek Government funding to develop New Zealand’s first postgraduate diploma programme for associate psychologists, Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey announced today. “Investment in this new training pathway supports the Government’s target to grow our mental health and addiction workforce and ...2 days ago
- Increased medicines access continues following budget boost
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see further increased availability of medicines for Kiwis following the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When this Government assumed office, ...2 days ago
- New Zealand concludes high quality trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
New Zealand and the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have concluded negotiations on a trade agreement that will open up significant opportunities for New Zealand exporters in the Gulf region, Minister for Trade and Agriculture Todd McClay announced from Doha today. Today’s announcement follows significant reengagement with the GCC following meetings ...2 days ago
- Government seeks views on remote court attendance
The Government is exploring how to modernise the law around people attending court remotely, to support access to justice and enhance court performance. Courts Minister Nicole McKee says the current law has not kept up with evolving court practices and public attitudes to the use of remote technology, nor been ...3 days ago
- Breast screening age extension begins in Nelson Marlborough
Free breast screening has been extended for 70 to 74-year-old women living in the Nelson Marlborough district, ahead of a national roll-out late next year, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in New Zealand with about 3,400 women diagnosed with the disease ...3 days ago
- Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust Board strengthened
He toi whakairo, he mana tangata. The reappointment of one trustee and the appointment of four new trustees to the Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust Board will enable the legacy of Te Māori to be carried forward into the future, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka and Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith ...3 days ago
- Affordable housing project supporting home ownership
Up to 300 affordable, healthy, community-tailored homes helping to support home ownership are set to be built in eastern Porirua, supported by Government funding for Our Whare Our Fale through the Building Homes for Pacific in Porirua initiative, Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti and Associate Housing Minister Tama ...3 days ago
- Dire benefit forecasts show the need for Welfare that Works
A new report that forecasts young people on benefits will spend an average of 20 more years relying on welfare underscores the need for the Government’s reforms, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. MSD’s latest Benefit System Insights report, released today, which estimates how many future years different ...3 days ago
- Trade Minister travels to Doha for GCC trade discussions
Trade Minister Todd McClay will hold trade discussions with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) trade ministers in Doha this week. Minister McClay will meet with all six GCC Trade Ministers, as well as the GCC Secretary General. “This will be my seventh visit to the region this year including two Ministerial ...4 days ago
- Podiatry prescribers will boost patient care
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister David Seymour say it’s great news that podiatrists will soon be able to prescribe medicines, meaning patients with painful foot and leg conditions don’t have to make a separate trip to the doctor. “This simple step means a big change for people ...4 days ago
- Historic redress inequities finally resolved for Lake Alice Unit survivors
The Government is addressing historic redress inequities for some survivors abused at the Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit. In 2001, the Crown reached a $6.5 million group settlement with 95 survivors subjected to abuse at the Lake Alice Unit. Law firm Grant Cameron & Associates (now GCA Lawyers) represented ...4 days ago
- ERO report shows Government’s truancy emphasis is vital
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that the Education Review Office’s (ERO) timely report on chronic school absence released today is further evidence of a truancy crisis. “Chronic absence has doubled since 2015. This report reinforces that action is needed to ensure this generation reaches its full potential,” says Associate ...4 days ago
- Minister welcomes business view on AML
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee welcomes BusinessNZ’s report which addresses reducing the compliance burden on small businesses. “The challenges outlined in the report released today echo many of the concerns I have heard from businesses, which have informed my Anti Money Laundering/Countering Financing Terrorism (AML/CFT) priorities,” she says. “I have ...5 days ago
- Mangamuka Gorge opening in time for Christmas
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge will be open for Christmas, with critical work currently underway to clear the large slips and dropouts that have caused significant disruption for Northlanders trying to get where they want to go quickly and safely, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The Mangamuka Gorge ...5 days ago
- Trusted building professionals able to self-certify
The Government is proposing further significant action to reform the building and construction sector to support more affordable homes and a stronger economy, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “If we want to grow the economy, lift incomes, create jobs and build more affordable, quality homes we need a ...5 days ago
- New appointments to the TEC board
Dr Alan Bollard CNZM and Mr Bharat Guha have been appointed to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) board, Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds says. “I would like to welcome the two new members joining the TEC board,” Ms Simmonds says. “Dr Alan Bollard CNZM is an experienced public ...5 days ago
- Move to fast-track overseas doctors welcomed
Fast tracking applications for registration by eligible specialist doctors wanting to practice in New Zealand is in line with the Government’s push to improve the health outcomes for New Zealanders, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. This fast-track pathway applies to specialists trained in anaesthesia, dermatology, emergency medicine, general practice, ...5 days ago
- Address to Western Sydney University: Constitutional and Rule of Law challenges in current global en...
Tēnā koutou Nau mai haere mai ki tenei hui Thank you to Vice Chancellor Williams, and the University of Western Sydney, for inviting me to speak today. I speak to you today in my capacity as Attorney-General – the New Zealand Crown’s Senior Law Officer. In this capacity, I serve ...5 days ago
- Security advice for start-ups welcomed
Minister responsible for the security and intelligence agencies Judith Collins has welcomed new guidance that aims to protect New Zealand’s start-up and emerging technology sector from the threat of economic espionage. “We are a nation well-known for our ingenuity, and our willingness to openly collaborate in the spirit of enterprise ...5 days ago
- Funding support to strengthen frontline volunteer service organisations
The Government has approved $23.1 million for four critical frontline volunteer service organisations to replace storm-damaged assets and provide training and equipment to improve New Zealand’s response to future emergency events, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey says. $14.6 million for Surf Life Saving New ...6 days ago
- Jones heads to international mining conference
Resources Minister Shane Jones will speak at Australia's largest annual mining event in Sydney this week to mark New Zealand’s return to the international industry stage. Mr Jones will attend the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) where he will update the sector’s most influential players on the work the ...7 days ago
- NZ investing in Pacific disaster preparedness & climate resilience
New Zealand will contribute $20 million to the Pacific Resilience Facility, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters have announced. “The Pacific Islands region faces severe challenges from natural disasters and climate change impacts and New Zealand is committed to doing its part to help meet them,” ...1 week ago
- Police to increase presence on Auckland public transport
Aucklanders will see a greater Police presence on public transport services to boost safety and reassure public transport workers and passengers, Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown say. “Minister Brown and I are working together, alongside Police and Auckland Transport in response to the horrific ...1 week ago
- Government funds helicopter replacements
The Government is investing in eight new emergency helicopters to replace some of New Zealand’s ageing air ambulance fleet, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello and ACC Minister Matt Doocey announced today. “Our air ambulance helicopters play a vital role in saving lives around New Zealand,” Casey Costello says. “This is ...1 week ago
- China and New Zealand strengthen organic trade
An uplift to New Zealand’s organic product trade is expected through a new upgraded arrangement with China, Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard says.“The upgraded Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for organic products will deliver opportunities for our organic export sector.”The upgraded MRA was signed in Central Otago today by Andrew Hoggard ...1 week ago
- Judicial appointments announced
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced two Court of Appeal and two High Court appointments. The four appointments will take effect on 21 November 2024 and are: Justice Christine French Justice French, who has been appointed President of the Court of Appeal, graduated with an LLB (Honours) from the University of Otago ...1 week ago
- Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track becomes New Zealand’s 11th Great Walk
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka joined tangata whenua from Ngāi Tahu and local community members today to celebrate the opening of New Zealand’s eleventh Great Walk – the Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track. “The 60km upgraded track provides the opportunity to do one of New Zealand’s world-class multi-day walks, and will bring ...1 week ago
- New Chief Criminal Cases Review Commissioner
The Honourable Denis Clifford has been appointed Chief Commissioner of the Criminal Cases Review Commission, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. Hon Clifford brings a wealth of expertise and experience that will prove invaluable to the Commission. “He has served as a judge at both the Court of Appeal and High ...1 week ago
- Changes to improve building fire safety
The Government is progressing changes to better protect Kiwis and their property from fires, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Following the tragic Loafer’s Lodge fire in 2023, 37 boardings houses across the country were assessed and I am pleased to say that all fire safety recommendations from the ...1 week ago
- Germany and New Zealand partner to support agriculture and tackle global emissions
New Zealand and Germany have announced the official start of a partnership aimed at supporting the agriculture sector and tackle global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “The partnership, called the Alliance for the Climate – Dialogue on Climate and Agriculture between New Zealand and Germany (Agri-DENZ project), ...1 week ago
- New members appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal
Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka today confirmed the appointment of two new members to the Waitangi Tribunal, as well as the reappointment of Kevin Prime. The members appointed and reappointed are: Hon Richard Prebble (CBE). Mr Prebble is a former Cabinet Minister where he held a broad range of portfolios. ...1 week ago
- New appointments to the Local Government Commission
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has today announced the reappointment of the current Chair and the appointment of a temporary member to the Local Government Commission.Current Chair Brendan Duffy ONZM has been reappointed as Chair for a one-year term ending 23 October 2025, while Gwen Bull CNZM will be joining ...1 week ago
- New Electoral Commission Chair appointed
Today the House agreed to Justice Simon Moore KC being appointed chair of the Electoral Commission, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Justice Moore brings with him a high level of legal acumen and decision-making ability, strategic planning skills and unquestionable personal integrity and independence. “He retired from the High Court ...1 week ago
- Education Minister attending conference in Australia
The Education Minister is travelling to Australia today to attend the 23rd edition of public policy conference, Consilium. “New Zealand and Australia share common challenges and aspirations for education. New South Wales has recently introduced a new curriculum that is explicit, sequenced and knowledge based while Victoria is requiring structured ...1 week ago
- Launching VisAble to enable safer lives
The launch of new community advocacy group VisAble signals an important development in community advocacy to achieve more focus on the needs and rights of disabled people in the family violence and sexual violence system. Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence, Karen Chhour, and Disabilities Issues Minister, ...1 week ago
- Three reasons America’s democracy is under threat
For just a few weeks shy of eight years now, a certain class of Americans have been walking around in something close to a daze. The election of Donald Trump in 2016 blew to smithereens decades of conventional wisdom about the way many Americans view politics.The ensuing years have seen ...20 mins ago - Palau newspaper sued by president’s family company ahead of general election
By Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Palau’s largest newspaper is being sued for defamation by the company of President Surangel Whipps Jr’s father, just days ahead of general elections in the Pacific nation. Surangel and Sons alleges “negligence and defamation” by the Island Times and its editor Leilani Reklai for an ...8 hours ago - Cook Islands PM calls for easing of tensions in New Caledonia
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Very well said Andrew Little.
We have been on the downward slide ever since the clueless Key and his henchmen came to power.
Such a destructive Government, we have never seen the likes of before, and it is only going to get worse until National are tossed in the rubbish bin.
Damn good speech really!
Hands up please if you are ‘middle New Zealand’. What…no hands?
The ‘Kiwi Dream’…(just to pick up on one constantly recurring aspect) – Home ownership. Has anyone got hard data on the number of people who actually want to own their own home regardless, as opposed to those who would be quite happy to rent if renting wasn’t such a rip off and so insecure?
And did I miss the bit where potential policies and programmes were couched in the context of actually existing reality? Or is it …
a) – just being taken as read that everyone knows it’s not the 1950s any more and to take half of what’s being promised with a sack of salt on the understanding that AGW/climate change changes everything, or…
b) a case that political parties (Labour in this case) have their heads under the blankets or hands over their eyes and are singing a loud lalalala tune to some song title about dreams and growth related prosperity along the tracks even though the air is filled with the rumbling roar of an AGW freight train?
Apologies to Labour party supporters or potential Labour party voters who might be upset because they want to believe that Labour offer a hopeful path forward. I’m not meaning to single Labour out or ‘bag’ them. I just think that their apparent disconnect is indicative of an entire political system or establishment being nothing but a bust flush these days.
Sort of, so I’d better put my hand up. I meet all of the usual criteria apart from having kids (my siblings and cousins did those instead) and having a rather higher education than was really required for my generation.
However I’m probably as eccentric as most of “middle New Zealand” are. At least of that large proportion whose families have been raising kids here for more than two or three generations. They are routinely kind of crazy individualists by the normative standards of statisticians. Their very diversity is their defining factor.
Perhaps he meant “immigrant middle New Zealand”. The first few generations here are rather (ummm) staid. Even distressingly boring even in the manner of their rebellions. Fortunately for statisticians and advocates of class wars, we do have a lot of immigration.
😈
So ‘middle New Zealand’ might be defined as something like middle aged with grown up children, a fairly high level of formal education and a good income….in other words a section of NZ society that kind of corresponds with a broad brush stroke idea of a typical politician?
I wasn’t trying to be provocative in the initial comment – I genuinely have no idea who is being addressed when the term ‘middle New Zealand’ is used and so can’t understand why it’s constantly used when (presumably) seeking wide appeal and ‘buy in’.
How about “middle New Zealand” being most of us – Pakeha and Maori – ordinary everyday people ?
All of us caught up in family matters (whether we’ve got kids or not), being undermined constantly by this National Government, worried about the future of public health, state education (especially when you see money siphoned off into private charter schools), the lack of affordable housing, and wondering where the jobs are for the future .
Well, if ‘middle New Zealand’ is “ordinary everyday people”, then what demographic is the term ‘middle New Zealand’ trying to separate “every day people” from? Why is it being used? Why not just use the term “people”?
Are there people in New Zealand who would be offended if they were referred to as people? Or who might not know it was they who were being referred to by the term?
It’s not a biggie beyond it the fact that it keeps coming up and, to my way of thinking, seems an effort to simultaneously refer to everything and nothing; to no-one and everyone, and so finally winds up creating an impression of something akin to unflavoured, somewhat unappealing, homogenised white milk.
Now if that’s what the intention is and the people using the term are happy enough with that, then fine. It’s just that I’ve always thought of New Zealand as a place that contained much more diversity and vibrancy than that.
” I’ve always thought of New Zealand as a place that contained much more diversity and vibrancy than that.”
I think that is the issue there Bill – middle nz is not too right, not too left, it is inclusive, not too smart, not too thick, average Joe and Jo, everyman and everywoman, and most importantly the term middle nz does not scare people, it is innocuous, it is neither tall or short poppy – so, as I’m sure you know, it is a slogan, a piece of propaganda, a message of oneness. It is not based on reality much.
I actually think it has a rather nasty underbelly that I’m not going to mention here but that I alluded to above. And I’m holding my wheesht now.
Hmmm this is what andrew little said in his email to me, “The reality is National doesn’t have a plan to fix these problems. They’re increasingly focused on the interests of the few at the top, while families in the middle struggle to get ahead and we see the emergence of inexcusable poverty in New Zealand.”
Now I feel I could pick the shit out of those sentences – eg what’s your plan considering CC? So the gnats go for the top and labs go for the middle and the bottom can sort themselves out? Struggle to get ahead – buy a house you mean – some of us have given up on owning a house mate, do you realise that, it is the kids of the ‘middle’ that aspire to that – what do others aspire to? Ask them and listen to their answers. No emergence just some visibility that those with eyes see. and so on – but what would be the point? Those that know know. Those that don’t want to know won’t let themselves know.
I got the same email with the same speech. He talks at length and with passion about how poverty is inexcusable and won’t be tolerated under Labour. This is basic Saul Alinsky stuff – unite the poor with the middle against the very rich. It’s good left strategy and its stunning to see there are people here who don’t get it. You have to win over the middle who don’t currently see Labour as standing for them.
yep and while the middle is being won over by whatever means necessary the bottom can sort themselves out. It is a myth that sorting the middle will sort the bottom. Sorting the bottom is sorting the bottom and this is well known – which is why the middle (votes) are targeted.
I have no idea what “middle New Zealand” is. It is a non-specific phrase.
However I suspect that it is generally viewed as one of those nice statistical phrases that looks at people in the main part of a normal distribution curve, and looks at people within one standard deviation of the norm – usually about 68% of the population.
So in NZ traditionally, if you blur your vision down to the level that stats (and most politics) people do, that means ‘middle NZ’ is
1. most likely heterosexual
2. most likely had some tertiary education in anything from apprenticeships to university
3. most likely to be or have been married
4. most likely been in a relationship that had 1 or 2 children with a smaller probability of 3
5. high probability of having or will have a separation or divorce
6. most likely to have brought property to live in, and almost certainly went heavily into debt to do so
7. most likely to have been in employment for the majority of any year except for periods of child-rearing and education.
8. likely to have been made redundant or lost a job because of business changes at least once.
9. most likely to have spent most of their life in NZ working in a urban area
etc…
This would describe the life pattern of over 70% of the NZ population between the ages of 30 and 65, and will describe the life prior to retirement of even more of the people over 65. They also happen to be the demographic group that most consistently votes, which is why politicians are interested in them.
Now of course within this, there is often considerable variation. However one characteristic that I always note is that the population of people who are interested in politics are usually quite a lot more skewed away from this group.
Oh well, that being the case, I guess I’ll just point out that no resurgent left (statist) party of late in the English speaking world has enjoyed a resurgence off the back of that muddle demographic. Them youngsters, who apparently don’t give a toss, seems to be where’s its at 😉
Hi Lynne, I see you were moved to type a comment on one very small part of Bill’s comment, (consciously, or unconsciously, diverting the thread), and ignored completely the central part of Bill’s comment.
Do you agree with Bill’s comment?
Should Andrew Little’s promise to tackle poverty be “taken with a sack of salt”, because Andrew Little pointedly doesn’t give the slightest hint of a mention to the other burning issue of our time?
Do you disagree, with Bill’s comment?
Are you more inclined to agree with your author, Te Reo Putake’s admitted, facetious comment, that climate change wasn’t mentioned by Andrew Little, because climate change is about as important as the condition of the foot path outside his house.
Lynne do you think that we can really afford to go through another national general election cycle where climate change is deliberately barely mentioned?
Do you think we should have another election, where because none will have to declare themselves on this issue, and no potential government will seek a mandate to act on this issue, that BAU will keep trundling on down a path into a very dark future?
Yup. Middle New Zealand here.
Far too early for more big policy.
Don’t expect the Labour party to be a one-issue wonder like you are.
Expect them to concentrate on people. And the country as a whole.
If you’re dissatisfied with even the Greens’ lack of extremism on global warming, you’re going to stay perpetually melancholic commenting on New Zealand politics.
Prepare to be disappointed then. There will be no major policy from Labour next year; there will be conventional policy however.
The reason being that Labour has utterly failed to set up its narrative about possibilities and options that NZ needs to discuss, and it has failed to follow on from that to actually start those conversations in the community.
Therefore – it has no room to move in terms of providing serious alternative policy.
Then again, your opinion could be completely wrong too Colonial Viper.
My comment was about how the context that policies will need to be rolled out in and that context being ignored, rather than about the policies themselves. If they were genuinely concentrating on people and on the country as a whole, then that context would have had to have been included.
I don’t like generally like war analogies, but…
The Germans are massing an invasion force along the French coast circa 1939. The UK opposition party gives a pre-budget speech that, as though it’s still 1926, simply doesn’t mention that fact – and the speech makes no mention, or even hint of there being any contingencies in relation to the obvious, hugely important (yet unmentioned) context that will shape economic possibilities in the coming years.
Someone comments on the lack of context, and gets a response that the opposition is concentrating on people and the country as a whole (hence the lack of context) and that the context is a one issue wonder thing that only extremists would care about anyway.
Wouldn’t your eyebrows be raised just a tad were that argument made in relation to that reasonably parallel scenario? And yet, here you are…
Except climate change isn’t World War II, therein lies the problem. The public simply don’t see the urgency and the existential threat, and hence politically it falls flat. Labour and the Greens both have good policy on climate change. In government they can raise it up as an issue and take action to fix it. Right now focusing on climate change would just look out of touch to most people. It’s enraging but it’s how it is. It’s up to those of us who care about the climate to make it even register as an issue. That’s when the parliamentary parties will have the space to operate.
I would say that it’s up to Labour and the Greens to establish the links between climate and the economy in the public consciousness. I thought political parties were supposed to be at the forefront of formulating philosophical and ideological vision, and establishing the interconnectedness of issues in the minds of the electorate. That they are more concerned with chasing the whims of the existing mainstream consciousness in the short term is evidence that the system is broken.
I’m not suggesting that a pre-budget speech should have focused on AGW or climate change. What I’m saying is that the policies mentioned should have acknowledged the context and been tailored to meet the needs imposed by that context.
The house build policy is the most obvious. Houses stand for 30 years and more. Whatever we build right now is what we’re stuck with for decades to come. With no need to bang on a drum about it, Labour could have quietly (innocuously) signaled that any new houses were going to be built with mitigation and adaptation in mind.
Hey Bb8 thats exactly what the new republic thought about the first order and look what happened to them.
Looks like it’ll be up to the small time informal Resistance to save the day.
Except that in 1939 the public then, also simply didn’t see the urgency and the existential threat either. Most Britons for instance, couldn’t have pointed to Poland on a map of Europe, or even cared less.
The big political concerns of the day were; getting out of the Great Depression and jobs.
There was also a very strong antiwar feeling at the time, the horrors of the last British campaign in Europe were still a vivid living memory for most, and they didn’t want a repeat.
It took the remarkable leadership of Winston Churchill to alert his countrymen and women to the danger. And the need to take action.
Even for him, it was an uphill battle, many of Churchill’s own class and a big section of the British aristocracy were Nazi sympathisers.
Churchill didn’t sugar coat it. He promised the British people “blood, sweat, and tears” and then set about delivering on his promise.
Leadership was the key and that is what is missing now.
Churchill could have done what our leaders are doing now, and ignore the problem and kick it down the road for someone else to fix. By which time the problem would have been much worse or by then even insoluble.
Churchill gave a speech in which he warned of the dangers of such a strategy:
All the signs are that currently we are in stage two. If we don’t take resolute action against climate change now, it won’t be long before we are in stage three.
Yep I’m pretty happy to own my own house and as long as I can get any health issues looked after and can retire with out fear of the wolf turning up at my door I’ll be happy
But what about others? How many kiwis would love to own their own house but can’t, and struggle to pay for the health care they need and retire without too many worries?
The just of Bills post is that maybe middle nz doesn’t want these things , I would put my self at the lower end of middle class and I am happy with Littles pitch.
And I think a great deal of people who can’t get even to my level of comfort would be wrapped if they could
I was thinking of a couple of things, one being that I know people who have bought their home, at least partly off the back of realising that a mortgage was cheaper than rent (for them).
I was somewhat absently wondering how many others might have made the decision to buy off the back of similar considerations…considerations that would never have come up if rent levels and tenancy rights weren’t so screwed.
Then I wondered what promoting this supposed central pillar of the ‘Kiwi dream’ says to the growing numbers of people who will never be in the position to consider it as an option – no matter how high their rents become in relation to potential mortgage payments.
And I wondered, finally, if it really is a part of some ‘Kiwi dream’ these days, or whether it’s just assumed to be a ubiquitous aspiration or ambition.
If it’s more something being driven by circumstance (for those with enough income) rather than an actual desire that would exist no matter what, then it’s a talking point that misses the mark – the mark being to do some serious shit around rents and tenancy rights. (Stuff that should be done anyway)
“I was somewhat absently wondering how many others might have made the decision to buy off the back of similar considerations…considerations that would never have come up if rent levels and tenancy rights weren’t so screwed.”
If land prices and mortage levels weren’t so screwed, more people would buy I think. Partly for best use of money reasons, but also so many people are now tied into the idea of investment.
I don’t think much can be done about the cost of homeownership, but govt could pretty easily improve tenancy rights. Long terms leases might be trickier. As you say it should be happening anyway.
If land prices and mortage levels weren’t so screwed, more people would buy I think.
Maybe. But the point I was getting at was that in a situation where there was no financial benefit to buying, would people still buy? New Zealand seems a bit unusual on the whole house buying front when compared to quite a few other countries.
The changes around renting would have to be massive for people to give up the ownership dream, basic security plus use of money are big drivers then there is the fact that for a lot of use the money in our houses is all well leave for our kids.
I also find I enjoy my own home more than living in one I don’t own.
think its pretty obvious that “middle NZ” that Little is appealing to is that group who have supported National the past 2 elections but have misgivings about their and their offsprings future….if a relatively small number of them are convinced Labour can address those doubts without turning their world upside down then a coalition not of National will result.
Given what they have to work with its probably their best option
It might be obvious to you Pat, but I didn’t get the impression that Little singled out the group that supports National.
would you be happier if he had specifically named them?
Didn’t mean to offend you Pat because I didn’t agree with you that Little was singling out a group that voted National over the last 2 elections.
not offended at all…..everyone entitled to their opinion.
+1 Pat. The working poor are well aware of their situation, thank you very much. They are not the primary target audience of this speech. They are the subject
In short, Bill, he means people who vote.
I read it twice and still managed to miss what he had to say about climate change and the environment. Can someone point me in the right direction?
The rest of it was fairly accurate comment on the failings of the incumbents and nicely aspirational homilies, however.
I’m picking a basic response along the lines of “It’s a budget speech and budget speeches are about the economy” – as though the economy sits apart from, and need pay no heed to, the limitations and possibilities as presented by reality.
It’s a scary disconnect.
Not a disconnect, Bill – just being realistic. You cannot cram every subject into one speech. Ditto policies. Labour is not going to start talking about climate disruption or freshwater matters in a speech on the country’s economy – but in the end, these will all come together – with other important matters – in a rounded whole.
You just have to have a look at Labour’s Policy Platform – easily found on the web – to see what I mean.
I think it’s indicative of being anything but realistic.
The speech mentions issues around housing and health, poverty and whatever. Generally speaking, I haven’t any problems with the policies mentioned. But the speech assumes the policies they have, will be rolled out over time, and be contained within much the same context as has existed for the past however many decades. That’s the disconnect.
Andrew Little, and Labour, know we’re in a different world from previous decades – that’s what he’s been trying to point out for quite a time now. And Labour’s policies have to fit into this very different world – which they will.
Look up Labour’s Policy Platform. That’ll give you more detail on where we’re heading.
OMG you are dreaming.
Labour don’t understand anything. This is the party which is deathly afraid to scare the middle class horses.
And the voting public has been punishing them at the ballot box for being totally disconnected.
Disagree with you Colonial Viper, Labour understand a lot more than you will ever give them credit for. Labour always has to tread more cautiously. Corrupt msm and dirty politics from John Key’s office keep the public distracted and disconnected.
in other words National set the parameters of the box, and Labour cautiously stays within it.
And as a strategy, how is it working out for Labour?
That’s not what I meant Colonial Viper.
So I looked up the Policy Platform and scanned it. There are, as you say, some nods or acknowledgements that would seem to point somewhat in the right direction. There are also commitments or undertakings that would fly in the face of any supposed shift in direction.
Which is all fine. A 60 odd page policy document that involves multiple input is almost bound to contain contradictions.
As for which elements of the policy platform gain precedence and so set the course or general thrust of policy direction well, if the words or lack of signposts in speeches aren’t to be taken as anything to go by, I guess there’s no way to tell until various actions occur or fail to materialise.
Which is hardly a desirable state of affairs.
Labour are not going to promise to make everyone poorer. Fucksake.
What? Who said they should?
edit – and in case you hadn’t noticed, for election cycle after election cycle people have been being promised they’ll be better off…this time. And poverty widens and deepens….
Wrong party.
OK, then where are the policies on full employment?
Or is that the wrong party too?
Didn’t think Little’s pre budget speech was the platform for policy announcements.
You would have heard that if you’d been at the last party conference.
In regards to cracking down on offshore property investors, why are Labour still pushing this new build fallacy?
Can’t Labour see that forcing offshore property investors to buy new builds will merely drive up the price of land, thus, as a result, the price of housing?
The Chairman.
Have you got a better idea mate, if so don’t be shy, let it out.
Making overseas buyers build new would seem like a very good idea to me.
Builders would get work, painters, roofers, landscapers, concrete workers and all the suppliers and more.
How can that be a bad thing ?
Open the other eye sir.
No offence intended, but fuck off with that BS mate.
This idea is going to fall flat on its face with the electorate.
As for a better idea – ban all foreign non-resident ownership of NZ housing and of NZ residential land; give foreign non-resident owners 5 years to divest themselves of their current holdings.
😆
Speaking of falling flat on your face with the electorate 😆
For those who don’t know what OAB is referring to, in 2011 I stood for Labour in Clutha Southland against the Deputy Prime Minister, Bill English. Good fun too. He was a great debate and town meeting opponent.
And as OAB inferred, I was unable to beat English at the polls.
I didn’t know that CV. I just assumed OAB was talking about Andrew Littles attempt to win an electorate seat in The Naki.
Anyway, good on you CV, as least you didn’t just sit back and be a keyboard warrior like some people.
Appreciate that, thanks.
When you campaign in a deeply blue electorate, it is a steep learning curve indeed.
One thing which really opened my eyes as the candidate was when I met some of the former officers who ran the long-defunct Mataura Mill Labour Party branch.
They were all going to vote for NZ First, and told me so without hesitation.
Jeez, I’m a bit shocked to hear that.
You mean you weren’t able to overcome English’s tiny, wafer-thin 2008 Majority of 15,000 + votes, CV ??? (English took 68% of the Candidate-Vote at the 08 Election – 22,600 – to the Labour candidate’s 7,100 (21%) ).
I mean, OK, Clutha-Southland’s one of the Bluest seats in the Country, but still …
it was ripe for the picking … surely ? And at a 2011 Election in which Labour otherwise did so brilliantly !!!
Chur, lol 🙂
Well, some people think I shamed the party by not falling straight on my sword after my unexpected and shocking loss.
The newly announced Labour candidate for Invercargill, Liz Craig, will win that seat against Sarah
DowagerDowie. Liz stood in Clutha/Southland in the last round and won great respect across the board. The votes however, as Colonial Viper points out, don’t cross borders easily.Craig has a 10% or less chance of overturning Dowie’s 7,500 majority, and will need a very high list placing if she is to get into Parliament this round.
This is nothing personal against Craig, but as an unknown against an incumbent local, the odds are highly stacked against her.
I don’t know Liz Craig but she reads as a credible candidate. For mine a huge issue for Labour is refreshing their list with some fresh talent. A feature of Key’s leadership is the smiling assassin ruthlessness to cut dead wood. Littles biggest liability is the perception that he is leading a reheated and talentless caucus. Labour need to be bold and allow merit and renewal to take its course and freshen up its line up. Cosgrove has gone ,Goff odds on as well but the likes of Dyspn and Mallard teal need to go.
I don’t know Liz Craig but she reads as a credible candidate. For mine a huge issue for Labour is refreshing their list with some fresh talent. A feature of Key’s leadership is the smiling assassin ruthlessness to cut dead wood. Littles biggest liability is the perception that he is leading a reheated and talentless caucus. Labour need to be bold and allow merit and renewal to take its course and freshen up its line up. Cosgrove has gone ,Goff odds on as well but the likes of Dyspn and Mallard etal need to go.
Wow +1
And also for “chur”
We know oab is a douhe bag
+ 100
what is this, kindergarten?
You can only speak for yourself, and I disagree with you Infused.
good for you.
Inferred or not, what I’m saying is that your opinions of what will or won’t “fall flat”, whatever they were in 2011, are distorted by your personal bias against the Labour Party you’re a member of.
@Jester, your snide put down is well wide of its mark.
+1 OAB
To VP.
And who or which political party is going to do that ?
Maybe Winston, but cant see any others going for your brain wave .
It’s a better idea, it would be highly popular with the electorate, and it’s also one that Labour is incapable of running with.
Good stuff, CV, now that’s a policy I can vote for!
Another thing about this bullshit about needing to hawk our land and resources off to foreigners in order to get a few little dollars off them.
We have all the money and demand for housing internally to keep every builder in the country busy for years.
If Labour would finally come to the party re: social housing like the First Labour Government did, and not like its recent neoliberal incarnations.
“”That’s why Labour will launch a mass home building programme to deliver new, affordable homes in Auckland and around the country.””
Sounds like kiwi build will still be there next election, its a policy that the head of master build said was do able.
Those Kiwi Build Auckland homes, who will they be “affordable” for exactly?
Will Kiwis earning less than $80K pa get a look in?
Nope. It’s a really stupid idea. Just as stupid as allowing foreign ownership at all in fact.
Foreign ownership has never done any country any good.
We really don’t have any need of foreign money to utilise our own resources. It is nothing but a delusion to believe so.
@ Simple Simon
An outright ban would have the desired effect (reducing property demand, thus alleviating upward pressure on the price of land and houses).
Builders etc.. will be required for Labour’s KiwiBuild policy.
Boiler plate Labour appeal to its social democratic heritage. From the party dead sure that NZ Super must be cut for our own good. Election in 15 months.
Great speech. Now soon we will see the words as clear, easily understood action plan.
A clever & deliberate speech that allows room for a coalition partner or two to speak on areas he over-looked.
Good speech.
FAIL.
Hey Andrew, you acknowledge the level of poverty many of us face living (and trapped) at the bottom of society but you conveniently dodge the things that matter to the downtrodden.
How about reversing the worset of National’s welfare reforms so there is a safety net?
How about acknowledging some of us have fallen through the cracks but that we still matter too.
Your speech sounds like you care about Middle NZ and the Working Poor but you have forgotten the Underclass — those of us who are unemployable because of the scarcity of jobs at the bottom, those with mental health conditions, those with physical disabilities.
Go for it, suck up to Middle NZ, but if you ignore your grass roots you won’t win the next election. You need us too. You need to be inclusive not selective.
Until then, you don’t represent me.
Did you even read the speech? He talks at length about poverty and the need to make eliminating poverty a core priority of the next govt.
Thats nice talk. Will Labour reverse the Ruthanasia benefit cuts? Will Labour write off unrepayable student debt? Will Labour make it easier for beneficiaries to work part time and earn without losing their benefit?
You will have to wait and see Colonial Viper.
I won’t be holding my breath.
Hmmmm….
“We’ll raise the number of hours people can work without having their benefit cut.”
well that’s something positive, thanks for pointing that out, because at the moment any beneficiary who gets more than 3 or 4 hours work a week is likely to face an effective ~90% income tax and/or risk losing their benefit altogether.
He obviously didn’t bother Bb8 !!!
So you see yourself as part of the “”underclass”” (John Key’s description of the people his government have targeted and persecuted over the last 8 years), whilst you support National then Slumbergod?
hold on hold on – this is dribble and I will tell you why
Where is the DETAILED reference to Future of Work – OMG I have written so often on here this is the most important document Labour is to produce in November this year.
His reference to Grant and I was producing this budget – does this mean all this Future for Work stuff is dead or standard catchphrases better health better houses better education .
I am really annoyed there is no DETAILED or some ground breaking reference which is suppose to be the ground breaker for NZ by Labour
How can this be – vote NZF and Greens everyone!!!
Or have I turned up at the wrong tent and listened to the wrong Andrew Little(lol)
To be fair, he’s probably better off leaving the “future of work” stuff to its scheduled announcement. Fairly anodyne speech, though. It’s basically what any one of us on here would have come up with in any given year since 2009 if asked to predict what a budget speech by the Labour leader would look like.
I find phrases like “middle New Zealand” and “the Kiwi Dream” absolutely nauseating.
I dunno that those phrases are nauseating, Hanswurst. Didn’t most NZers aspire to owning a home one day? It used to be a realistic dream for people to work towards. And under this Government, that “dream” disappeared for many.
Especially for most younger people – and especially for those working and trying to rent a reasonable place in Auckland (and, so I’m told, in Wellington as well).
All NZers are exactly the same and have exactly the same dream din’t ya know?
Disagree with you Hanswurst “middle New Zealand” and “the Kiwi Dream” are NOT nauseating.
It’d be nice if the rabid Labourites would let people express opinions here. So you and Jenny don’t find all this “middle New Zealand” malarkey nauseuating – Hanswurst does, it’s his comment. Jumping on every single negative thing anyone says about Labour just makes you look desperate and insecure.
That’s a petty, desperate, insecure jump you have made yourself Wainwright, I’m expressing an opinion here, aren’t I allowed to disagree with opinions I disagree with ?
These are opinions:
“I find that language nauseating.”
“I do not find it nauseating.”
This is not opinions:
“I find that language nauseating.”
“No it isnt so you can’t!!!!!!!!”
I would like to experience this Kiwi Dream, if it’s not too much trouble. Thank you very much
“Kiwi Dream” sounds like some sort of unsustainable, meat-flavoured icecream.
The details will come later, upnorth. You know a political party doesn’t spell out all the detail until much closer to the election : especially when the Nats cherrypick the best bits out of Labour policy and use them for their own.
This is old FPP thinking and irrelevant now.
You need to give the electorate time to understand and digest what you want to do and why.
And if Labour announces policy that National can so easily steal, then the policy was clearly too centrist or even right wing friendly to start with.
Nonsense CV – the Nats just pick up on anything their focus groups tell them is a “goer” and many of Labour’s policies are just that !
Then why has Labour’s party vote numbers in general elections been declining since 2005.
It’s the perception of competency issue. The policy is probably not a problem for most centre voters.
I would argue that it is more a cultural and political disconnect.
People don’t want more of the same neoliberalism. That’s the political disconnect.
People don’t think that Labour selects and promotes MPs representative of them. That’s the cultural disconnect.
If you asked the average Joe in the street what neolibrilism is you’d get a blank steer, its not relevant , people want security for them and theirs
You’re under estimating these same people if you believe that they don’t understand or suspect where this insecurity has come from.
They might not know the term “neoliberalism” (although many do) but they do know that both Labour and National have been part of the problem.
Promising not to let 65 year olds retire probably didn’t help.
Yes, that might have made working Kiwis feel more insecure, not less.
well said.
Besides which, if the policy were left enough and National stole it, why should I care whether Labour or National were in power?
bang on. And it is an opportunity for Labour to move further left. Except they don’t want to.
I disagree, we do want to. It was crystal clear at the regional conference and it’s crystal clear at every LEC Meeting I attend. The issue is that anything outside the normal economic orthodoxy gets absolutely shredded by the government and the lapdog media. Ask Russell Norman about QE some time…
Your opinions as a member don’t count for anything much. One reason is that the caucus sincerely believes that they know better than you, and they believe that the general membership is too left wing for the good of the party.
And did Labour back him up? Or did Labour just stand aside and watch Russell turn into road kill.
With friends like that, do you wonder why Labour is alone.
As for Russell, he made a lot of mistakes around his QE comments, not the least of which was not sticking to his guns, and not having his MPs and membership on side with the concepts before hand.
Be nice if the caucus decided to reflect the actual party, wouldn’t it?
If the policy was Left and National uses it is the policy that they make also Left?
Calm the farm dude. Future of Work announcement is at the November conference.
“How can this be – vote NZF and Greens everyone!!!”
If you want to risk National getting a 4th term, vote NZF. I’ll just keep saying it.
I think most nzf voters would not have an issue with that They are conservative in nature, thus see nzf just bringing national home in thier slightly deluded rationale
I was thinking more about the lefties that think party voting NZF is a relatively risk-free strategy.
(besides, doesn’t research show that most NZF voters want NZF in a left wing govt?).
The evidence suggests that former Labour voters comprise a disproportionate % of NZF’s current support-base – people who appear to have little love for the current PM. (although, if the last few Polls are anything to go by, the Party may now be making greater inroads into National’s heartland).
NZ First would do well to position itself as the protest party of increasingly impoverished rural towns and cities that have known nothing but decline since 1984…. The new feudalism of the provinces, where among a new squatocracy a web of corruption based on nepotism, patronage and cronyism is flourishing in the complete absence of any media scrutiny (when i was a lad in Hawke’s Bay, we had two full newspapers, and a local ZB station. All gone now.) needs to be challenged. If the nod and wink, back scratching corruption that anyone who is in the know knows about in HB is any guide to the rest of provincial NZ, the acceptance of the casual corruption of the Key government instantly becomes a lot more understandable. Neoliberalism has basically created in provincial NZ a third world economy of a mass of low paid service and seasonal workers lorded over by latifundia elite. Amongst those excluded low paid provincial NZers I reckon NZ First’s anti-establishment message could reap a huge number of votes.
It’s MMP Upnorth. I will be voting Labour. NZ First and the Greens on their own is not enough to kick the Nats out. You still need Labour. I would rather a Labour led coalition government with the Greens and NZ First than what we have now under John key’s regime with his partners in crime.
If Labour give the public something different and distinct to vote for, that would be nice.
And Labour will have to spike back above 30% (and stay there) if it wants to lead anything.
Labour are offering a far better alternative to National.
Jeezuz Little!, where is the exciting, stimulating, encouraging speech? Labour are pulling a hard line negative campaign… Voters will align Little with poverty, homelessness, charter schools, health, low wages etc, because its all he talks about.
This strategy is so fucking painfully unsophisticated.. there is no light in that speech…
Well it resonated with me 100% salsa, that is because it was full of net grits and authenticity, neither of which I hear from the travesty of a government we have atm.
Celebrity politics don’t akshully work in case you haven’t checked outside in the real world.
Um really? how bout Trump?
um, Trump is getting a protest vote, and it doesn’t mean celebrity voting is working either.
A protest vote against what exactly?
missing the point, Trump is a product of celebrity politics, reaping the benefits of the quick fix, hero worship that goes with it. People not actually stopping and thinking about consequences of anything Trump says.
Now Bernie on the other hand……
So according to you he’s not attracting a protest vote, he’s attracting the vote enamoured with celebrity stars and easy answers.
On the other hand, Trump has demonstrated a clear understanding of the Middle East, the declining status of the USA, and the debt based financial system.
I will give it to you that he is a showman who was very able at riling up the liberals and bringing onboard conservative voters.
lol, good one. Especially that middle paragraph.
Most of us, and the numbers are increasing daily, are still waiting for the ‘Brighter Future”
Cooked the books for a shiter future those poster’s should have read.
Integrity not net grits…..
lol, nice spell check.
http://www.qsl.net/grit-net/
What is it with the cost of living in NZ???? The cost of food is insane, power prices are a scandal, water bills in Auckland are sky high, and lets not even start on housing…
The cost of DIY stuff is 400-600% higher in NZ than almost anywhere else. WTF is going on??
It is utter madness.
Food in NZ ought to be about the cheapest in the world, and power from hydo schemes long since paid for ought to be cheap as well. NZ consumers are being gouged by corporate greed, rampant profiteering and monopoly pricing at every turn and not a single politician has even mentioned it, let alone proposed to do anything about it…. Where is a policy of government subsidised supermarkets offering food at cost? Anyone planning on reigning rampant power price rent seeking?
Actually we all know why nothing will be done. These massive rorts are a form of hugely regressive taxation via SOE dividends that allow the government to cut taxes to the salaried class and the rich. Our government is the mafia boss to a giant standover racketering operation that uses monopoly utility pricing to shake down the population and provide fat incomes for it’s corporate mates in the private sector….
At first, I really struggled with this speech; it contained a lot of good points, but it wasn’t clear (to me) how they were supposed to be connected or realised.
I also felt that many important issues and ideas were notable by their absence, e.g. immigration, environment, UBI, (foreign) trade, to name just a few. Yes, I do realise it is the pre-budget speech by the Leader of the Opposition and not (yet) a full-blown election campaign manifesto.
Instead, the focus was only on (the) core issues: the economy (of course), housing, healthcare, and education. Not too many truly controversial things were mentioned.
I was looking for a clear vision with an accompanying mission statement and possibly a hint of a strategic plan but the language was remarkably (but see below) ambiguous with ill-defined terms such as “middle New Zealand” and a reference to “the Kiwi Dream”. [Note the capitalisation; the word “dream” appeared five times in the speech] The way I see it, there is nothing uniquely Kiwi about the Kiwi Dream anyway.
In short, the heavy rhetoric seemed more of a plea to or for common sense and an emotive appeal to people’s sense of fairness, equality, mateship, and hope!
So, I was scratching my head and felt a little disappointed with the whole speech to be honest; the first 100 or so comments here didn’t make me feel any better …
However, a different way of looking at the speech is to assume that it is trying build a realistic counter-narrative to National’s eternal and illusionary optimism that all is (very) well in New Zealand and that we can be reassured, confident even, that the management of our economy is in good hands and that our country is led by the best possible leaders of the highest ethical standards – this is Tui-ad territory.
So, now I’d like to think that this speech is looking well beyond Budget Day and is, almost subliminally, trying to re-frame the issues that are most compelling to the voting New Zealanders. It did so without being overtly negative or resorting to personal attacks (e.g. on John Key).
If this was indeed the intention of the speech it certainly worked on and for me! Well done, whoever wrote it!
If you go to public address and read Rob Salmond’s latest post on welfare, Little’s speech makes sense. Labour is intellectually bereft and hopelessly behind the times. Its ability to formulate policy is constrained by it’s continued adherence to out of date third way principles and a talentless and co-opted caucus whose members are selected primarily because of horse trading amongst factions, rather than an ability to formulate good policy or mount effective opposition to the government.
You may be correct but I think that such an objective misses the mark strategically.
The people who are most likely to switch their vote to Labour from National are people who are already notably disatisfied with National in one way or another. They are people whose lives are not going as well as has been promised and they are concerned that National is not managing the direction of the country well.
For these people, the kind of “re-framing” in Little’s speech falls short because the voters which you want to reach are not voters who need to be convinced that something is amiss – psychologically they are already there.
What they are looking for is why Labour is going to perform differently to National, and what Labour is going to offer in terms of concrete changes to demonstrate that difference.
This speech did little of that. So I would classify this event as a major wasted opportunity.
And with Labour sitting consistently under 30% approx 15 months before the election, missing an opportunity such as this is a big problem.
it was a speech that reasured those wavering National voters that Labour will not seek to create upheaval….and note that it must potentially be a winning strategy as M.Hooten was peddling (not pedaling) like mad today on RNZ to discredit it…what more recommendation is needed?
I am so reassured that Labour is committing to not upsetting the proper order of our society; after all it’s going mostly good as it is but simply needs a bit of minor tinkering here and there to improve.
ah but you are not the target CV…and they do not seek your reassurance for to do that would, they believe frighten the middle voter and see them sink even lower in the polls…..Labour has a shrinking base and I suspect this is the least bad option….they are fighting for survival, not seeking to sell a grand new vision.
i believe for this reasons CC will be a very low key part of their campaign and you will have unlimited ammunition to assault them with…they will remain unconcerned of the criticism …those concerned with cc will vote green by default in the main and those concerned about globalization will vote Winston….and the missing million will continue to be missing….whos left to vote Labour?
Labour has always been one of those guys who prefers to eye up the next pretty girl on the dance floor instead of giving their long time loyal partner their full attention.
The results of such behaviour are predictable.
think Labour is more the destitute old man who is aware that his charm and looks have waned with the years….trying to attract the eye of the next pretty girl.
Still expect the long-suffering girlfriend to be their doing the dishes when they get home, too. And get outraged when she’s decided to find a better man.
Unsurprisingly, Claire Trevett really liked AL’s speech http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11643048 [sarcasm alert]
Yep, Bradford and Trevett competing to be Andrew’s best girl
A good speech I thought, but I want more of a framework on the economic rebuild before too long. NZ has been stagnating for thirty neo-liberal years, there is much to be done. Fastrail. Coastal shipping rebuild. Housing. Decorporatising land and stolen public assets like water and electricty. Restoring credible MSM media – even if there have to be right and left channels. And that’s before education and infra reform.
I’d also like an outline on the punishment detail – trust fund tax fiddles: a year in chokey for every x amount springs to mind. Punitive reform of OIO, Charter School admin, Serco contract holder and Winz. Clear rules opening cabinet club and restricting donor secrecy and privilege – with tangible penalties. The Keystone cop who raided Hager out on the street in disgrace.
And fisheries and aquaculture reform – we can do much, much better.
Is this is a political speech for our time?
Don’t get me wrong, I think that it is admirable that Andrew little is taking the government to task over the government’s Housing Crisis Denial. But what about the government’s Climate Change Denial.
I think it is great that the Labour Party leader has pointed out the failures in our health and education systems.
But Andrew Little’s speech has one glaring omission
Andrew Little’s speech does not make one single mention of the biggest threat to humanity or the biosphere that sustains us, that we have ever had to face. (But which our political leaders resolutely refuse to face)
Is this what we should expect from our political leaders in the age of climate change?
This is not saying that social justice is not as important as climate justice.
The exploitation of the natural world and exploitation of the human world have the same roots, social injustice and climate injustice are closely linked.
To omit one is to do disservice to both.
Politicians will only be fiddling around the edges of both issues until they can muster the courage to grasp this nettle.
Until politicians of the Left can start weaving these two burning issues together, then it is my opinion that they will never make real progress on either.
The reality is, a degraded climate will make poverty worse, and impact the poor the hardest, increasing social inequality.
As the Pentagon describe it, “Climate Change is a force multiplier”.
And still not one single mention.
Addressing unemployment, Andrew Little promises heavy government investment in building new infrastructure, to kick start the economy (especially in the struggling regions). But stubbornly refuses to make the obvious link to the massive job opportunities involved in building sustainable and renewable infrastructure, like investing in public transport and railways instead of urban motorways, or moving away from fossil fuel extraction to renewables. This obvious connection is not made. And I have to ask why?
What is behind Labour and Andrew Little’s climate change ignoring?
I invite anyone to try to explain or rationalise this.
I note Little also failed to mention the dismal state of the footpath outside my house. This is an issue the Labour Party have been silent on for far too long. Sure, some people will say that the explanation is that this was a speech about the upcoming budget, but try telling that to my ankle. It really hurt when I stood in that hole. C’mon, Labour, lift your game!
Yawn, really the belittling argument.
And did not someone say…???
Say what? If a commenter wants to write disingenuous dribble, then it’s going to called for what it is. Engage your brain, cobber.
Dear Te Reo Putake,
Great to see that you have lifted your criticism of my commentHere from, “disingenuous dribble”, to “beautifully crafted strawman argument”.
But I can’t see how you can justifiably claim that I deliberated twisted Andrew Little’s budget speech?
No twisting here.
That Andrew Little has omitted any mention of climate change in his pre-budget speech is a pure simple statement of fact.
What you are objecting to, is that I have dared to point out this fact.
Because this is not just an objection to Andrew Little’s Pre-Budget speech, but an objection to Labour’s obvious decided strategic response to climate change in the lead up to the 2017 election.
Which is: Not to mention it.
I am not the only one to comment on this glaring omission.
While ably addressing the issues of poverty and inequality, Andrew Little glaringly refuses to comment on the other equally pressing, (and linked), social justice issue of our time, climate change.
As Bill comments at the top of the thread.
Andrew Little’s speech is a progression of the Labour Party’s policy toward any mention of climate change in the lead up to the elections.
Case in point: ‘The Future Of Work’ is an example of Labour’s strategy toward climate change, now continued in Andrew Little’s speech.
Just like Andrew Little’s pre-budget speech, ‘The Future of Work’ also had zero mention of climate change. And this despite the huge potential for jobs to build the required renewable infrastructure that could free us from our reliance on fossil fuels.
This silence was deafening in the face of recent big redundancies in the fossil fuel industry, particularly the coal industry, both here and overseas. (even during the period of the conference).
Dark day as coal mines shuttered
Solid Energy confirms job losses
More jobs lost at Solid Energy on the West Coast
Job losses ‘catastrophic’ for Huntly
Continuing the same strategy of silence on climate change Labour’s Ten Big Ideas, which came out of the Future of Work, has zero mention of Climate Change.
Ten Big Ideas
Labour’s fifth Big Idea probably comes the closest, When Labour say they are for “Establishing a just transition”. Which begs the question, Establishing a just transition, from what? To what?
The Labour Party doesn’t say.
This talk of a “Establishing a just transition” has faint echoes of Green MP Gareth Hughes famous statement in relation to the government’s failed quarter $billion bailout of Solid Energy, “This money would have been better used to pay for a just transition for these workers to jobs that don’t fry the planet”.
(In hindsight Gareth Hughes statement has been proved absolutely correct).
In relation to the sentence in Labour’s fifth big idea t is like an East German era censor, armed with a pair of scissors hacked into this sentence, cutting out the offending words they didn’t like. “Establishing a just transition, [from a carbon economy], (snip) [to a post carbon economy], (snip) and left this sentence without meaning or context.
Dear TRP, despite your objections none of which bear any weight. It is my intention, to keep hammering away at Labour’s Berlin Wall strategy of silence on climate change, leading up to, and during the election until Labour start taking this issue seriously.
Dear Te Reo Putake,
If the hole in your footpath was a vortex sucking millions of people to their deaths along with much of the world’s biota, including the Great Barrier Reef….
And the government of the day was ignoring it. (Or even quietly enlarging it.) Then I think, Yes! the Leader of the Opposition should mention it.
In fact I would go further, and suggest that the leader of the opposition would be morally and ethically bound to demand that the Government free up assets in the budget to fill it in. And that, to not make such comments shows some level of complicity with the government in allowing the vortex to continue killing and destroying.
Talking hypothetically, I would be tempted to go even further (but I won’t) and suggest that for you, and the leader of the opposition, not to demand that the hole in your footpath be filled would be a moral failing, or even an act of cowardice in the face of this hypothetical disaster.
I suppose I could be wrong and that for some technical reason related to vortexes beyond my simple understanding of them, this very important speech has to be left to closer to the election.
And God forbid I suggest that it will never be made at all.
But it increasingly looks like the next Labour government will tolerate climate change in in New Zealand in the 21st century.
I could be wrong and that Andrew Little’s hard hitting, timely and well researched speech on poverty and social justice, will be followed up by an equally hard hitting, timely and well researched speech from Andrew Little on climate change, and climate justice.
But I have been assured by those who know, that this speech will never be made, or delivered.
Amazing post
Really?
A quick google search shows that a barely a week later Andrew Little’s speech is not remarked anywhere. Except at the Daily Blog. (And then not very flatteringly). Apart from that, Andrew Little’s speech has dropped below the surface of public discourse having hardly left a ripple.
As I asked in my rhetorical question, “Is this is a political speech for our time?”
Well obviously not. If it is still not being remarked upon anywhere.
So what could have lifted Andrew Little’s speech above the humdrum churn of political speeches and really made it a speech for our time?
What could have convinced the commentators that Labour was serious about facing up to and tackling the issues poverty and inequality raised in Andrew Little’s Pre Budget Speech?
Citing a study by New Zealand scientist Luke Harrington and his colleagues at Victoria University.
Nature the world’s most well known and respected international scientific journal gives us a clue.
Now if Andrew Little had only woven into his speech about poverty and inequality as related to the budget, the issue of climate change, citing Luke Harrington’s study. And wrote that properly addressing poverty needs to be part of the vital fight against climate change…..
Then this truely would have been a speech for our time, repeatedly remarked on and referred to.