Armstrong on Nat’s attack on wages

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, October 12th, 2013 - 30 comments
Categories: welfare, workers' rights - Tags: ,

John Armstrong has a good column on National’s attack on Kiwi workers today. Covering off David Cunliffe’s speech to the CTU, Armstrong talks about the way the Nats have been playing small target on their raft of small employment changes that add up to a serious attack on the wages and rights of all of New Zealand’s workers:

The bill – now before a parliamentary select committee – claims in its explanatory note that it will “help create an environment where employers can grow their business while ensuring the rights of employees are well protected”.

The first part of that statement may be valid. The second is on a par with the double-speak in George Orwell’s 1984.

The bill will enable employers to walk away from collective contract negotiations at whim, thereby putting pressure on workers to sign individual contracts if they are to get any kind of pay rise. Employers will similarly be able to opt out of multi-employer contracts that set minimum conditions for the likes of the nursing profession.

The bill also removes the requirement that the pay and conditions for new staff is in line with any prevailing collective contract for the first 30 days of their employment.

Employers will be able to institute partial pay cuts for limited industrial action. Employers will effectively be able to dictate the timing of meal breaks and rest periods.

The verdict of presumably politically neutral officials in the old Department of Labour, since merged into the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, was that the proposed changes would increase “choice” for employers and reduce it for unions and employees.

The officials further warned that the proposed changes in the industrial relations regime might expose New Zealand to “critical international scrutiny” over meeting its obligations to workers’ rights in international treaties to which it is party.

But these changes aren’t just about unions. As Irish has previously noted:

…the thing is, union deals drag everyone’s wages up. It’s not just the hundreds of thousands of non-union members on union sites that get to enjoy union-cut deals either – the reason people get paid what they do at (non-union) TV3 is because they’re have to stay competitive with (unionised) TVNZ in the wage market. The reason people get paid what they do at non-union mills and factories is because they need to keep their wages close to the wages paid at union mills and factories. And middle-class people with degrees get paid what they do because public sector unions make sure those qualifications maintain their value. Unionised Kiwi workers are constantly pulling other Kiwi workers up with them.

I’d add to that the fact that the Government’s welfare changes are pushing people off benefits without a job to go to. Aside from the human misery this is causing, that creates a pool of desperate workers who will take any job they can get at any price and places further downward pressure across the employment market.

And while this is going on National’s Labour Minister, Simon Bridges, is refusing to be interviewed about the changes at all – let’s hope the media start calling him out on that.

Armstrong claims that the left has “dropped the ball” on this attack on workers. I’d argue that the media has ignored the warnings and protests of the left about the changes. That said, work rights and wage policy is now getting the attention it deserves and will be a battleground issue going into the 2014 election. About bloody time.

30 comments on “Armstrong on Nat’s attack on wages ”

  1. GregJ 1

    Goo post Eddie – the raft of changes National has made or is proposing to Industrial Law make a mockery of the claims I’ve seen some on the right make that some sort of bi-partisan consensus been reached on Industrial relations because National have retained the Employment Relations Act rather than replacing it. Sure they’ve kept the title on the surface but the tinkering under the hood is dramatic. Another case of pretending to be “steady as she goes” when in reality this is a government that is seeking to make fundamental transformations to New Zealand society (and not for the better).

    P.S. your second sentence doesn’t quite read properly – a missing word or additional word in the wrong place?

    Eddie: Thanks. Fixed.

    • Murray Olsen 1.1

      Take a look at Queensland to see what NAct would like to do, besides the obvious huge holes in the ground. The State Attorney General, in the interests of workplace safety, is requiring “militant union thugs” to give 24 hours notice before entering a work site. The police have been ordered to pull over all “bikies” for intelligence gathering purposes, whether they are breaking any laws or not. “Bikies” are automatically denied bail for absolutely anything the police feel like charging them with.

      Perhaps the worst of all is that the SAG, Jarrod Bleckie, accepts that many of his laws will be overturned by the courts. In an approach that would make Key proud, he says something like “We’ll just write new ones.”

      Maybe Armstrong has had a look across the ditch and realises that not even he wants to wake up inside a WhaleSpew wet dream. I hope more follow him, because I refuse to believe that a majority of Kiwis actively want the sort of society Key and his banksters are designing for us. The danger is that we’ll get it by omission, by not actively fighting against it.

      The election of Cunliffe gives me some hope, not because he is a socialist super hero, but because issues have been put back on the agenda and are being discussed in a way they haven’t for years. People are realising that choosing to eat and live with dignity are more important than choosing your brand of light bulb, and about bloody time.

      • miravox 1.1.1

        “In an approach that would make Key proud, he says something like “We’ll just write new ones.””

        Anyone would thing they have each other’s phone numbers.

        I really hope you’re right about most Kiwis not wanting the the society Key and the Banksters are creating. I keep reading the comments on controversial stuff (like the fact the poor people exist /sarc) to look for changing attitudes and I feel people are realising that the government is creating more difficulties rather than solutions.

        I also think that is the importance of the Cunliffe leadership change is the debate that has been enabled about what sort of society we want to live in. No-one in leadership on the Left has been able to inspire this for quite some time. It’s not just Cunliffe, but also a growing realisation the NAct way is not delivering a place that fits the values that are important to New Zealanders.

  2. karol 2

    It does look like an extraordinary shift by Armstrong. No backhanders amidst the support for Cunliffe and his policy proposals.

    Good to see mention of the relationship between strong employment laws for workers and unemployment benefits/social security. I’m still hoping for something more explicit on social security from team Cunliffe.

    And, just an aside: it seems no-one is immune from being victim of the 90 day fire at will legislation, no matter what one’s past successes. In an article on Georgina Beyer’s current health problems, this:

    At one point she got a retail job in Masterton but was quickly shown the door by her boss when a story about her plan to run for the Masterton mayoralty in 2010 was splashed in the local paper.

    “He essentially said, ‘well, we’ll let you go now’. I was a victim of the 90-day fire-at-will law,” says Beyer.

  3. Te Reo Putake 3

    One of the changes actually removes the right to strike over collective bargaining, which is the most likely breach of the ILO commitments Armstrong refers to in his article. The effect is to bring back the Contract Act by stealth.

  4. Sosoo 4

    Seems to me that journalists are increasingly seeing the writing on the wall. It sounds weird, but I’m starting to get the feeling that Cunliffe is going to get a much easier ride from the media than people might think. Some of it might be down to his habit of actually answering their questions.

    • tc 4.1

      Yes journalism driven by opinion polls and self interest rather than facts and objective reasoning, no change there.

      Grandad wants to keep his place at the trough.

      • Anne 4.1.1

        I actually think it was more to do with them being so ‘up themselves’ they couldn’t see the real Cunliffe for love nor money. They were too engrossed in interviewing their own – and each others – typewriters. And since Cunliffe’s elevation to the leadership they are acting almost with surprise and wonder.

        Well, the members and affiliates could have told them 2/3 years ago, but they couldn’t stoop to listening to the proletariat could they!

  5. Disraeli Gladstone 5

    “The bill will enable employers to walk away from collective contract negotiations at whim.”

    That’s simply incorrect journalism. Employers cannot walk away at a whim under the amended Employment Relations Act. They require the Employment Authority under a new s50K to conclude that negotiations have reached a point where they are finished. Under s50K, the Employment Authority would not rule that negotiations are over unless mediation and facilitation have been undertaken. Any attempts to obstruct the negotiation or simply ignore the unions and twiddle their thumbs through facilitation until the Employment Authority can make their ruling would be a breach of s 4 and s 33 of the Act and therefore would lead to the Authority possibly making a binding determination on the collective agreement under s 50J.

    The level of misinformation and scaremongering about this one proposed amendment has been staggering.

    Especially when there’s far worse amendments being passed. The ability to opt-out of multi-employer collective agreement has no s 50K safeguard. That’s concerning. Also, even more concerning, the requirement for an employer to disclose information to an employee when making a decision is being severely, perhaps fatally, undermined. Those are the attacks on the employee’s rights.

    But when you or Armstrong make misinformed comments about other amendments, credibility is lost.

    • Colonial Viper 5.1

      That’s simply incorrect journalism. Employers cannot walk away at a whim under the amended Employment Relations Act. They require the Employment Authority under a new s50K to conclude that negotiations have reached a point where they are finished. Under s50K, the Employment Authority would not rule that negotiations are over unless mediation and facilitation have been undertaken.

      Please quote the relevant section of the Bill which enacts the bolded statement above.

      • Disraeli Gladstone 5.1.1

        Clause 12 of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill. Clause 12 of the Bill inserts a new s 50K into the Employment Relations Act. Bargaining does not end until the Employment Authority has determined that bargaining has concluded.

        Furthermore, from cl 12 “The Authority must not make a determination unless satisfied that the parties have attempted to resolve the difficulties in concluding a collective agreement by way of mediation and, if applicable, facilitation under the Act.”

      • Tracey 5.1.2

        http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2013/0105/6.0/DLM5160202.html

        Disraeli, isnt it for the employment authority to determine IF bargaining has finished, and parties can stop bargaining until it has decided (up to 3 months)?

        and further

        “Clause 12 inserts new section 50K, which enables a party bargaining for a collective agreement to apply to the Employment Relations Authority (the Authority) for a determination as to whether the bargaining has concluded. The Authority must not make a determination under new section 50K unless satisfied that the parties have attempted to resolve the difficulties in concluding a collective agreement by way of mediation and, if applicable, facilitation under the Act, that those attempts have failed, and that further attempts are unlikely to be successful. New section 50K(3) to (5) enable the Authority to determine that—

        bargaining has concluded, in which case the Authority may make a declaration to that effect; or

        bargaining has not concluded, in which case the Authority may either make a recommendation to the parties as to the process they should follow to resolve the difficulties or decide not to make a recommendation.

        In cases where the Authority determines that the bargaining has concluded, none of the parties to the bargaining may initiate further bargaining earlier than 60 days after the date of the declaration, unless the other parties agree. In cases where the Authority determines that bargaining has not concluded, none of the parties may make another application under new section 50K(1) until the recommended process has been followed or (if no recommendation has been made) until 60 days after the Authority’s determination, unless the other parties agree.”

    • Te Reo Putake 5.2

      You’re dreaming, pal. The ERA will rule based on what they see as Parliament’s intent in making the changes. And that intent is to make collective bargaining optional for the boss.

      • Disraeli Gladstone 5.2.1

        Thank you for that insightful legal opinion built on your own intuition rather than academic research. It’s appreciated. Fascinating to read.

        • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.1

          Uhhhhh…apart from being stuck up an Ivory Tower, please explain how you can you do academic research on ERA rulings which haven’t occurred yet, and legislation which hasn’t passed yet?

          What’s your academic background in employment law?

          Regardless, I trust that Labour will be giving the ERA far more teeth in their first 100 days in power.

    • Aspasia 5.3

      I know this is a late response but I simply cannot allow this misinformation to stand.

      “Any attempts to obstruct the negotiation or simply ignore the unions and twiddle their thumbs through facilitation until the Employment Authority can make their ruling would be a breach of s 4 and s 33 of the Act…”

      The most fundamental change proposed is to COMPLETELY REVERSE reverse the current s33 ERA 2000. If the clause is enacted there will be NO requirement to conclude bargaining. Therefore the general good faith duties in s4 and especially the current good faith duties in s33 would no longer apply to concluding bargaining. So there would be no protection against a surface bargaining approach to mediation or facilitation in this situation

      “..therefore would lead to the Authority possibly making a binding determination on the collective agreement under s 50J.” The power to make a binding determination has never been exercised by the Authority because the threshold to enable this to happen is so incredibly high.

      The paragraph beginning “Especially…”does not seem to have any meaningful information about the current statute or the proposed amendments.

      Clause 12 of the Bill has not been correctly cited.The “must” applies to the requirement for the Authority to “consider” whether the parties have attempted to resolve their difficulties by mediation and facilitation, if applicable. The threshold for facilitation is not as high as for determination unders50J but does not apply to every situation. The “must” also applies to a requirement to “direct that mediation, further mediation, or facilitation (as the case may require) be used…”unless the Authority considers it won’t help. This in fact leaves considerable discretion with the Authority and also would require that the appropriate threshold for facilitation was met before the Authority would direct the parties to facilitation. So although it is not possible to second guess how the Authority would respond to a particular situation, it has considerably more discretion than the incorrect citing of the Bill’s wording indicates. TRP is correct in so far as the meaning of all legislation must be “ascertained from its text and in light of its purpose” s5(1) Interpretation Act 1999.

      One reason why the reversal of s33 coupled with the power to declare bargaining at an end is so concerning is that currently refusal to negotiate for a collective agreement and instead insist on individual agreements is a breach of good faith. In the case of New Zealand Dairy Workers’ Union v Open Country Cheese Company Ltd [2009] ERNZ 275 an employer was refusing to do anything else but offer individual contracts. Good faith was breached under s33 because currently this is not a good reason based on reasonable grounds to not reach agreement. If there is no onus to reach a collective agreement, as will be the situation if the amendment is enacted, then there is no onus on an employer to do anything else but offer individual agreements.

      And, of course, as we all know from the Ports of Auckland dispute, where there is no requirement to reach agreement and the employer sucessfully applies to have bargaining declared at an end, then strikes or lockouts come to an end for 60 days. In that 60 day period of no industrial action there would then be no protection under s97 (as there was potentially found to be by Judge Travis last year)against the union members’ work being contracted out.

  6. Tracey 6

    And many dont get that even if you dont belong to a union and need them around a dismissal they let you pay the joining fee and they represent you so they service a broader range than just current members.

  7. Olwyn 7

    This is the sentence that struck me in Armstrong’s article: “Taken individually, the bill’s parts do not mean the end of the world for organised labour. Taken as a whole, they all add up to a very different story.” This is Key’s modus operandi in a nutshell. Everything he’s done has taken something like that form, which allows him to sell himself as centrist while running a cruel, one-sided government. Unfortunately for him, as more and more people are harmed by the reality of the policies, his soothing centrist presentation of them starts to fall on deaf ears.

    • Rogue Trooper 8.1

      stomach-churning scrunch by Watkins, sticking to the menu.

    • Paul 8.2

      From the Watkins’ paeon to neo-liberal orthodoxy in the Dom Post.
      “But the size and scale of Labour’s economic “activism” is yet to be unveiled and Labour’s big problem at the moment is that the current economic prescription seems to be doing pretty well.”

      “The current economic prescription seems to be doing pretty well.”

      She is kidding , right?
      Doing pretty well for whom,Tracy?
      The people who pay for bills, the owners of Fairfax?

      • Colonial Viper 8.2.1

        I think Tracy Watkin’s attitude is that the unemployed and the poor should eat pavlova.

  8. RedBaronCV 10

    Salami tactics – a little slice here a little slice there. So there need to be some big bang changes from the left but maybe a large dose of smaller slices too.

    Personally I have at least one fantasy, that the proposed power buying authority buys enough to give each ordinary home “base power” at a reasonable rate and then tells the state power companies to keep their profits up so 50 downlights and a heated pool suddenly gets very expensive.

    Millband should do something like that in the UK – why have price controls for the owners of large mansions FFS

    • tc 10.1

      Excellent idea, encourages efficiency and lower consumption with enough to live coming at a reasonable cost. User pays for the rest, watch the neo libs go spastic.

      • RedBaronCV 10.1.1

        Trickle down tc as it was meant to be and yes if the neolibs go into orbit just remind them of that

      • I thought that was essentially the Greens’ policy?

        • aerobubble 10.1.2.1

          Make public transport free (even for a month each year to get a better view of demand) and carbon pollution, congestion and oil use will drop.

          Thirty years ago, reports dropped on the desks of western governments showing thirty years of ever cheap high density fuel. So not for nothing the governments of the western world loosened finance, in the hopes that we’d all get richer, active in using the oil growth to progress society. But wait, there was one faction who wanted more, instead of wages rising debt would, and they would corral the wealth for the few (them, or so they thought, turns out only so many can be part of the 1%). In order to achieve their goal they created think tanks, who needed to put a blossom on the turd, they came up with ‘trickle down’, yes you could get a share of the wealth despite the reality that government legislation and regulation had been hijacked to push debt up and build the great spiral staircase of leveraging that even now has not begun to unwind.
          To much paper is in existence, debts and claims on it, there is not enough real value in the world for all the money (claims on value).

          Its not the first time we’ve been here, governments had to go left and write the new deal, and the rich weren’t having it and triggered two successive world wars.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Rising costs hit farmers hard, but  there’s more  positive news  for  them this  week 
    New Zealand’s dairy industry, the mainstay of the country’s export trade, has  been under  pressure  from rising  costs. Down on the  farm, this  has  been  hitting  hard. But there  was more positive news this week,  first   from the latest Fonterra GDT auction where  prices  rose,  and  then from  a  report ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    2 hours ago
  • ROB MacCULLOCH:  Newshub and NZ Herald report misleading garbage about ACT’s van Veldon not follo...
    Rob MacCulloch writes –  In their rush to discredit the new government (which our MainStream Media regard as illegitimate and having no right to enact the democratic will of voters) the NZ Herald and Newshub are arguing ACT’s Deputy Leader Brooke van Veldon is not following Treasury advice ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 hours ago
  • Top 10 for Wednesday, December 6
    Even many young people who smoke support smokefree policies, fitting in with previous research showing the large majority of people who smoke regret starting and most want to quit. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Wednesday, December ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago
  • Eleven years of work.
    Well it didn’t take six months, but the leaks have begun. Yes the good ship Coalition has inadvertently released a confidential cabinet paper into the public domain, discussing their axing of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs).Oops.Just when you were admiring how smoothly things were going for the new government, they’ve had ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    8 hours ago
  • Why we're missing out on sharply lower inflation
    A wave of new and higher fees, rates and charges will ripple out over the economy in the next 18 months as mayors, councillors, heads of department and price-setters for utilities such as gas, electricity, water and parking ramp up charges. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Just when most ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    9 hours ago
  • How Did We Get Here?
    Hi,Kiwis — keep the evening of December 22nd free. I have a meetup planned, and will send out an invite over the next day or so. This sounds sort of crazy to write, but today will be Tony Stamp’s final Totally Normal column of 2023. Somehow we’ve made it to ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    9 hours ago
  • At a glance – Has the greenhouse effect been falsified?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    18 hours ago
  • New Zealaders  have  high expectations of  new  government:  now let’s see if it can deliver?
    The electorate has high expectations of the  new  government.  The question is: can  it  deliver?    Some  might  say  the  signs are not  promising. Protestors   are  already marching in the streets. The  new  Prime Minister has had  little experience of managing  very diverse politicians  in coalition. The economy he  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    21 hours ago
  • You won't believe some of the numbers you have to pull when you're a Finance Minister
    Nicola of Marsden:Yo, normies! We will fix your cost of living worries by giving you a tax cut of 150 dollars. 150! Cash money! Vote National.Various people who can read and count:Actually that's 150 over a fortnight. Not a week, which is how you usually express these things.And actually, it looks ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    22 hours ago
  • Pushback
    When this government came to power, it did so on an explicitly white supremacist platform. Undermining the Waitangi Tribunal, removing Māori representation in local government, over-riding the courts which had tried to make their foreshore and seabed legislation work, eradicating te reo from public life, and ultimately trying to repudiate ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    23 hours ago
  • Defence ministerial meeting meant Collins missed the Maori Party’s mischief-making capers in Parli...
    Buzz from the Beehive Maybe this is not the best time for our Minister of Defence to have gone overseas. Not when the Maori Party is inviting (or should that be inciting?) its followers to join a revolution in a post which promoted its protest plans with a picture of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    24 hours ago
  • Threats of war have been followed by an invitation to join the revolution – now let’s see how th...
     A Maori Party post on Instagram invited party followers to ….  Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Join the REVOLUTION! & make a stand!  Nationwide Action Day, All details in tiles swipe to see locations.  • This is our 1st hit out and tomorrow Tuesday the 5th is the opening ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Top 10 for Tuesday, December 4
    The RBNZ governor is citing high net migration and profit-led inflation as factors in the bank’s hawkish stance. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, including:Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says high net migration and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Nicola Willis' 'show me the money' moment
    Willis has accused labour of “economic vandalism’, while Robertson described her comments as a “desperate diversion from somebody who can't make their tax package add up”. There will now be an intense focus on December 20 to see whether her hyperbole is backed up by true surprises. Photo montage: Lynn ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • CRL costs money but also provides huge benefits
    The City Rail Link has been in the headlines a bit recently so I thought I’d look at some of them. First up, yesterday the NZ Herald ran this piece about the ongoing costs of the CRL. Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with an estimated bill of $220 million each ...
    1 day ago
  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    2 days ago
  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    2 days ago
  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    2 days ago
  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies. Brian Easton writes The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    2 days ago
  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    2 days ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    3 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    3 days ago
  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    5 days ago
  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #48 2023
    Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
    5 days ago
  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    6 days ago
  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago
  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    6 days ago
  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    6 days ago
  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    7 days ago
  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago
  • GRAHAM ADAMS:  Media knives flashing for Luxon’s government
    The fear and loathing among legacy journalists is astonishing Graham Adams writes – No one is going to die wondering how some of the nation’s most influential journalists personally view the new National-led government. It has become abundantly clear within a few days of the coalition agreements ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    1 week ago
  • Top 10 news links for Wednesday, Nov 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere for Wednesday November 29, including:The early return of interest deductibility for landlords could see rebates paid on previous taxes and the cost increase to $3 billion from National’s initial estimate of $2.1 billion, CTU Economist Craig Renney estimated here last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Smokefree Fallout and a High Profile Resignation.
    The day after being sworn in the new cabinet met yesterday, to enjoy their honeymoon phase. You remember, that period after a new government takes power where the country, and the media, are optimistic about them, because they haven’t had a chance to stuff anything about yet.Sadly the nuptials complete ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • As Cabinet revs up, building plans go on hold
    Wellington Council hoardings proclaim its preparations for population growth, but around the country councils are putting things on hold in the absence of clear funding pathways for infrastructure, and despite exploding migrant numbers. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Cabinet meets in earnest today to consider the new Government’s 100-day ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • National takes over infrastructure
    Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that the peak organisation for infrastructure sees  National MPs Chris ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • At a glance – Evidence for global warming
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    1 week ago
  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    1 week ago

  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-12-06T01:51:59+00:00