Author Archive

Clean, Green & Clever: NZ Institute’s last prescription

Written By: - Date published: 2:33 pm, May 9th, 2012 - 34 comments

Ever since I went to his Fabian lecture in February, I’ve been meaning to write about Rick Boven’s last major work before leaving the NZ Institute to its Business Roundtable merger. It’s a major piece of thinking, and a piece he can be proud of signing off with. He charts an uncertain future – one […]

Aucklanders tell Nats they don’t want their MOM

Written By: - Date published: 11:21 am, April 27th, 2012 - 9 comments

The Finance and Expenditure Select Committee got to hear 30 more submissions – all opposed – on the MOM bill. 1400 submissions, almost all against, but no sign the Nats are listening. Big March in Auckland tomorrow to shout it louder.

A Butcher’s Shop, a Toy Shop, a Candy Store and a Childcare Centre

Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, April 25th, 2012 - 14 comments

Steven Joyce’s personal fiefdom of Economic Development, Science and Innovation, Building and Housing, and Labour is confirmed. Now for the redundancies…

Hearing about your MOM

Written By: - Date published: 4:28 pm, April 24th, 2012 - 5 comments

The Finance and Expenditure Select Committee hearings into National’s “Mixed-Ownership Model” Bill (aka Asset Sales) have begun in Wellington, with the vast majority of the more than 600 submitters to the select committee process opposed.

Daughter, my generation is squandering your birthright

Written By: - Date published: 12:33 pm, April 20th, 2012 - 46 comments

Will our children think of the welfare state, the tiger and the rhino as part of a mythologised Arcadia?

Vision part 2: a more equal NZ

Written By: - Date published: 10:31 pm, April 19th, 2012 - 23 comments

David Shearer’s delivered his second “Vision” speech. It’s good to hear he wants to lead a government that tackles inequality, wants proper jobs rather than casualised ones and our kids earning or learning.

Show us you cards, John

Written By: - Date published: 1:46 pm, April 18th, 2012 - 44 comments

David Shearer’s created an easy way to send John Key a message about selling the law to SkyCity. Here’s your chance to tell John his plan to inflict harm on the community to increase the profit of SkyCity is stupid.

We pay for pollution

Written By: - Date published: 2:43 pm, April 12th, 2012 - 14 comments

As National tell us they can’t afford the pittance required for parental leave, they also announce that they will continue to wear the multi-billion dollar cost of farmers’ emissions by deferring their entry into the ETS. That’s us, the tax-payers, subsidising Fonterra.

Hidden away

Written By: - Date published: 9:51 am, April 11th, 2012 - 27 comments

Hidden away at the end of this story, hidden away out of most media view, hidden away from Housing New Zealand, and from society… ordinary people being shafted by National’s cuts.

A three-legged stool

Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, April 10th, 2012 - 4 comments

Ruth Richardson has forced every subsequent policy to be sized up for ‘fiscal responsibility’. I’d like them to be sized up for ‘social responsibility’ and ‘environmental responsibility’ as well.

Participate: a better criminal trial?

Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, April 9th, 2012 - 4 comments

The Law Commission is reviewing trial process. Can we have a fairer justice system?

Participate: Stop Asset Sales and Welfare Reform

Written By: - Date published: 11:02 am, March 30th, 2012 - 54 comments

Friday 13th (April) – a scary day as submissions close on 2 major government bills. Make sure you get your submissions in on the Mixed Ownership Model Bill and the Social Security (Youth Support and Work Focus) Amendment Bill.

Time for workers in the boardroom

Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, March 27th, 2012 - 20 comments

German corporations’ boards are half employee representatives. This has stopped outsourcing, short-term executive thinking, outrageous executive/director pay and can only have improved worker relations. Their economy is sustainable and powering ahead out of the financial crisis through innovation and productivity. Could such an idea catch on here?

Private Welfare to Work – how well does that work?

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, March 24th, 2012 - 42 comments

The government has introduced their welfare changes to parliament. In addition to making mums of 1 year-olds seek paid work in addition to raising children, it introduces private companies profiting from unemployment misery with welfare to work schemes. The UK has been trying this for a couple of years – let’s look at how that’s going…

Labour Organisational Review continues…

Written By: - Date published: 5:52 pm, March 22nd, 2012 - 31 comments

Last night was the North Shore meeting of Labour’s Organisational Review, going around the country this month.

Shearer’s Starting Speech

Written By: - Date published: 4:40 pm, March 14th, 2012 - 11 comments

Tomorrow morning, 7.30, livestreaming on labour.org.nz

Participate: Green Paper on Vulnerable Children

Written By: - Date published: 5:57 pm, February 17th, 2012 - 39 comments

Paula Bennett, in her rush to action, has a Green Paper that intends to create a White Paper that may result in some legislation that she hopes will help “vulnerable children”. But, much as National have spurned attempts from other parties for a non-partisan action on child poverty and looking after our nation’s children, we […]

Participate: MMP Review

Written By: - Date published: 1:40 pm, February 14th, 2012 - 18 comments

You may have noticed the ads about The Standard for the MMP Review that the Electoral Commission announced yesterday.

Now’s your chance to have your say on what MMP will look like in the future.

A sustainable future

Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, February 8th, 2012 - 19 comments

The UN High Level Panel on Global Sustainability has delivered a report about creating a future that’s sustainable economically, socially and environmentally. Our government and political parties should be looking at it and measuring themselves against it.

Inequality: a big issue for our time

Written By: - Date published: 6:43 am, February 7th, 2012 - 218 comments

The Herald looks like it has an excellent series this week, on Auckland: A city divided by income. It’s an issue that has been waiting to be examined in the local context in more depth.  It’s been quite a big issue in the UK for a while, with The Spirit Level making an impact before […]

Poverty: our shame

Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, January 31st, 2012 - 89 comments

We’ve been told about how bad poverty is here, and how bad it is for our future by the excellent Inside New Zealand documentary – but will it take an outside view to wake us from our slumber?

If so then Christians Against Poverty‘s John Kirkby is willing to provide it for us.

Closing the Gap: who’s listening?

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, January 27th, 2012 - 31 comments

Income inequality is one of the major issues of our time, and is being discussed globally. But our government doesn’t appear to be listening. Now a new organisation is aiming to raise awareness of the issue, and pressure our politicians to do something about it.

The Wealth Gap

Written By: - Date published: 2:42 pm, January 18th, 2012 - 23 comments

There’s a documentary on BBC World Service about the Wealth Gap – how the top 0.1% keep earning more and more. Looks worth a listen…

Still no plan

Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, December 22nd, 2011 - 59 comments

“Once in office, you’ve got to do something. That is why having a plan matters.” – Simon Power, 2011, valedictory speech to parliament

And so it begins

Written By: - Date published: 10:47 pm, December 15th, 2011 - 218 comments

Mighty River Power is first on the block, to be sold in the third quarter of next year (weather conditions permitting).

What we need more of is science

Written By: - Date published: 6:42 pm, December 15th, 2011 - 22 comments

There was a very good science piece on Nine-to-Noon this morning, covering some of Kathryn Ryan’s trip to Antarctica. It got me thinking: we need a lot more science in our media – we’d get a better country out of it.

O Canada!

Written By: - Date published: 11:20 pm, December 13th, 2011 - 89 comments

Canada is to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol, making it one of 2 nations in the world to be formally outside it. What will National do when the inevitably large fines roll in for us under their eviscerated ETS?

Not the Dunne thing…

Written By: - Date published: 7:07 am, December 13th, 2011 - 46 comments

Peter Dunne has – according to Alcohol Action NZ spokesperson Professor Doug Sellman – “deliberately suppressed” the biggest and best survey on Kiwi attitudes to drink legislation this country has (not) seen.

Glorious BlackCaps destroy Australia by 7 runs

Written By: - Date published: 4:56 pm, December 12th, 2011 - 37 comments

Sorry to interrupt the politics with sport, but this is our first test victory in Australia since before our strike bowlers Southee and Bracewell were born. And only our 3rd victory in Australia ever.

Tolley Drops

Written By: - Date published: 1:47 pm, December 12th, 2011 - 69 comments

The new cabinet is out, and the Biggest Loser is Anne Tolley.

New Zealand – unequal and rising

Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, December 7th, 2011 - 62 comments

The OECD has a report out blasting increasing income inequality, and saying trickle down doesn’t work for wealth or social mobility. New Zealand had the greatest increase in inequality in the Western World. So what are we going to do to fix it?