Is it somehow significant that the words are aligned left of centre this time, whether they were hard right last time?
How about
Get them into debt,
not into education.
And what is National’s Youth Guarantee? are they seriously guaranteeing that no youth will get into trouble under a National Govt? Or do they not know what guarantee means? (And if they fail does that mean we get our money back?)
Guarantee certainly is a strong word. Not that I would wish that such an approach be unsuccessful, but they are setting a high-bar to clear here – such language at face value is simply incredulous.
i think that artistically they’re a mess – you’ve got three different lines of text with three different colours, three sizes, and two fonts. the background colour changes too behind the words.. all of which makes it hard to read.
This is quite laughable. The limited policy Key announced on Breakfast this AM largely replicates existing policies. What’s unbelievable about this is that Labour’s done a great job at improving youth transitions through various initiatives including changes to TOPs, the implementation of Modern Apprenticeships, Gateway and massive increases and improvements to Industry Training. Plus of course, NCEA. All the numbers on NZ education show improvements in absolute and relative terms.
English was looking like he’d come up with a meaningful educational alternative to the current government’s; his move was unfortunate and their subsequent position on tertiary education has been inconsistent, ridiculous and simplistic… a lot like this billboard.
“All the numbers on NZ education show improvements in absolute and relative terms.”
What about reading standards?
“Professor Nicholson, who co-heads Massey’s Centre of Excellence for Research on Children’s Literacy, advocates teaching how to sound out words using phonics, which has been largely dropped by the New Zealand education system in favour of a “whole language’ approach.
He says that approach is failing Maori children particularly because phonics is well-suited to learning to read Te Reo and would provide an easy transition to English.
New Zealand was first in the world for reading achievement in 1970, dropped to 13th in 2001 and was ranked 24th out of 40 countries and five Canadian states by the latest (2006) Progress in International Reading Literacy Study statistics for 10-year-olds.”
Ben R: The whole language/phonics debate in language acquisition is a live debate upon which reasonable and properly-qualified people can and frequently do differ. It’s not something you can obviate by citing one expert in a field.
I’m not disputing your data; just that it’s not an open-and-shut case as your comment implies.
“I’m not disputing your data; just that it’s not an open-and-shut case as your comment implies.
Not that it’s anything to do with the billboard.”
Indeed, it was in response to the claim that all the numbers show we’re improving in absolute & relative terms (maybe we are, but I’d like to see a link with the evidence).
I have a lot of respect for Prof Nicholson having studied under him, but there’s nothing in the curriculum etc that precludes a school from using phonics. I don’t believe his comments should be directed towards government policy, but more towards educators in general to consider wider approaches to literacy education. In particular, to consider using a mix of approaches according to the needs of the children.
The govt has done a good job preventing the curriculum from becoming too rigid and encouraging schools to find methods that work for them.
“Ben R – The best thing that can be done for reading standards is for parents to take time to read to their children.”
i agree one hundred percent, the biggest impact on a child’s success at school is the role that the parent chooses to play.
The students that achieve well at school, have parents that are involved with them, the school, and their learning.
More work needs to be done building relationships with parents and teachers, as is done in early childhood.
Although Labour have not got it completely right yet, the answer is not to establish national education standards and then hold teachers and students accountable to them,
Ben R, what Lew said – I’m really reluctant to get into a phonics v whole language discussion, not least of all because I’m not nearly qualified to do so.
However, regarding this question/statement:
Indeed, it was in response to the claim that all the numbers show we’re improving in absolute & relative terms (maybe we are, but I’d like to see a link with the evidence).
My earlier comment, about absolute and relative improvements, is backed-up by our performance in a number of international studies which show, for instance, that reading literacy for Year 5 students which is “better than the international average”, and that NZ is continuing “its high performance in reading literacy at the senior secondary level, with only two out of thirty OECD countries achieving significantly higher mean scores than New Zealand.”
Jasper, you ignoramus. Clearly you’ll benefit from the improvement National will offer you in terms of your education.
I imagine that the National team are hoping some dole-bludging vandal DOES tag their billboard. It’ll prove the point of the staggering rise in youth crime, and generate a free media opportunity that flies under the EFA.
lprent…sorry I dont know about this link stuff and it was Peter williams QC who said it.
Have no idea where I go t the george liggins bit… I was in a hurry this morning. It is probably availlable on replay radio. anyway Randals sister saw Hooton on tv3 last week and he was beside himself and even the old biddies on snakeoil radio (talkback)are beginning to complain about how nasty the nats are getting.
I think that the fact that both billboards have gone right over your heads is proof that they aren’t aimed at you, and are not designed to appeal to your concerns. However, to a wavering old-skool (sorry) Labour-voter, they speak volumes, and this is who they are targeting. Your responses suggest an out-of-touchness with ‘middle-NZ’ which of course is a big part of Labour’s (correctly place apostrophe) problems as they cruise into the election, hell-bent on erecting a papier-mache statue to Helen’s legacy in the form of the ETS. That’ a lot of hyphens.
extra extra read all about it ‘Mathew Hooton is hysterical and has a mental complaint’ George Liggins QC this morning on nine to noon
Actually in:
RNZ NTN: NZ First Funding and SFO Investigation
Peter Williams, QC, is the lawyer acting for Winston Peters. He says his client is the subject of an hysterical witchhunt.
michael, there might be some clever vandals out there, which could be funny, but I suspect they’d be politically motivated, rather than just some pissed off young taggers…
Further irony – the ‘youth’ that is implied to have tagged the billboard can at least spell the words ‘not’, ‘into’ and ‘trouble’ and even added a full stop at the end of the phrase. I would question how much training this young person needs.
Your responses suggest an out-of-touchness with ‘middle-NZ’ which of course is a big part of Labour’s (correctly place apostrophe) problems
Can you be more specific? Do you mean that the criticisms of National’s billboards – that they promise unquantified tax cuts as a solution to emmigration and the continuation of existing education policy – are missing the point? If so, I assume that you genuinely believe tax cuts will stop people heading offshore? Bizarre. I wonder if it’s us or you that’s out-of-touch?
Shall we get into semantics and claim that National is a collective? So seeing as National is a party, made up of many members, it’s therefore a “plural” ownership of the Youth Guarantee.
So therefore, Nationals’ would be more accurate, as National’s implies only one individuals guarantee.
williams also said that it is a fundamental principle of our system of justice that if you allege a crime then you must prove it. and randal see hooton on tv and listen to hooton on the wirless and read his bi weeekly column in the sst and other forums and sources and williams is right. hooton is hystrerical leading the infantilised media on a folies du tout. more a bit like a dance macabre but yu get the picture. a;lso hands up who saw garner in a blue and white check shirt with ared tie.. covering all bases and the stars ‘n stripes an all. go dunk.
Paul S59, EFA, ETS, retrospective validation, pledge card overspend, rising crime (perceived) rising mortgages, fuel costs, continued ‘exodus’ overseas, PM’s ethical compromises over Winston, that apalling rendition of ‘The Gambler’ at the LP conference, mike Willliams’ memory lapses, government by oligarchy, Cullen and his attitude to taxation, desire to replace SFO, preoccupation with EB, ramming unpopular legislation through with urgency foreshore and seabed, – etc.
monkey boy, I understand these are issues that concern you, albeit I’d not agree with your characterisation of at least half of them, but I’m none the wiser as to what Key would do differently?
And on the issue of honesty, Key’s equivocations on various issues doesn’t satisfy me. Nor does his failure to release policy assuage my fear he’s got at least two sets of plans, only one of which is public.
And by the way the s.59 amendment was a Green Party proposal that both National and Labour ultimately supported.
Shit. I am a tory and find this simply embarassing. Fire the fucking ad agency. Isn’t Steven Joyce meant to be organising the campaign? He is brighter than this. ACT can have my vote if National is going to treat the public so patronisingly with its faux-graffiti. Yurk.
Catching the bus to town this avo I spotted the aeroplane one, except you couldn’t make out the aeroplane pattern at all because the sun was shining on it so it just looked like a light blue (Act party blue???) billboard.
Paul – my point is it doesn’t matter what Key would or would not do differently, the purpose of the billboard is not to engender a catch-all summary of the political party’s policies, it is a dog-whistle to the softer underbelly who feel threatened and disenfranchised. i really don;t want to get into another nit-picking session about the s59, I know the history, right back to the moment Clark announced her own intention on the morning after Coral Burrow’s murder that ‘smackishe would like to outlaw smacking, followed by her ‘against human nature’ statement, and the use of the Party whip to ensure the s.59 amendment would be voted in, not put to a conscience vote. All of which again, refer back to the out-of-touchness of a party run by ivory-tower academics, who clearly beleive that saying something makes it so, when, in ‘ther real world’ it don’t. That is the summary of the dogwhistle to shich I referred, and yes, it obviously went over your heads.
You are not taking National’s Billboards seriously, because you are blinded by having it your own way for so long.
sorry.
Or like when your party leader says “dude” in an assembly hall.
My first impulse is that this is fantastic, one of the lamest branding efforts I’ve seen in a long time (ok, maybe since Labours maildrop following the budget) but on the other side of the coin I get a sharp pang of uncertainty every time I hear someone say “The NZ public is too smart to fall for this”.
Is this the same NZ public that bought into the housing boom hook, line, and sinker? Because that was pretty dumb, and it’s hardly an example in isolation.
It’s not the promise of training that is bad. It’s the breathtaking dishonesty of it.
Here are John Key’s words, launching the billboard today:
“The policy will provide a universal educational entitlement for all 16- and 17-year-olds. It will allow them to access, free of charge, a programme of educational study towards school-level qualifications at approved institutions.
“This entitlement will be on top of, not instead of, the education entitlements they have now.
(my italics)
In other words, a good old social democratic spend-up. A very expensive one. While promising to rein in government spending.
Either National are going to outspend Labour or they are lying. Take your pick.
Lee: “the purpose of the billboard is not to engender a catch-all summary of the political party’s policies, it is a dog-whistle to the softer underbelly who feel threatened and disenfranchised.”
I’m 100% with you here.
Not so sure about the remainder – looks like a lapse into feeling threatened and disenfranchised on false grounds.
it is a dog-whistle to the softer underbelly who feel threatened and disenfranchised.
Yeah, I agree and if they had some policy the same issues, or any issues really, I’d be less concerned by it but the fact is National are hoping to win government without telling us what they’d do. Tragically, as redlogix said at KBB a while back, much of the media are either unwilling on unable to challenge him.
I don’t disagree that this campaign strategy might work to win the election, but is it a strategy that gives you insight into what they’ll then do?
In other words, a good old social democratic spend-up. A very expensive one. While promising to rein in government spending.
I doubt it’ll have either a significant impact or cost much; I suspect the take-up will be low frankly and/or it’ll displace existing pathways. This is policy clutter, not clarity.
That said, the economic benefit from getting school-leavers to do additional years of training is significant; an Australian study, in 2005, estimated that by progressively increasing retention rates you can achieve net increases in GNP.
There’s always all sorts of assumptions in this kind of analysis, econometric general equilibrium modeling, but you can play around with these and get different result. The underlying logic is sound. Why Key’s anouncement is clutter however, is because many of these pathways are already in place.
In 2007, 4.9% of all school leavers left school with little or no formal attainment. This represents a 71% decrease from 2001, when the percentage of all school leavers who left school with little or no formal attainment was 17.0%.
There’s lots of reasons for this, both to do government initiatives (NCEA, Modern Apprenticeships, Gateway et al) but also increased demand for labour.
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TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
Opinion: New Health NZ commissioner Lester Levy is authorised to assume operational leadership – chief executive Margie Apa is effectively relegated to his operational deputy The post All-powerful Levy is feudal baron of a $28b fiefdom appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Yes, just wondered up to see it in the flesh (along with two TV news teams – obviously this is where you go for National policy announcements).
Spend the whole time walking back trying to think of something to say about it, but it speaks for itself really.
I suppose the only way’s up from here.
Is it somehow significant that the words are aligned left of centre this time, whether they were hard right last time?
How about
Get them into debt,
not into education.
And what is National’s Youth Guarantee? are they seriously guaranteeing that no youth will get into trouble under a National Govt? Or do they not know what guarantee means? (And if they fail does that mean we get our money back?)
They’ve thoughtfully left a nice space below for some real graffiti. I give it 24 hours max.
“Not into power”?
Guarantee certainly is a strong word. Not that I would wish that such an approach be unsuccessful, but they are setting a high-bar to clear here – such language at face value is simply incredulous.
Better than the previous billboard. Clearer message & some alliteration to make it more memorable.
I like how the area beneath ‘National’s youth guarantee’ is empty, just like that particular policy.
i think that artistically they’re a mess – you’ve got three different lines of text with three different colours, three sizes, and two fonts. the background colour changes too behind the words.. all of which makes it hard to read.
Heh, a cow-orker of mine saw it and thought it WAS a parody.
There’s a tricky little dog-whistle in there about training – going along with the boot camp idea. It’s not `Get them into education’.
L
I’ve commented on this over at Public Address.
This is quite laughable. The limited policy Key announced on Breakfast this AM largely replicates existing policies. What’s unbelievable about this is that Labour’s done a great job at improving youth transitions through various initiatives including changes to TOPs, the implementation of Modern Apprenticeships, Gateway and massive increases and improvements to Industry Training. Plus of course, NCEA. All the numbers on NZ education show improvements in absolute and relative terms.
English was looking like he’d come up with a meaningful educational alternative to the current government’s; his move was unfortunate and their subsequent position on tertiary education has been inconsistent, ridiculous and simplistic… a lot like this billboard.
extra extra read all about it…”Mathew Hooton is hysterical and has a mental complaint”…George Liggins QC this morning on nine to noon
[lprent: I’ve always thought so… but how about a link. It should be available by now.]
It’s Classic Crosby-Textor. Just compare it to the 2005 Uk Conservative Party billboards.
Parole will be next. Then racism.
“All the numbers on NZ education show improvements in absolute and relative terms.”
What about reading standards?
“Professor Nicholson, who co-heads Massey’s Centre of Excellence for Research on Children’s Literacy, advocates teaching how to sound out words using phonics, which has been largely dropped by the New Zealand education system in favour of a “whole language’ approach.
He says that approach is failing Maori children particularly because phonics is well-suited to learning to read Te Reo and would provide an easy transition to English.
New Zealand was first in the world for reading achievement in 1970, dropped to 13th in 2001 and was ranked 24th out of 40 countries and five Canadian states by the latest (2006) Progress in International Reading Literacy Study statistics for 10-year-olds.”
[link]
Get them into military training
And then we’ll send them to Iraq. Or Iran. Or whatever war the US decides to start next.
Oh, this is true yukkiness.
Ben R: The whole language/phonics debate in language acquisition is a live debate upon which reasonable and properly-qualified people can and frequently do differ. It’s not something you can obviate by citing one expert in a field.
I’m not disputing your data; just that it’s not an open-and-shut case as your comment implies.
Not that it’s anything to do with the billboard.
L
“I’m not disputing your data; just that it’s not an open-and-shut case as your comment implies.
Not that it’s anything to do with the billboard.”
Indeed, it was in response to the claim that all the numbers show we’re improving in absolute & relative terms (maybe we are, but I’d like to see a link with the evidence).
And the apostrophe is in the wrong place..
National is Youth Guarantee?
So if we vote national we guarantee our youth? Woohoo, I’ll keep being 22 thanks.
Typical – want higher education standards, yet are barely educated themselves.
I’m with gobsmacked. I predict that it will become a badge of honour to put a bomb or tag on one of those billboards.
A perfect opportunity for graffiti.
Awesome, I can’t wait!
Jasper: The apostrophe is fine. National’s == belonging to National.
Glass houses, stones, etc regarding your last comment – epic fail.
L
I have a lot of respect for Prof Nicholson having studied under him, but there’s nothing in the curriculum etc that precludes a school from using phonics. I don’t believe his comments should be directed towards government policy, but more towards educators in general to consider wider approaches to literacy education. In particular, to consider using a mix of approaches according to the needs of the children.
The govt has done a good job preventing the curriculum from becoming too rigid and encouraging schools to find methods that work for them.
Ben R – The best thing that can be done for reading standards is for parents to take time to read to their children.
Now that would be a much better billboard and yes it would probably help ‘Youth’ to get into training.
I wonder what ‘Youth’ think of this billboard, is there anyone under 20 who reads this blog?
Rocket Boy,
“Ben R – The best thing that can be done for reading standards is for parents to take time to read to their children.”
i agree one hundred percent, the biggest impact on a child’s success at school is the role that the parent chooses to play.
The students that achieve well at school, have parents that are involved with them, the school, and their learning.
More work needs to be done building relationships with parents and teachers, as is done in early childhood.
Although Labour have not got it completely right yet, the answer is not to establish national education standards and then hold teachers and students accountable to them,
Get ‘them’ into training…it’s what some old smelly guy at a bus stop might rant at me while we’re both waiting for the 7:10am…
I don’t understand how this scheme works. If you stay in school, do you get money?
Who will be administering this? WINZ? How will National cut the public service if they give them more to do?
Get them into the Army
And into Iraq
Ben R, what Lew said – I’m really reluctant to get into a phonics v whole language discussion, not least of all because I’m not nearly qualified to do so.
However, regarding this question/statement:
My earlier comment, about absolute and relative improvements, is backed-up by our performance in a number of international studies which show, for instance, that reading literacy for Year 5 students which is “better than the international average”, and that NZ is continuing “its high performance in reading literacy at the senior secondary level, with only two out of thirty OECD countries achieving significantly higher mean scores than New Zealand.”
These quotes are taken from the various reports available online at the education counts site, here: http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/indicators/education_and_learning_outcomes
It just is not true that NZ education standards are low or are slipping; they’re high and are improving.
Jasper, you ignoramus. Clearly you’ll benefit from the improvement National will offer you in terms of your education.
I imagine that the National team are hoping some dole-bludging vandal DOES tag their billboard. It’ll prove the point of the staggering rise in youth crime, and generate a free media opportunity that flies under the EFA.
lprent…sorry I dont know about this link stuff and it was Peter williams QC who said it.
Have no idea where I go t the george liggins bit… I was in a hurry this morning. It is probably availlable on replay radio. anyway Randals sister saw Hooton on tv3 last week and he was beside himself and even the old biddies on snakeoil radio (talkback)are beginning to complain about how nasty the nats are getting.
I think that the fact that both billboards have gone right over your heads is proof that they aren’t aimed at you, and are not designed to appeal to your concerns. However, to a wavering old-skool (sorry) Labour-voter, they speak volumes, and this is who they are targeting. Your responses suggest an out-of-touchness with ‘middle-NZ’ which of course is a big part of Labour’s (correctly place apostrophe) problems as they cruise into the election, hell-bent on erecting a papier-mache statue to Helen’s legacy in the form of the ETS. That’ a lot of hyphens.
Actually in:
RNZ NTN:
NZ First Funding and SFO Investigation
Peter Williams, QC, is the lawyer acting for Winston Peters. He says his client is the subject of an hysterical witchhunt.
3:34 and 8:26 in
michael, there might be some clever vandals out there, which could be funny, but I suspect they’d be politically motivated, rather than just some pissed off young taggers…
Further irony – the ‘youth’ that is implied to have tagged the billboard can at least spell the words ‘not’, ‘into’ and ‘trouble’ and even added a full stop at the end of the phrase. I would question how much training this young person needs.
So when are Labour going to release some new policies?
Can you be more specific? Do you mean that the criticisms of National’s billboards – that they promise unquantified tax cuts as a solution to emmigration and the continuation of existing education policy – are missing the point? If so, I assume that you genuinely believe tax cuts will stop people heading offshore? Bizarre. I wonder if it’s us or you that’s out-of-touch?
Shall we get into semantics and claim that National is a collective? So seeing as National is a party, made up of many members, it’s therefore a “plural” ownership of the Youth Guarantee.
So therefore, Nationals’ would be more accurate, as National’s implies only one individuals guarantee.
Actually, I stand corrected Lew et al. My apologies.
williams also said that it is a fundamental principle of our system of justice that if you allege a crime then you must prove it. and randal see hooton on tv and listen to hooton on the wirless and read his bi weeekly column in the sst and other forums and sources and williams is right. hooton is hystrerical leading the infantilised media on a folies du tout. more a bit like a dance macabre but yu get the picture. a;lso hands up who saw garner in a blue and white check shirt with ared tie.. covering all bases and the stars ‘n stripes an all. go dunk.
Paul S59, EFA, ETS, retrospective validation, pledge card overspend, rising crime (perceived) rising mortgages, fuel costs, continued ‘exodus’ overseas, PM’s ethical compromises over Winston, that apalling rendition of ‘The Gambler’ at the LP conference, mike Willliams’ memory lapses, government by oligarchy, Cullen and his attitude to taxation, desire to replace SFO, preoccupation with EB, ramming unpopular legislation through with urgency foreshore and seabed, – etc.
Wondering: They’re releasing a whole lot right now, under urgency!
L
monkey boy, I understand these are issues that concern you, albeit I’d not agree with your characterisation of at least half of them, but I’m none the wiser as to what Key would do differently?
And on the issue of honesty, Key’s equivocations on various issues doesn’t satisfy me. Nor does his failure to release policy assuage my fear he’s got at least two sets of plans, only one of which is public.
And by the way the s.59 amendment was a Green Party proposal that both National and Labour ultimately supported.
monkey boy you’ve successfully identified the issues that matter to bloggers who support the Act Party. Nice work.
Shit. I am a tory and find this simply embarassing. Fire the fucking ad agency. Isn’t Steven Joyce meant to be organising the campaign? He is brighter than this. ACT can have my vote if National is going to treat the public so patronisingly with its faux-graffiti. Yurk.
As for the faux-graffiti, who tags with a brush? In comic-sans?
Catching the bus to town this avo I spotted the aeroplane one, except you couldn’t make out the aeroplane pattern at all because the sun was shining on it so it just looked like a light blue (Act party blue???) billboard.
Paul – my point is it doesn’t matter what Key would or would not do differently, the purpose of the billboard is not to engender a catch-all summary of the political party’s policies, it is a dog-whistle to the softer underbelly who feel threatened and disenfranchised. i really don;t want to get into another nit-picking session about the s59, I know the history, right back to the moment Clark announced her own intention on the morning after Coral Burrow’s murder that ‘smackishe would like to outlaw smacking, followed by her ‘against human nature’ statement, and the use of the Party whip to ensure the s.59 amendment would be voted in, not put to a conscience vote. All of which again, refer back to the out-of-touchness of a party run by ivory-tower academics, who clearly beleive that saying something makes it so, when, in ‘ther real world’ it don’t. That is the summary of the dogwhistle to shich I referred, and yes, it obviously went over your heads.
You are not taking National’s Billboards seriously, because you are blinded by having it your own way for so long.
sorry.
Snapped: http://newzblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/dsc00078.jpg
Sorry about the quality.
Just spotted an Air NZ ad on nzherald.co.nz that looks like the same blue too.
“It’s like when your Dad tries to rap.”
Or like when your party leader says “dude” in an assembly hall.
My first impulse is that this is fantastic, one of the lamest branding efforts I’ve seen in a long time (ok, maybe since Labours maildrop following the budget) but on the other side of the coin I get a sharp pang of uncertainty every time I hear someone say “The NZ public is too smart to fall for this”.
Is this the same NZ public that bought into the housing boom hook, line, and sinker? Because that was pretty dumb, and it’s hardly an example in isolation.
What is wrong with National wanting to get young people into training?
Labour wants to get young people into training i.e modern apprenticeships.
National wants to get young people into boot camp style training.
It’s not the promise of training that is bad. It’s the breathtaking dishonesty of it.
Here are John Key’s words, launching the billboard today:
“The policy will provide a universal educational entitlement for all 16- and 17-year-olds. It will allow them to access, free of charge, a programme of educational study towards school-level qualifications at approved institutions.
“This entitlement will be on top of, not instead of, the education entitlements they have now.
(my italics)
In other words, a good old social democratic spend-up. A very expensive one. While promising to rein in government spending.
Either National are going to outspend Labour or they are lying. Take your pick.
Lee: “the purpose of the billboard is not to engender a catch-all summary of the political party’s policies, it is a dog-whistle to the softer underbelly who feel threatened and disenfranchised.”
I’m 100% with you here.
Not so sure about the remainder – looks like a lapse into feeling threatened and disenfranchised on false grounds.
L
Again, what Lew said plus
Yeah, I agree and if they had some policy the same issues, or any issues really, I’d be less concerned by it but the fact is National are hoping to win government without telling us what they’d do. Tragically, as redlogix said at KBB a while back, much of the media are either unwilling on unable to challenge him.
I don’t disagree that this campaign strategy might work to win the election, but is it a strategy that gives you insight into what they’ll then do?
I doubt it’ll have either a significant impact or cost much; I suspect the take-up will be low frankly and/or it’ll displace existing pathways. This is policy clutter, not clarity.
That said, the economic benefit from getting school-leavers to do additional years of training is significant; an Australian study, in 2005, estimated that by progressively increasing retention rates you can achieve net increases in GNP.
There’s always all sorts of assumptions in this kind of analysis, econometric general equilibrium modeling, but you can play around with these and get different result. The underlying logic is sound. Why Key’s anouncement is clutter however, is because many of these pathways are already in place.
That quote’s from here: http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/indicators/indicator_page/schooling/753
There’s lots of reasons for this, both to do government initiatives (NCEA, Modern Apprenticeships, Gateway et al) but also increased demand for labour.
“It’s like when your Dad tries to rap”
No-ones yet mentiond that d4j has a ghetto-esque vibe…
Hey.
This is a great billboard. Who did it?, really cool.
About time someone did something good that works.
What labour doing?
I don’t Vote by the way before people give me the bash bro.
The Boss