Labour and welfare

Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, August 22nd, 2019 - 93 comments
Categories: benefits, Carmel Sepuloni, class war, drugs, greens, jacinda ardern - Tags: ,

During the election campaign in 2017 it became a concern that despite Labour’s stated intention that all New Zealanders deserved to live with dignity and be free from poverty, their approach to welfare was that there would be certain New Zealanders who would be sacrificed because we can’t save everyone. The question then arose: which of us would it be?

In 2018, five months into the new government, I wrote in a post,

It’s possible that Labour will take a pragmatic approach of keeping the underclass in a holding pattern while trying to prevent those above falling down the hole. Sepuloni,

“It’s about proportionate universalism. There are people with high and complex needs and yes they need additional support … but the group of people that I’d be concerned about is that tier of New Zealanders who don’t have high and complex needs, but are really on the brink,” she said.

“It wouldn’t take much for them to fall into that at risk category. Someone loses their job, someone becomes really unwell really quickly and unexpectedly and all of a sudden we’re in the difficult predicament.”

Without a values-based commitment to helping everyone, it’s hard not to start looking at who Labour will sacrifice this time.

Who is being sacrificed is clear now, I just didn’t think that it would be Labour actively pushing people into the hole by removing their income for 3 months.

Even allowing for TVNZ’s obvious hack and paste for maximum manipulation in this video, it’s still shocking to see Labour being in such complete alignment with Paula Bennett’s punitive welfare policy on drug testing beneficiaries. 

1 NEWS revealed this week that of the nearly 40,000 beneficiaries referred for jobs that required a drug test this year, there were only 114 failed tests and on 72 occasions beneficiaries were punished with sanctions.

Under the sanctions, regime job seekers’ can have their benefit cut by 50 per cent for four weeks, then stopped altogether if there are further infringements.

That’s beneficiaries with children. Those without children can lose their whole benefit for 13 weeks. Sanctions kick in after a process of failing three tests (which the beneficiary has to pay for), so there will be the argument that it’s only fair, beneficiaries had a choice. But one subtext here is an old and tired one, that beneficiaries are to be denied the simple pleasures in life. Jacinda Ardern herself criticised the policy in 2013 for its inability to differentiate between drug abuse and recreational use. And those that are addicted need support not penalties.

Living on a 50 – 100% reduction of a low income for one to three months is something that some people will struggle to ever recover from. Many beneficiaries have no savings and have no cash whatsoever by the end of each week.

In that situation how do you pay rent for 4 weeks with no income, let alone 3 months? Or buy food? Afford bus fare to get to job interviews? If you get a big unexpected cost in that time eg car repair, or your freezer breaks down, or a series of children’s medical bills, you go further into debt and at some point it becomes impossible to get out of that.

When Labour were in opposition, Ardern as Spokesperson on Social Development, and Phil Twyford, both heavily criticised National’s new drug testing policy because of the problems that the associated sanctions would cause. Now both Ardern and Minister for Social development, Carmel Sepuloni, are saying the testing and sanctions will remain, and are needed to ‘encourage’ beneficiaries to get a job.

Jacinda Arden, Minister for Child Poverty Reduction,

Ms Ardern told TVNZ1’s Breakfast, “when there are children involved there is a different approach”. 

“You can’t and you shouldn’t lose your full benefit – the sanction is limited, there is a sanction but it’s not in full because you have children in your care and we have to think about kids in those situations.”

But in 2013, when National introduced new benefit sanctions, Labour MP Phil Twyford said cutting people’s benefits by 50 percent when they have children will “ultimately do severe damage to the child”.

So which is it Jacinda? Only cutting by 50% is about doing right by children, or cutting by 50% will severely damage them. How is this helping people on the brink? How is this not pushing people down into the hole of serious poverty?

Is the ‘encouragement’ value really worth the risk of destroying the lives of 72 people, and any children and partners they have? Or are they just the collateral damage in the service of jobs at all costs even though there aren’t enough to go around?

Even if one accepts the position that we should save those we can and sacrifice others to do so, who actually believes that severely punishing 72 people who fail to get a drug testable job will change anything meaningful? If they’re addicted to drugs, how will this help? If they’re using recreational drugs, how is forcing them into a job they wouldn’t normally apply for, and that will be at risk from that use, going to be a good thing?

For those that remain unconvinced that the sanction policy is bad policy, consider that the Welfare Expert Advisory Group recommended drug-testing sanctions be removed. MSD’s evidence brief to WEAG showed that drug-testing was unreliable and not fit for purpose, and that sanctions had been shown overseas to lead to things like food insecurity and hospital admissions for children. 

So what is going on? At this point I don’t even care if this is partly New Zealand First’s influence, NZF don’t control what Labour say to the public. Labour have a chance here. They come out and reframe the discussion so that they don’t look like converts to the Paula Bennett School of Beneficiary Bashing and Humiliation, or they lose whatever respect that might be left on welfare issues.

At the moment it looks like a facade just fell off and we are seeing Labour’s ideological commitment to punitive welfare and class divisions based on who are the deserving poor. I don’t expect there to be much media coverage of this, but it is a milestone in Labour losing the moral authority to lead on wellbeing in New Zealand.

This policy isn’t a progressive position and it dovetails with most of what Labour are doing on welfare. They tinker around the edges, but remain unmoved on any real improvement for beneficaries.

It seems unlikely this will change any time soon and we should remember this come the next election. Labour can still get to lead the government, but that government will be greatly improved by a stronger Green coalition partner with an actual progressive welfare policy that includes removal of punitive sanctions.

 

93 comments on “Labour and welfare ”

  1. Grant Insley 1

    "That’s beneficiaries with children." ? Nowhere in Heralds report did I see the mention of beneficiaries with children. If the sanctions had been on beneficiaries with children, I'd put money on The Herald making a LOUD noise about it. They didn't. I have my doubts…….

    • weka 1.1

      Did you read the whole post?

      Ms Ardern told TVNZ1’s Breakfast, “when there are children involved there is a different approach".

      • Rapunzel 1.1.1

        See until now, just as with some savings at Auck council, I never "heard" that or was not discerning enough to pick it up, I feel like a mushroom with cloth ears.

        • weka 1.1.1.1

          TVNZ bungled the reporting a bit. I haven't seen the Herald coverage, but I only understood what was going on when I looked up the actual policy on WINZ's website.

  2. Tiger Mountain 2

    It is stating the obvious that the underclass created by the neo liberal experiment in this country was kicked off by Labour in 1984, when mass sackings occurred as Govt. Departments became SOEs required to produce dividends, Manufacturing was run down, and Import substitution regimes like Car Assembly ended.

    Todays generational poor and precariously employed are indeed the children of ‘Roger’n’Ruth’. Richardson slashed benefits below the level acknowledged necessary to feed people adequately. Clark bought in “Jobs Jolt” that stopped beneficiaries social mobility. Beneficiaries would be cut off if they moved to towns with high unemployment. The old Social Security model retired, for a punitive, sadistic WINZ/MSD that runs a winners and losers model, that holds individuals to blame for macro economic decisions well beyond their control.

    The Experts Working Group had people like Robert Reid, First Union President, on it, and AAAP–Auckland Action Against Poverty, people involved in the Unemployment and Beneficiaries movements for many years. It is a travesty that their excellent report has basically been dispatched into the Manukau Harbour in a concrete overcoat!

    “Well Being” but not for Beneficiaries. Labour urgently needs some better political management and to stop being in thrall to the neo liberal CEOs and managers at WINZ/MSD and other Ministries that are not their friends at all.

    • wot t.m. said…

      and that outright war on the poor has been replaced by neoliberal-incrementalist 'reforms'..

      which by their very nature mean s.f.a. changes..

      and the minister in charge walks/talks like a tory in labour drag..

      and j.ardern tells us it is 'complex'…

      meanwhile the boot stays on the neck of the poorest..

      benefit rates have not changed more than a pittance..

      yes – sole-parents are getting more (and this is the one ray of light – in a still gloomy room..)

      two yrs into this 'transformational' gummint – nothing has changed for the poor/homeless..

      and what little has been done by this gummint – is nowhere near enough..

      (and before people start yelling at me – yes – they are better that the 'feckin' tories..

      but really – that's enough..?..)

      • Tiger Mountain 2.1.1

        Well put phillip

        there is so much that could be changed overnight, like abatement rates and stand downs, and shit treatment of people, if the likes of Carmel Sepuloni were not seemingly intimidated by certain senior public servants and policy wankers

        incremental moves on Minimum Wage, Fair Pay Agreements, Pay Equity settlements for carers etc. mean low paid workers are becoming slightly higher paid workers over time–so the old hang beneficiaries out to dry–“work will set you free” nonsense can be dropped

  3. Pat 3

    "It’s possible that Labour will take a pragmatic approach of keeping the underclass in a holding pattern while trying to prevent those above falling down the hole"

    Am curious as to why you chose that statement (and repeated here) as apparently key….whether the course Labour is taking is pragmatic is open to debate, but surely any policy has to be pragmatic…theory is fine, but only if supported by results.

    • weka 3.1

      the post in 2018 was me exploring whether Labour were ideologically committed to sacrificing beneficiaries or it was more a matter of them just needing time to make changes at WINZ. I was still giving them, and Sepuloni, the benefit of the doubt.

      I repeated that bit here because it shows that Sepuloni understands the dynamics of poverty creation well enough, and it was a good contrast with them now actively creating poverty for people, which is different from them just letting people fail.

      I'm good with pragmatics. I don't think this is what is happening. I think Labour are ideologically aligned with sanctioning drug users no matter that pragmatic consequences.

      PM suggests below that it might be about the pragmatics of middle NZ votes, but that's not the kind of pragmatics I was referring to.

      • Pat 3.1.1

        k…that being so shouldn't it then read ' its possible will take an idealogical approach…etc' ?

        • weka 3.1.1.1

          last year I thought that Labour wanted to do the right things but were constrained by fear of the electorate. Hence 'pragmatics'. Now I think it's ideology, that they actually believe that punishing drug users is a good approach.

          Not sure if you are quibbling semantics or trying to make a point about Labour.

          • Pat 3.1.1.1.1

            neither…am trying to understand what you mean

            • weka 3.1.1.1.1.1

              Compare to how the Greens manage this (acknowledging the difference between being a junior partner and having the responsibility of forming govt). The Greens are clear that they won't compromise on core values, but will do deals and adjustments on policy where they because of pragmatics.

              It's just taken me awhile to name Labour's core value here. I think that they have a problem with welfare. Whereas the Greens are very easy with it because their core values are that people do best when supported not punished. Labour still believe in the value of punishment, so the sanctions policy, and other problematic welfare policies, aren't an issue for them in the way they are for other people who hold different values.

              I see this in other areas of Labour's welfare policy. It's why they focus on work and are incapable of addressing welfare for disabled people who can't work. If you start from a position of welfare being a good thing, that's solvable. If you start from a position of welfare being a necessary evil, then it's harder to make changes that don't undermine your baseline position (everyone should be working).

              I used to think that Labour were less unkind than that and would eventually get to solving the welfare problems. I don't anymore. I think they're concerned about middle NZ votes, but I think the block is really in their core values. Whatever they're saying about kindness and dignity, it's not reflected in what they do with welfare.

              • Pat

                First thing I will say is that our interpretations of 'pragmatic' would appear to be at odds…

                …that said Labour have always differentiated between the 'working poor' and beneficiaries, and there are economic reasons that predate neoliberalism. Given their rhetoric at election time particularly around child poverty they have created a rod for their own back given the link but then none of their policy from that period is coherent…they were missing in action for the entire Key period and really havnt recovered.

                The truly sad thing is that 2 years into their government they still appear to be incapable of coherent policy development…and the really scary thing is the alternative

                • weka

                  what do you mean by pragmatic?

                  I haven't really looked at their policy development since the election. I was assuming they still believe that the solution to child poverty is to get people into jobs and are working on that across a number of areas.

                  • Pat

                    pragmatic is realistic and sensible and based on outcome (which may involve an element of suck it and see) not necessarily theory, though the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

                    And yes I would agree that Labours strategy (such as it is) is to address child poverty through work…and given the world economic outlook that is likely to be problematic

                  • The Chairman

                    I was assuming they still believe that the solution to child poverty is to get people into jobs and are working on that across a number of areas.

                    Indeed, that seems to be their focus. However, with around half the kids living in poverty coming from working households (due to our current low wages) that solution is largely a fallacy. Hence, before Labour assist people into work they need to better address the low rate of wages.

                    Now, while people may point to WFF, with the ever growing number of low income workers queuing at food banks, evidently that’s not doing enough to turn things around.

      • Chris 3.1.2

        There have been countless arguments on this site about Labour's position on benefits. TPK very recently defended Labour by referring to the statutory annual CPI increase as evidence of Labour's commitment to increasing main benefits. Those of us who challenge Labour and its track record on benefits are maligned as destructive and negative and without evidence to support what we say about Labour's clear lack of desire to really change things.

        It's time Labour supporters and others on the Left took the time to familiarise themselves with some of the historical detail around what Labour's been responsible for since 1999, both while in government and opposition. Resting on a belief that 'at least they're not as bad as the other lot' isn't enough, especially when the evidence tells us that that's not in fact true.

  4. At the moment it looks like a facade just fell off and we are seeing Labour’s ideological commitment to punitive welfare and class divisions based on who are the deserving poor.

    Well, a facade fell off, but I think what it's exposed is fear of how middle NZ would feel about the government not punishing beneficiaries who fail these bullshit drugs tests. If you're aiming to get 40% of the vote, you have to appeal to a lot of decidedly non-progressive voters.

    • Adrian Thornton 4.1

      Just like you to advocate bowing, shaking like a leaf on bended knees to the whims of middle classes…it’s pathetic.

    • weka 4.2

      Quite possibly PM, but some of those middle NZ people appear to be Labour MPs. I don't think Labour are thinking, oh I really wish we could help these people but we're not going to because we'll lose votes. I think they actually think this is the right thing to be doing to those beneficiaries. Otherwise they'd be handling the messaging on this differently. But they're pretty consistent on the deserving poor messaging, this is just the most blatant I've seen it. I'd love to see the full video that TVNZ has, but what they showed was Ardern not even trying to be decent. Ball is firmly in her court today if that’s not true.

      • Rosemary McDonald 4.2.1

        I think they actually think this is the right thing to be doing to those beneficiaries.

        There's Uncle Shane. He's made it one of his signature policies to do whatever it takes to get the 'nephews of the couch'. And if one spends a wee amount of time in some of the communities he is referring to then yes, perhaps there needs to be some…encouragement…to break the cycle.

        But in the wider scheme of things, there are very many beneficiaries for whom sustainable and secure employment is a distant idea, and to a significant number will never happen. Through no fault of their own. And this government, just like the last, has treated these people like shit. And they will continue to do so as long as they are whores to the middle vote. And the continued 'support' of NZF.

        At the moment it looks like a facade just fell off

        The facade fell off on the day that Ardern's spin team got the messaging so horribly, horribly wrong with The Great Kiwibuild Launch. Whoever thought that it was appropriate to channel Savage when buttsnorkelling for the upper middle voter should have been keelhauled.

        https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/ardern-welcomes-first-kiwibuild-families-new-homes

        SSDD

        • weka 4.2.1.1

          heh, isn't buttsnorkling the upper middle classes what Kiwibuild has always been about? Kiwibuild was made for them.

          Helping communities to break the cycle of whatever is one thing. Pushing poor people down a hole is completely different. The only way I can make sense of the policy is to understand Labour are ok with collateral damage.

          • Adrian Thornton 4.2.1.1.1

            Unfortunately Labour NZ is only conforming to it's stated neoliberal ideology, so I am not really sure why anyone is surprised at it's lack of long term vision, or real commitment to any kind of meaningful progressive change..to quote Jane Kelsey.. “A neoliberal mind-set of living for ourselves today and hoping tomorrow will look after itself permeates government, business, and many Kiwis’ psyches.”

            I mean seriously when your political party's battle cry is 'positive pragmatism' then you really know you are in the shit.

            Turn Labour Left!

        • SHG 4.2.1.2

          There's Uncle Shane. He's made it one of his signature policies to do whatever it takes to get the 'nephews of the couch'.

          And if there’s anyone who knows the value of hard work, it’s Shane Jones. Yep, Shane “I love hard work” Jones sure does love working hard at loving hard work.

        • Wensleydale 4.2.1.3

          I remember back in the late '90s during the reign of Reichsführer Shipley, I was required to attend a WINZ seminar. It was ostensibly about 'getting back to work', but it was basically a cuddle-fest run by a weird Dutch bloke in an unattractive cardigan. We all had to stand up and introduce ourselves, wear colourful name-tags and talk about our hopes and dreams for the future. We spent most of the time humouring our exuberant host, smiling awkwardly and desperately wishing we were somewhere else. Many of the attendees were immigrants – qualified electricians, engineers, carpenters… but the majority of them drove taxis because they didn't have the equivalent New Zealand certifications. Some attendees were semi-literate, barely coherent and one bloke used the opportunity to loudly harangue the government about causing the death of his mother. (He was later removed by security for being disruptive and aggressive.) I spent most of the afternoon trying to write CVs for people who could barely read or write, had zero qualifications, and realistically stood no chance of acquiring gainful employment. It was a uniquely depressing experience, and something I never care to repeat.

          Contrary to popular belief, being a beneficiary is not fun. You're not on the pig's back or riding the gravy train. You're constantly scraping and scrimping just to get by, and subsisting on a diet of baked beans and Weet-bix gets really old really fast. You’re also regarded as subhuman scum by large swathes of the general populace. It's a miserable, dispiriting test of endurance and it robs you of your self-confidence and your dignity. I don't wish it on anyone.

      • Psycho Milt 4.2.2

        … some of those middle NZ people appear to be Labour MPs.

        Yep. The party's always had some conservatives in the ranks, and still does. It's annoying, but there isn't any way to be a mass-market party without that. I don't think Ardern's one of them though – I suspect her comments reflect cold, hard assessment of likely voter appeal than personal ideology.

        • weka 4.2.2.1

          so she's compromising her values to win votes? That's cold.

          • Psycho Milt 4.2.2.1.1

            I think that's it, yes. It's entirely rational:

            Premise 1: The party's purpose is to achieve improvements for lower classes.

            Premise 2: Improvements achievable from opposition = 0.

            Conclusion: Therefore, avoiding return to opposition is the primary goal – proposed improvements mustn't conflict with it.

            This is one reason I could never be in politics (or any other major leadership role) – the fact that your actions have a rational basis isn't much of a salve to your conscience when the actions mean misery for significant numbers of people. It takes a special kind of toughness to bear that, and I expect Ardern will look older than her years by the time she leaves this job.

  5. Sabine 5

    Labour, kinder and gentler, but no where better. And those that depend on well being government will just have to rejoice with the crumbs they get.

    I think that really is the crux of the matter. Labour as much as National or NZF or any of the christian parties are still in that punitive form of puritanism of pulling one up by bootstraps while wearing gumboots and if that does not work it must be because one is lazy and undeserving. The greens well …..there shall be no gummibears, too.

    As Psycho Milt says Labour is appealing to the conservative vote rather then the non voters. And labour will be a nice shade of purple with a deep hint of blue in order to get elected again. After all it does not want to deal with NZF again.

    the public will vote again for the lesser evil without ever asking how much lesser it is so as long as it is kinder and gentler.

    A friend of mine one said, you can put a red ribbon around it, cover it in vaseline and it still hurts. go figure.

  6. Adrian 6

    If benefits are cut to those with children and there is no evidence of such and 72 out of 40,000 is a very small percentage anyway, about 2 in 1000, it is very unlikely that children are involved. If in the unlikely event that children were involved and there was no penalty what gets the first call on the money, food, clothes and shoes for those kids or dope, meth or whatever other shit is available.? I know what my bets are on.

    • weka 6.1

      if children weren't involved why did Ardern say “when there are children involved there is a different approach”?

      Are you suggesting that it's ok to cut the benefit of adults with kids if the adult is an out of control addict? It's unclear what you meant by raising that.

      What about the kids whose parents aren't spending their benefit first on drugs? It's a shit policy.

    • David Mac 6.2

      I’m not able to believe that only 1 in every 500 beneficiaries enjoys an occasional toke. I think any level headed person with a mildly diverse life history would estimate 1 or 2 in every 10. But….so what?

      It’s a fresh way to whip those flat out treading water. If it were more than that, we’d take a holistic approach to identifying drug use amongst those dependent on the taxpayer for their income and start with the ones that cost us the most.

      • Kevin 6.2.1

        "I’m not able to believe that only 1 in every 500 beneficiaries enjoys an occasional toke. I think any level headed person with a mildly diverse life history would estimate 1 or 2 in every 10."

        Based on what? Your stereotypical view of who constitutes a 'beneficiary'?

        • David Mac 6.2.1.1

          Beneficiary, armed guard or Uber driver, I think my estimate stands for all of us, that's my point. I reckon about 1 or 2 in every 10 adults enjoy an occasional toke. The variable will be someone on a limited budget is obliged to chisel an occasional $10 worth out of a working pal's bag. What's your guess Kevin?

      • Adrian 6.2.2

        Its 1 in 500 who faced sanctions.

        • phillip ure 6.2.2.1

          um..!..can i just note..that most poor people can't afford to buy dope..

          ..drug-testing the middle-class..would give a much higher rate that 1 in 500..

          (and would the recent testings of waste-water also confirm a much higher rate than 1 in 500..?..)

  7. Stuart Munro. 7

    I'm afraid Labour disappointed all my expectations when they colluded with the Gnats and fishing industry turning a blind eye to the illegal use of slave crews. They still like to pretend they didn't do it. This drug testing thing is just more of the same.

    The neoliberal premise that sold Labour on Rogergnomics, is that they or Treasury are competent and that enacting neoliberal prescriptions will enrich us all. Yet they fail to act on unequivocally economically negative phenomena like capital gains, imposing massive ongoing dead weight costs right across the economy.

    The best we can expect from them is some pretention to kindness – they don't have the economic chops to trade in neoliberalism for developmentalism, nor the commitment to look at hard issues like drugs and consistently choose the best policy as opposed to the least disruptive of the status quo. Lesser of two evils is all the menu offers – enlightened governance not so much.

    • gsays 7.1

      Agree with that Stuart, although I think you have understated Winston and NZ 1st influence on the go easy on the fishing industry.

      • Stuart Munro. 7.1.1

        It's a practice that was going on well before Winston (or Shane Jones for that matter) were in a position to influence policy – as soon as the rules required for boats to be registered in NZ to get a permit (some time prior to 1989 as it happens). It ought to have been a clue that one of the Talleys – not a group known for their excessive care of workers – condemned the practice back in the early nineties (and promptly created a shell called Amalgamated Marketing to conduct all his company's charter fishing so as not to leave his main concerns liable).

        There's a parallel with the lack of skill growth in the trades in the southern US that accompanied slavery, that would have been instructive were our governments as keen on economic development as rhetorical devices like "It's the economy, Stupid" were meant to lead us to believe.

  8. lprent 8

    The thing that I find most objectionable about this apart from having sanctions or stand-downs is that 40% of the jobs or training listed require a drug test.

    https://fyi.org.nz/request/1863/response/6627/attach/html/2/Harris%20Alex%20Final%20Response%20dated%2027%20August%202014.pdf.html

    There simply aren't that many jobs that require drug tests. They are essentially those that are dangerous when someone is inebriated or drugged up. Then they should be looking at a much wider range of drugs because most of the anti-psychotic drugs need to be tested as well.

    I think that the employers need to make a case about why their job requires a drug-test.

    • weka 8.1

      what's up with that? Employers deciding to drug test people who are beneficiaries specifically rather than every applicant? Or is drug testing now widespread?

      • Rosemary McDonald 8.1.1

        Or is drug testing now widespread?

        Yes. I heard just the other day that random drug testing was being brought into a commercial laboratory doing routine sample testing. I guess it could have significant downstream ramifications if Scientist C2 was still impaired from the weekend's partying and missed a contaminated batch. Cue pubic health nightmare and potential damage to exports.

        I remember this…https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:OmzxZg3eMowJ:https://worksafe.govt.nz/dmsdocument/3208-guidance-for-managing-drug-and-alcohol-related-risks-in-adventure-activities+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=nz&client=firefox-b-d ….from 2013when I was trying to find out if agricultural pilots were subject to routine drug screening. The document covers prescribed as well as recreational drugs.

        We have an appalling reputation for poor workplace safety. Our 'she'll be right' culture sees far too many workers fail to return home at the end of their shift. Yes, it is the responsibility of management to provide a safe working environment, but all is for nought if there is no clear expectation that workers are going to arrive totally unimpaired by prescription or recreational chemicals.

        • Dukeofurl 8.1.1.1

          "As a business owner you are responsible for the health and wellbeing of your staff whilst they are in your workplace.Do you really know if your staff are sober or under the influence putting their peers and your business at risk?" The private company 'The Drug testing Agency'

          https://tdda.com/

          Hardly an issue if the employees are sales clerks or computer programmers

    • Stuart Munro. 8.2

      I believe that was part of a strategy to depress wages and foster support for migrant labour. The drug test is a wife beater, if you're a prospective employee – you may not decline it, and reservations about false positives aren't tolerated.

      Part of the problem is that there are two narratives on drug consequences – claims that it costs hundreds of lives that seem downright ambitious, and the harm minimization approach that has led to legalization across much of the US. If you buy the first line there are many jobs a positive drug test might disallow, but objective comparisons of job hazards and residual drug effects would probably restrict such testing to the likes of surgeons (fine motor skills & critical clinical judgment & pharmaceutical access).

      • Psycho Milt 8.2.1

        I believe that was part of a strategy to depress wages and foster support for migrant labour.

        Same here. As with the meth-testing scam, it just makes no sense unless you assume malicious intent.

  9. bwaghorn 9

    They need to shift workplace drug testing to an impairment test during work hours . What you do in your own time is yours (and possibly the cops) business .

  10. Tiger Mountain 10

    Some workplaces, including unionised ones, are moving to saliva testing, now that it is an accepted method, which is more likely to show recent use and possible impairment, whereas urine testing shows use at some stage–the consultants and kit retailers like the nice little earn from urine testing though, and some punitive employers like to rattle cages

    • Rapunzel 10.1

      I wish they would sort it out, relationship/knowledge of a small/med business where safety is daily at risk and must be a priority which goes hand in hand with meeting safety and insurance cover requirements. The operators face an ongoing issue of having to test, encouraging and educating staff and are open to all workers who want fair wages for admittedly what is hard work. Persistence has paid off in mainly Kiwi crews but the reality is that all the wishing and hoping and oversight means they still get "let down" and that I know is a painful process for all concerned and sometimes families.

      Sensible testing is desperately needed.

    • bwaghorn 10.2

      It's a great business model .

      While I was crawling out of Auckland ( you poor dumb barstards live like that) I heard an ad for a drug testing company pumping the fear angle.

      • Rapunzel 10.2.1

        Rather than be tied up with the type of "middle-men", reminds me all to much of the "P" clean-ups, for testing they under took the training to be qualified to test themselves incl pre-employment to reduce complications and try to get the keenest workers and keep it all on track. I can also say for that reason they were "doubly" scrupulous with compliance, in that case you have no one else to blame and communicating with staff of how meeting that is of overall benefit for all is better than not taking the interest in safety for your staff, yourselves and the business that earns the income for everyone. They are not greedy people but had built it up from skills learned over decades beginning as a young workers out of school.

  11. Kay 11

    But the lovely new paint job and pot plants in the waiting area at my local WINZ office are seriously making me consider changing my vote back to Labour 🙂 /sarc

  12. cleangreen 12

    Labour are a 'right leaning risk adverse political party' now not a true 'party for the people as ‘Social Credit’ are..

    I wished to to proven wrong.

  13. AB 13

    Labour have made some assumptions about what a significant chunk of their supporters believe, i.e. that there is hostility towards perceived 'bludgers' and an ingrained puritan work ethic. These assumptions may be backed up by data from focus groups.

    If they are wrong in these assumptions, then we'd expect to see the Greens make important gains from Labour in 2020. If the assumptions are correct, then the best tactic is to deal some serious body blows to poverty while ostensibly attacking an entirely different problem where taking action has widespread support – such as Climate Change.

  14. Dukeofurl 14

    Just reading the background links in the story.

    This was the claim made

    MSD’s evidence brief to WEAG showed that drug-testing was unreliable and not fit for purpose

    However the MSD brief does say this

    There is no research on the effects of New Zealand drug testing obligations and sanctions.

    page 2.

    However the words "unreliable" and "fit for purpose" dont appear anywhere in MSD brief as linked. ( based on a word search)

    The phrase seems to be Wekas summary rather than part of MSD Brief as claimed. If there is no research for NZs regime then we cant claim what is really known other than at anecdotal level.

    • Michael 14.1

      Dukeofurl said:

      "However the words "unreliable" and "fit for purpose" dont appear anywhere in MSD brief as linked. "

      But page 10 of the MSd Brief said (inside a blue box):

      "Additional considerations in interpreting the available evidence base are the limitations of drug testing instruments, and the implications these have for the effectiveness of drug testing policies:
       Common drug-testing instruments do not produce reliable estimates of drug
      use. Detection of drug use depends not only on substance use but also on other
      factors such as the characteristics of each drug, individual metabolism, and cut-off
      levels. Common urinary drug testing is more likely to identify marijuana users
      compared with people using harder drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, as these drugs
      exit the body’s system within several hours or days. In comparison, marijuana can
      remain in the body for weeks after use. Most drug tests also only identify the
      presence of a substance in the body, and do not distinguish between use of illegal
      drugs and the legitimate use of certain prescription and over-the-counter drugs
      (ASPE, 2011; Crew and Davis, 2003).
       Results cannot distinguish between occasional substance users and those
      with a substance use disorder. Drug tests detect recent drug use, but provide no
      information about frequency of use, impairment or treatment needs. Many individuals
      who are likely to test positive will be casual drug users who do not satisfy diagnostic
      criteria for dependence. For example, a University of Michigan study of a drug-testing
      programme found that the majority of those who tested positive were casual users
      with no classifiable underlying addiction (Pollack et al. 2002).
       A positive drug test cannot establish whether or not a person is intoxicated
      or impaired. It cannot differentiate between drug use that has no impact on
      workplace safety or productivity and problematic drug use causing intoxication or
      impairment at the workplace (NZ Drug Foundation, 2011)."

      Thus the impairment tests are forensically unreliable, as MSD admits. Yet it continues to sanction thousands of people for "failing" those tests.

      • Dukeofurl 14.1.1

        How can that be when this definitive statement is made

        "There is no research on the effects of New Zealand drug testing obligations and sanctions.

        I think you are confusing ' testing for any drug use' and testing how much use as evidence of impairment or dependence.

        Its a silly thing to say that drug tests cant do what they say, but certainly they cant say how much drug use there is , from casual user or dependence. Thats whats 'unreliable'

        We went through all this 40 years ago with alcohol testing and the level doesnt distinguish between an alcoholic or someone just had a few drinks. That is important when your job involves more dangerous occupations like forestry but not such a big deal if you work as a sales clerk in a clothing store.

        I understand from the MSD brief that the sanctions were mainly if:

        the job required drug testing

        and were graduated so that multiple failures were recorded before a 13 week stand down occurred. ( surely thats evidence of dependence!)

        Tests for alcohol ( as a drug) are detected by 'instruments' and repeated test failures while driving mean its longer loss of license .

        • weka 14.1.1.1

          doesn't breathalising drivers for alcohol show a level deemed a problem and is followed by a blood test to measure how much? And that how much has a reasonably clear correlation to impairment. It's different from other drug testing.

          • Incognito 14.1.1.1.1

            There are different types of breath tests. One is to detect whether you have been drinking while the evidential breath test gives an actual measurement using a calibrated device. There is a close correlation between the concentration in exhaled breath and blood.

            https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roadcode/about-limits/alcohol-and-drugs-limits/

            Impairment is such a vague term and can have so many causes. For example, illness (fever), food poisoning, depression (suicidal pilots), tiredness, et cetera. Similarly, many people are distracted when they should be concentrating and focussed (e.g. mobile phones while driving).

            It is such a can of worms.

    • weka 14.2

      yes, my summary based on a quick read. I don't think it's any secret that the drug testing being used doesn't evaluate impairment and is generally regarded as useless. Impairment is the only reason that I can see to drug test employees.

      • Dukeofurl 14.2.1

        What about multiple test failures ? Surely evidence of dependence.

        I used to know a female lawyer who smoked 'marijuana by the sack full' – her words. The safety at a desk job isnt a problem , but surely impairment for the type of work and managing workload.

        For Forestry is on site random testing and zero tolerance. No surprise there as its a highly dangerous job.

        • weka 14.2.1.1

          If someone has a dependence on a drug, it's fucking stupid as to make them apply for jobs that are dangerous to do while impaired.

          But afaik, the drug testing being done isn't for impairment, it's for presence of a drug in the past, even if that's recreational use on the weekend.

        • Psycho Milt 14.2.1.2

          If drug tests showed that you'd consumed alcohol in the last week, I'd fail a drug test every time. And yet I've never been drunk on the job. Tests that are a useful proxy for current impairment are the only useful ones.

  15. Ad 15

    Sepuloni is your target Weka.

    Old people get money for winter heating.

    Why not children?

    If this government can't raise core rates with headline unemployment at 4%, ie when it's easy, can't see them doing it when it gets hard.

    A cold winter to be on a benefit.

    • Dukeofurl 15.1

      Thats totally wrong claim

      "Old people get money for winter heating. "

      The payment is for ALL beneficiaries: unemployment , sickness, DPB and pensioners

    • weka 15.2

      Wouldn't that be a Cabinet decision? That Peters is involved with. It will be interesting to see what Labour do with a L/G government, esp on with more Green MPs i.e. what the influence of Peters has been will be more evident. Then Sepuloni can bear more of the burden (I think she already deserves to carry a lot).

      As Duke points out, the heating payment goes to all beneficiaries (maybe all low income people that apply). For some it will be a real help, for others I suspect they will find it sucked up in the next rent rise.

      • Dukeofurl 15.2.1

        ALL means all beneficaries, its not means tested or have to show eligibility nor taxed at source.

        as for Ad's concern 'for the children'

        "Single people with no children will get $20.46 a week. People with children will get $31.82 a week.

        I see it as a benefit increase with a 'marketing name' as is the way of things these days

        • weka 15.2.1.1

          In addition to all beneficiaries, I was wondering if it's also available to low income people who apply. Like supplementary benefits eg accommodation supplement, you don't have to be on a benefit to get them, just on a low income and below a certain asset limit.

  16. Michael 16

    The real scandal here is that MSD knows the drug tests are unreliable but continues to punish 40,000 people (and their children) for "failing" those tests, while the Labour-led government lets them do it because it is terrified of middle class backlash.

    • Dukeofurl 16.1

      Did you read the MSD brief linked by Weka. they give some numbers , nothing like your made up ones

      MSD:Around 100 sanctions are applied for drug-related obligation failures each year.

      Its a graduated scale so first fail is limited right up to:

      "The number of people facing suspension of their benefit for drug related obligation failure, or cancellation of their benefit and a 13 week stand down, has fluctuated between 22 and 36 per year.

      only 30 or so per year at the top end of benefit sanctions per year

      Where does the 40k per year being punished come from ….admit you just made it up.

  17. Craig H 17

    Personally, I think that beneficiaries taking drugs while on a benefit deserve to be executed by hypothermia (a possible, albeit unlikely, outcome if power or rent are not paid).

  18. Michael 18

    Of course you do.

  19. Descendant Of Smith 19

    Expecting Labour to make actual changes (as opposed to simply saying be more gentle when you whip them) is not something I was optimistic about before the election – only the greens had a coherent policy towards benefits.

    Bullet pointed commentary:
    1. Helen Clark put back Ruth's $20-00 per week back on NZS never on benefits
    2. The change in the much lower youth rates from under 18 to under 25 has never been reversed and doesn't get talked about
    3. The last two Royal Commissions as well as WEAG said that benefit rates needed to be lifted – successive governments have ignored this – with the irony of National being the first to at least lift sole parents somewhat.
    4. The media understands stuff all about benefits which is why it focuses on small stuff like drug testing when most sanctions get put in place for not visiting your case manager (clearly a far more heinous crime than taking drugs)
    5. The Job Seeker numbers include two groups of sole parents (those with children older than 14 and those who had another child on benefit). This made it look like sole parent numbers were reducing when they were simply hidden in the job seeker numbers. No-one is talking about putting them back onto a sole parent benefit – not even the ones with little babies.
    6. Sole parents are subject to sanctions around looking for work that 20 years ago they were not. Once they were free to raise their children. Now working and spending much of your income on childcare while you are at work is clearly the preferred governmental option.
    7. Sickness benefit clients are also hidden in the job seeker numbers. Who the hell can tell how low the numbers of actual unemployed are with all the previously non-unemployed in the mix.
    8. Training for sole parents to educate themselves was slashed, as were adult night classes in schools. No-one is putting this training back.

    Labour has no policy to address or reverse any of this. Sadly they have had the greatest opportunity ever to do so for a long time. They still however operate the Mike Smith school of political strategy – year of the policy, year of implementation, keep your powder dry til just before the election bull-shit. This means instead of making change quickly and letting the public get used to it and realise the world hasn't fallen apart they make things an election issue that need not be.

    The moves to the right tend to happen quickly and with maximum destruction, moves to the left slowly because the middle has already shifted right and Labour tries to appease the middle.

    The medias inability to understand even the basics of the welfare system doesn't help.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIuryZ8JUJM

  20. Descendant Of Smith 20

    To give some context this OIA gives the numbers of disputed sanctions which is around 36,000 to 37,000 per year. That's just the disputed.

    Credit to MSD for publishing their OIA’s – didn’t know they did that.

    https://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/official-information-responses/2019/march/r-20190329-number-of-benefit-recipients-that-fulfil-the-good-and-sufficient-reason-exemption-criteria-from-sanctions-for-failure-to-comply-with-s-233-ssa18-requirements.pdf

  21. A 21

    WEAG recommendations need to be adopted asap.

    The fact is our welfare system has turned into a bureaucratic exercise where beneficiaries are taught to develop a neurotic relationship with money. Attempts to get out of the system are quashed.

    This makes no sense.

    • Dukeofurl 21.1

      Everything the government does in bureaucratic. But why is not turning up for appointments seen as a hurdle without a good reason.

      Dealing with Councils is bureaucratic, big companies too. When you have 1000s of staff you need definitive processes and rules to ensure people are treated similarly and fairly

      • Descendant Of Smith 21.1.1

        I guess if you think a little deeper about the predominant purpose of the appointment (from my kids experience none were to be offered a job for instance) and ignore the fact that sole parents quite happily raised their children before nationals reforms without having to go to lots of appointments you might conclude that the vast majority of appointments have little actual beneficial purpose for the person attending.

        For whose benefit are they one might ask?

        And as a rule councils and companies don't have to exert the power of the state to get you to go, you've generally requested the appointment not the other way around. I don't think my council or bank have ever sent me a letter saying "come and talk to me, just cause I want you to, and if you do not I'll close your account."

        And I'm pretty sure different people get called in more often than others. Similar and fair aren't a consideration. It seems to be more influenced by who your case manager is. One son was called in constantly spite of being really good at looking for work an applying for job, the barely at all. As noted neither were ever offered a job and both found their own.

  22. Certainly does seem Ruth was more preeminent than Helen.

    And that Jacinda was enthralled with not just the latter , but the former. And also with John. Perhaps not so much publicly so with Don , but at least there in sentiment…

    Have times changed apart from a few well placed tinkerings to keep the chickens from getting too restless ? Hardly seems like it , does it.

    Revolution – 4, The New Country | Television | NZ On Screen

    https://www.nzonscreen.com › title › revolution-the-new-country-1996

    And here's Babe Ruth with her ideas on just why the poor , the unemployed , the sick should ALWAYS be the known factor in the equation to cut costs in order to keep the wealthy afloat. I've provided this to stop the Right Wingers from salivating too much and drooling all over their keyboards.

    Go Ruthie !!!

    Ruth Richardson – YouTube

    https://www.youtube.com › watch

  23. adam 23

    Oh so a government committed to hard right economics, acts like hard douchebags and you're surprised.

    mmmmmmmmmm……

  24. TheBlackKittenReturns 24

    This surprises me. I thought they would have tossed this policy out long ago. I actually agree, I think it’s a punitive approach. Just imagine if they did the same thing with tobacco. Tested smokers and penalised your benefit for smoking or you couldn’t get a job because you smoked tobacco. I wonder if all those anti smokers out there would be as up in arms about penalising beneficiaries for smoking tobacco as they are for other illegal drugs. Just curious.

    Anyway, the point is drugs are addictive and some people really struggle to give them up. Why I find this wrong is that giving up an addiction is not easy and there is hardly any help available for it. Like many things in our public health, there is just no funding. So simply cutting a benefit without offering any help or denying someone employment because they smoked a joint the night before is too harsh.

    Just as a side note, I personally don’t see any difference between someone smoking a joint or drinking a bottle of wine the night before but one is punished and the other is not. Hardly consistent is it.

  25. Can you please get hold of me Weka – this government are doing far worse to disabled mentally injured victims of crime like myself. WINZ are covering up that ACC have been denying me entitlements for past nine years after I won TWO REVIEWS in 2010/11. My WINZ forms I have to fill out every three months for years, say awaiting treatment for nine years. when my case manager tried to get it sorted late last year the government stepped in and changed her job etc. The Masterton manager was completely complicit and told me my problems with ACC were nothing to do with her.

    They are also aware I have not seen a doctor for over four years because of really disturbing things happening with Wairarapa doctors regarding suicidal people like myself. we have highest rates of suicide, self-harm etc in NZ and I know why. The WINZ manager knows I am sick, she knows how unwell I am – I had to self-harm in front of her to cope with the last forms I had to fill out. She calls police when I protest outside, most of the time I'm doing it I'm crying and wailing in complete despair.

    WINZ know all I want is my health care, get better and go back to work – because I am not safe rotting on welfare after more than 10 flatmates who terrorised me, ripped me off, stole from me, unloaded their trauma onto me in detail, mentally ill people, dangerous mentally ill people. Anyway, my case is complicated and I desperately need a doctor because I have other health issues other than Complex PTSD – ie wanting to kill myself, self-harm, bulimia, phobias, ticking etc.

    Currently up on 18 police charges for my LEGAL NON-VIOLENT protests about not receiving health care – they all involve people/organisations who instrumental in making sure I don't get my ACC care, or any mental health or physical health care whatsoever. I believe I am being denied all health care and justice because I publicly protest about ACC and government denying disabled victims of crime the treatment care rehabilitation and safe stable homes they are entitled to under ACC, constitutional laws as well as UN treaties.

    Please help me tell my story, please stop them hurting me and censoring my art, poetry, songs and everything else I do and say as a UN Civil Society Actor. How can there be freedom of speech when police violently assault you and threaten you with rape for protesting about what is happening to you and others??? When all IPCA complaints are ignored – I have never hurt anybody, they hurt me.

    The health and justice systems are being used punitively to harm me for my public protests – please can you help me and expose what is going on. Latest abomination is my valid complaint to the Medical Council about a very political and bias 'independent' psych assessment is being ignored.

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    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
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