Written By: - Date published: 9:28 am, November 28th, 2018 - 40 comments
The Labour Party sponsored amendments to the Employment Relations Act are a step closer to becoming law. That’s a good thing for working people and a good thing for coalition politics.
Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, November 2nd, 2018 - 215 comments
More than that, it needs to be torn down before it makes a serious bid at flight.
Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, September 22nd, 2018 - 31 comments
Three months ago National apoligised for getting dud advice and evicting hundreds of state house tenants where miniscule amounts of methamphetamine were discovered. This week National backed off from that very proper apology.
Written By: - Date published: 6:56 pm, August 13th, 2018 - 63 comments
Simon Bridges has blown over $100k of your money in just three months, tiki touring around the country at the taxpayers expense. Nice work if you can get it!
Update: A Shark Jumps Matthew Hooton. Live on Twitter!
Written By: - Date published: 7:32 pm, July 31st, 2018 - 38 comments
Simon ‘Soimon’ Bridges calls his deputy by her critic’s favourite nickname. Cui bono, as the Romans used to say. Who benefits?
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, July 25th, 2018 - 76 comments
Simon Bridges, who is clearly struggling for relevance, has decided to try and improve his political position by bashing beneficiaries.
Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, July 22nd, 2018 - 89 comments
Earlier this year the United Nations expressed shock and concern at New Zealand’s rates of child poverty, homelessness, incarceration and violence. What is this Government doing to address these issues?
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, July 22nd, 2018 - 46 comments
The polls are great. Top work. But I’m getting worried about the entropy of this government already. Matthew Hooten and Karl Marx agree with me.
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, July 2nd, 2018 - 48 comments
Labour’s Family Package and the Auckland Regional Fuel tax have both kicked in.
Written By: - Date published: 3:47 pm, June 27th, 2018 - 41 comments
Carmel Sepuloni has announced much needed changes to make WINZ more sensitive to the needs of New Zealanders who need assistance.
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, June 11th, 2018 - 48 comments
In New Zealand there is sufficient evidence to show that poor peoples’ lives are cut short because of poverty related poor nutrition. While food banks are alleviating the worst impacts of hunger, their kindness may well be contributing to the problem. Food poverty is a systemic issue and requires a systemic response, a response that successive governments are able to avoid while charities continue to provide a buffer for the system.
Written By: - Date published: 2:46 pm, June 3rd, 2018 - 89 comments
Some conversations about poverty are harming those in need. Those conversations contribute to the stigma and shame experienced by struggling families, who are barely surviving, but still trying to maintain some dignity. As a result even those in need are differentiating between the deserving and undeserving poor.
Written By: - Date published: 5:31 pm, May 21st, 2018 - 130 comments
In a welcome move by Labour to relieve energy poverty on those with fixed, low incomes, all beneficiaries (including pensioners) are to get up to $700 extra automatically over winter.
National obviously hate this.
Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, May 19th, 2018 - 71 comments
Some proposals on why we just got the budget we did.
Written By: - Date published: 4:09 pm, May 9th, 2018 - 17 comments
It is great that we have a Minister of Social Development who actually has empathy for poor New Zealanders, as shown by her treatment of dog whistle questions in Parliament today.
Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, May 8th, 2018 - 59 comments
National MPs have without notice refused to turn up to the House Committee of Parliament. Should they have their pay docked?
Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, April 25th, 2018 - 94 comments
Some movement on social security (a thing we all deserve)
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 3rd, 2018 - 51 comments
April the first and second mark the days when those receiving entitlements receive a yearly increase in line with the CPI and the governments increase to Accommodation Supplement also comes into effect. So what does it all mean for those receiving entitlements?
Written By: - Date published: 6:26 am, March 28th, 2018 - 69 comments
A few weeks ago Sarah Wilson at Writehanded looked at the promise in Labour’s welfare policy and whether we are going to be disappointed.
Written By: - Date published: 6:12 am, March 14th, 2018 - 28 comments
The Standard regular commenter Macro takes a look at the state of food security in NZ
Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, February 20th, 2018 - 106 comments
What we need is a government that shares power with beneficiaries.
Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, February 12th, 2018 - 50 comments
Two people playing at being poor as part of a sociopolitical stance on economics has angered many New Zealanders.
Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, February 11th, 2018 - 154 comments
Can politics deliver?
Written By: - Date published: 12:44 pm, February 8th, 2018 - 212 comments
The sick and twisted thing about right wing politics is that tories like a certain level of unemployment because competition for jobs is essential for keeping wages low. Then they treat the inevitable victims of this like it’s all people’s own fault. This is the single biggest reason why I don’t buy into the narrative […]
Written By: - Date published: 6:27 am, February 8th, 2018 - 66 comments
The government has a responsibility to act fairly, centre its services around the needs of people, and treat NZ citizens as human beings.
Written By: - Date published: 7:42 am, February 1st, 2018 - 74 comments
In a major speech yesterday on poverty, Prime Minister Ardern has laid out fully and forthrightly what is the problem and what need to be done.
Written By: - Date published: 1:48 pm, January 30th, 2018 - 118 comments
Bill English has criticised the Government for only offering an officer briefing on the day that legislation is due to be introduced into Parliament. But appears to have forgotten an offer made by Jacinda Ardern 48 days ago.
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, December 31st, 2017 - 20 comments
In Australia the Murdoch press has chosen the Christmas down period to try and whip up some anti beneficiary hysteria. Jim Parker from the blog Failed Estate calmly dissects the figures and concludes there is no reason for concern.
Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, December 23rd, 2017 - 26 comments
It’s not perfect. Maybe it’s a start.
Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, December 11th, 2017 - 5 comments
Artist activist group We are Beneficiaries are writing a report to share the stories they’ve been collecting from beneficiaires with the new Ministers to help make a case for change.
Written By: - Date published: 6:44 am, December 8th, 2017 - 109 comments
Misleading the NZ public about a political party, its policy, and how government works actively harms democracy.
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