Economy

Posts on the economy, work, business, income, and labour

Categories under Economy

Transition at the Limits of What People Can Cope With

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 7th, 2022 - 39 comments

Many European governments now face a perfect storm of threatened energy security, rising inflation, war-propelled refugee crisis, and climate objectives. New Zealand be warned.

About the reversed GST Kiwisaver changes

Written By: - Date published: 8:51 pm, August 31st, 2022 - 63 comments

National’s attack on requiring banks to charge GST on the provision of Kiwisaver services the same as smaller services is deeply cynical when its attacks on Kiwisaver in the past are considered.

Sharma keeps digging

Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, August 30th, 2022 - 33 comments

Last night a 4,761 word rant was published on Gaurav Sharma’s facebook page.  In it he details information which on the face of it may have breached confidentiality requirements. And the overwhelming effect of the allegations is Meh.

Labour poised to resolve housing supply crisis

Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, August 25th, 2022 - 89 comments

It is possible that within the next year New Zealand’s housing supply crisis will be resolved.

Will We Go Down With China?

Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, August 22nd, 2022 - 19 comments

Muchn’all as I try and stay positive about New Zealand’s economic direction, our reliance on China is getting much, much worse, and we need to move as China declines.

Labour’s “tenant tax” is neither a tax nor for tenants

Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, August 22nd, 2022 - 33 comments

National’s media spin team is at it again claiming that removing interest rate deductibility for landlords is a “tenant tax” when it is neither a new tax nor for tenants.

About Gaurav Sharma

Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, August 15th, 2022 - 101 comments

Recent incidents involving Labour MP Gaurav Sharma are evidence of poor relationships with staff and not anything more sinister.

The weird arrangement for MP’s staffers

Written By: - Date published: 1:25 pm, August 14th, 2022 - 76 comments

With recent allegations of bullying of staff hitting the media it is important to understand the relationship between a Member of Parliament and their Parliamentary Services staff.

National tries to blame Labour for National’s tax flip flop flip

Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, August 7th, 2022 - 13 comments

Chris Bishop has accused Labour of engaging in dirty politics for pointing out that this week National has changed its policy on income tax indexation twice.

Socialist economic views on current inflation

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, August 5th, 2022 - 56 comments

Energy costs, supply line issues, worker rights.

Luxon’s latest gaffes

Written By: - Date published: 9:48 am, August 4th, 2022 - 57 comments

Hot on his confusion of Hawaii with Te Puke Christopher Luxon’s has dropped a couple of new clangers by admitting then denying that National will not increase health funding at least by the rate of inflation and then by displaying his class prejudice by saying people are not going to get rich on welfare.

Poverty is a political choice, why are Labour choosing it?

Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, August 1st, 2022 - 54 comments

Labour announced earlier in the year that it would give a $350 cash transfer to all New Zealanders earning less than $70,000.

Except beneficiaries.

Unthinkable Renationalisation

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, July 21st, 2022 - 57 comments

Europe is leading the global fight against climate change by rapidly shifting away from fossil fuels. This now includes fully renationalising energy companies and forced decreases in gas use. What could New Zealand learn?

Chinese Capital in the Pacific

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, July 19th, 2022 - 26 comments

It would be tidy for New Zealand and Australian leaders to blame China’s debt within Sri Lanka for its collapse, so that they could scare Pacific Island nations back into the fold. It would be wrong.

Another partial privatisation that has failed

Written By: - Date published: 10:32 am, July 18th, 2022 - 37 comments

I watched the Rugby test on Saturday night.  One side played with passion and vigour.  Their forward pack dominated and the defensive effort from the backs was superb.  The other side was the All Blacks who displayed all the passion and vigour of a National Party conference.

Business claims crisis as country approaches full employment and wages increase

Written By: - Date published: 8:29 am, July 12th, 2022 - 124 comments

bertie ratu jobs that count

Anyone else getting tired of the media presenting the fact that New Zealand essentially has full employment is a very bad thing?

Complaint about RNZ use of Bryce Edwards article upheld

Written By: - Date published: 1:58 pm, July 11th, 2022 - 33 comments

The Media Council has upheld a complaint against a Bryce Edwards article published on RNZ’s website that incorrectly stated that Labour went into the 2020 election promising to break up the supermarket duopoly and bring down the cost of food and that the policy was essentially dead when the policy only promised to conduct a market study using the Commerce Commission.

How Can Labour Win in 2023?

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, July 7th, 2022 - 213 comments

Right now Labour is preparing the ground for its run at 2023’s election with new policy. New policy must be wildly popular. What could make Labour popular enough to them back leading a third term in government?

Ardern significantly improves EU Free Trade deal

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, July 2nd, 2022 - 26 comments

Before her involvement in the European Union Free Trade Agreement negotiations Jacinda Ardern was accused of “scattering stardust” in a vain attempt to get an agreement over the line.  If this is an example of Jacinda scattering stardust then long may she continue to do so.

Mick Lynch is a working class hero

Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, June 25th, 2022 - 30 comments

In the UK Rail Maritime and Transport boss Mick Lynch has caused a media sensation by strongly and clearly advocating for workers rights as the Conservative Government aims to deal with inflation by eroding further workers wages and job conditions.

Matariki and Prime Minister Ardern

Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, June 24th, 2022 - 73 comments

Plenty of experts will tell you about what Matariki ‘means to us’. Here’s what it means to Ardern.

Should our future lie with NATO?

Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, June 21st, 2022 - 62 comments

Not content to stay in the North Atlantic, NATO is shortly about to reveal in Madrid its next ten-year plan to contain China. Jacinda Ardern will be there, who knows why. Are we nailing our colours to a flag at half-mast?

The 2022 Energy Crisis Is Right Here Right Now

Written By: - Date published: 4:56 pm, June 19th, 2022 - 44 comments

Every part of our energy-dense life from plastic to tarmac to food to clothes to building materials is about to get smashed like we ain’t seen.

Foot-shooting the sanctions’ lockstep

Written By: - Date published: 6:41 pm, June 18th, 2022 - 45 comments

RNZ’s “The Detail” asked are New Zealand’s sanctions against Russia working? They aren’t, but one detail we learnt that MFAT has 100 staff members assigned to sorting out their complications!! What a waste.

BusinessNZ has been telling porkies about fair pay agreements

Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, June 13th, 2022 - 10 comments

BusinessNZ’s attempt to put New Zealand on the ILO naughty list because of fair pay agreements has failed.

National’s policies don’t add up

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, May 31st, 2022 - 48 comments

In 21 tweets Clint Smith has set out why National’s tax cut policies and its rhetoric are absurd and how the media is doing us a disservice by not asking the hard questions like what will be cut and how the promised tax cuts will be paid for.

When Dumb Corporates Kill Thousands. Here.

Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, May 30th, 2022 - 4 comments

New Zealand King Salmon has revealed that 42% of their salmon in warm water areas for the year ending January 2022 were just dead and chucked away. Salmon towed to cooler water had a lower rate of 37%. As SAFE points out if this had happened to a beef or dairy farmer they would be […]

How Russia Loses

Written By: - Date published: 2:05 pm, May 26th, 2022 - 90 comments

Even after just four months it is time count what Russia has lost and will continue to lose.

Why Is New Zealand So Strong?

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 25th, 2022 - 36 comments

As New Zealand signs up to another alliance to shore up our economic security in the face of fast retreats in economic globalisation, it’s worth taking stock of why New Zealand’s economy is so strong.

The time that Roger Douglas was right

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, May 21st, 2022 - 39 comments

Roger Douglas may have caused New Zealand a lot of harm through his policies and actions but there was one occasion where if a policy he had helped to introduce had been retained New Zealand would be a much better place.

The Goldilocks budget

Written By: - Date published: 9:25 am, May 20th, 2022 - 24 comments

How was the 2022 budget?  Was it the worst since Ruth Richardson’s mother of all budgets or the best since the first Labour Government gave everyone a Christmas bonus in 1935?