tax
Categories under tax
- capital gains (55)
- gst (46)
Oil and Water Mix.
Written By: - Date published: 11:17 am, June 20th, 2017 - 23 comments
Our economic paradigm (market capitalism) and oil don’t mix. False hope (BECCS) and survival doesn’t mix. Current political settings (Paris pledges produce 3- 4 degrees C warming with the US on board) and intelligent action don’t mix. Incrementalism (time is not on our side) and AGW doesn’t mix. Whatever can’t be mixed into some AGW solution needs to be flushed.
Scary, huh? Well, yes and no…
What the feck Greens
Written By: - Date published: 11:56 am, May 28th, 2017 - 138 comments
The Green Party caucus decision to support the Government’s tax reduction legislation is hard to comprehend and has created a perception of messiness in the way the Labour-Green MOU operates.
Keith Ng’s four tax myths
Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, May 25th, 2017 - 23 comments
A useful piece from Keith Ng on myths about tax. It’s an extract from The PSA’s “Progressive Thinking: Ten Perspectives on Tax” booklet.
The patriotic millionaires
Written By: - Date published: 11:54 am, May 3rd, 2017 - 127 comments
In America a group of millionaires have emerged who are advocating for increased taxation for the wealthy and increased democratic rights to everyone else.
Why National had to settle the Pay Equity case
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, April 19th, 2017 - 45 comments
National is trying to give the impression that it settled the pay equity case out of the goodness of its heart. The reality is that the Unions forced it to settle through gritted teeth.
More thoughts on the Labour-Greens Budget Responsibility Rules
Written By: - Date published: 8:39 am, March 25th, 2017 - 111 comments
The Labour-Green Budget Responsibility Rules announcement this week ought to dispel the notion that Labour and the Greens cannot work together.
A taxing question or two
Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, March 24th, 2017 - 46 comments
Apple aren’t paying tax – are we doing all we can so multi-national’s do pay their share? And would the public actually prefer a tax rise (and decent housing/ health / education) rather than a tax cut?
Fix our tax law!
Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, March 20th, 2017 - 128 comments
Multinationals exploit our tax laws to pay no tax in NZ. Matt Nippert has been doing great work on this, and his latest this weekend on Apple is a powerful example. Planned changes to our laws don’t go far enough. We need to fix this. What’s the downside? What’s the delay?
Murdoch on the tax-cut striptease (NSFW)
Written By: - Date published: 2:26 pm, March 15th, 2017 - 9 comments
English flogging National’s one-trick pony
Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, March 13th, 2017 - 73 comments
Never mind the record debt, the dropped contributions to the Cullen fund, the housing crisis, rising poverty, the deteriorating health system, the costs of quake rebuilds, the filthy water, the need to prepare for climate change – never mind all that, have an election bribe!
National’s one-trick election pony – the eternal mirage of tax cuts
Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, February 20th, 2017 - 46 comments
As Finance Minister Bill English effectively ruled out tax cuts, but it’s election year, and so of course the Nats can’t help but trot out their one-trick election pony again.
Bloomberg warns world of New Zealand’s toxic trusts
Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, February 12th, 2017 - 21 comments
Bloomberg magazine has highlighted how foreign trusts are damaging New Zealand’s reputation and are being used for criminal activity.
NRT: Denying the obvious
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, January 11th, 2017 - 44 comments
I/S at No Right turn writes on Revenue Minister Collins’ denial of obvious tax avoidance.
Taxing multinationals
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, December 15th, 2016 - 53 comments
In March the Nats were still rejecting the idea of a crackdown on multinational companies’ tax avoidance. But there has been – in large part due to the work of Matt Nippert in The Herald – a partial back-down. Another Labour policy adopted!
Nats continue to have a quid each way on tax cuts
Written By: - Date published: 11:39 am, December 11th, 2016 - 15 comments
Tax cuts – the Nats are continuing to rule them both in and out for the election. Incoherence or deliberate strategy? Either way – Key got away with this kind of bullshit for 8 long years – are we going to let it continue?
Tax the Rich An animated fairy tale
Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, November 30th, 2016 - 10 comments
A short video produced by US unions “to support a fairer tax system”.
The eternal tax-cut mirage
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, November 21st, 2016 - 93 comments
Despite the unknown cost of the quakes, and the host of other urgent needs, Key is once again talking up election-bribe tax cuts.
Nats backsliding on tax haven law changes
Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, November 1st, 2016 - 20 comments
The Nats are backsliding on implementing the law changes brought on by the Panama Papers revelations. If European regulators blacklist us the consequences will be catastrophic.
Follow the money
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, October 30th, 2016 - 30 comments
Phase 2 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act is due to come into force soon and will require lawyers, accountants and other professionals to verify the source of client funds. This will give the Government increased power to monitor capital flows. What will they discover?
Tax cuts hard to sell
Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, October 19th, 2016 - 8 comments
Herald: “…the Government ought to be banking surpluses, just as Sir Michael Cullen did during the boom of 2000-2007”.
European Union v Apple and the US
Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, September 1st, 2016 - 49 comments
And in Europe the EU has taken steps against Apple for rampant tax evasion and an EU-US free trade deal appears to be dead.
Foreign buyers estimated at 29%
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, August 25th, 2016 - 75 comments
Most of the media has reported the Government’s “3%” spin on the extent of residential property purchases in NZ going to foreign buyers pretty uncritically. There have been honourable exceptions, and yesterday property editor Anne Gibson in The Herald joined them.
Taonga tax
Written By: - Date published: 9:33 am, August 13th, 2016 - 77 comments
Tourists are coming for our “clean green” image (however undeserved), no reason why they shouldn’t be happy to help contributing to maintaining / strengthening it.
Financial capital is crazy OP. Time to strip it back to basics.
Written By: - Date published: 12:08 pm, August 8th, 2016 - 72 comments
Financial capital is way over powered in our current political economic system. Every aspect of our lives has been financialised and securitised, from our homes to our educations. From our drinking water to our power supply.
The EU thinks that our tax system’s clean bill of health is not so clean
Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, August 2nd, 2016 - 43 comments
The European Union is considering sanctions against New Zealand for operating as a tax haven and the proposed reforms by John Sherwin may not be enough.
The Chrematistic Camel
Written By: - Date published: 7:26 pm, July 4th, 2016 - 110 comments
So this post is about a suite of frameworks not to adopt if the goal is to avoid 2 degrees of global warming.
Panama papers – Shewan inquiry – our rules are inadequate
Written By: - Date published: 4:25 pm, June 27th, 2016 - 26 comments
There were many who were concerned that John Shewan was not a good choice for an inquiry into NZ’s tax haven system. Seems we owe Shewan an apology, as initial reaction suggests that he has done a good job.
Bill English unaware that GST is a tax shock!
Written By: - Date published: 11:25 am, June 26th, 2016 - 69 comments
Is it true that 40 percent of us pay no tax? Why, no, no it isn’t.
When is a toll road not a toll road?
Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, June 22nd, 2016 - 37 comments
When it is a variable network pricing mechanism …
Labour should front-foot tax
Written By: - Date published: 12:53 pm, May 28th, 2016 - 167 comments
Good advice for Labour from Standard author Simon Louisson, writing on The Spinoff. Labour should front-foot tax!
The Mother Budget
Written By: - Date published: 6:21 pm, May 26th, 2016 - 86 comments
There are budgets and there are budgets. And for all the presence or absence of bright ideas, there’s a budget that threatens to subsume all others…
- MPs open hearings on new law that puts public tertiary education at risk
Tertiary Update Vol 20 No 21 A committee of MPs has started detailed scrutiny of a proposed law change that could see vast sums of public money being transferred away from public tertiary institutions to private providers. The law change would ...41 mins ago - Open Government: Will they get it right this time?
SSC has announced its upcoming public consultation on New Zealand's Open Government partnership Mid-term Self-Assessment Report. There's nothing concrete yet, other than that there will be a whole two weeks consultation at the end of July. Hopefully they'll do a ...58 mins ago - Jamie Oliver gets stuck into the National Party
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver got stuck into the National party’s absence from a conference on a proposed sugar tax. ...2 hours ago - 1% for the 1%How much time did US vampire capitalist Peter Thiel spend in New Zealand before national granted him citizenship? Thanks to the Ombudsman, we now know: just 12 days:US billionaire Peter Thiel spent 12 days in New Zealand before being granted ...4 hours ago
- Long-term funding plan needed for Telford take-overLincoln University has confirmed plans for Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre to take-over its Telford campus, subject to ministerial approval. Before signing-off on the agreement, the TEU called on Ministers to make sure a properly funded long-term plan is put in place that ...4 hours ago
- Local community protests job cuts at Waikato UniversityPressure is mounting to save three jobs at the University of Waikato’s Conservatorium of Music following a protest by staff, students and members of the local community. More than one hundred protesters came together on Tuesday morning to tell the Vice-Chancellor, Professor ...4 hours ago
- Council approval of Living Wage sets example for Vic VC to followThe Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University should follow the lead of Wellington City Council and commit to paying all staff the Living Wage. Wellington City Council took a significant step toward becoming New Zealand’s first Living Wage Council earlier this week when Councillors approved ...4 hours ago
- The Foreign Minister, the Zone and the Convention
Last month the relatively new foreign minister of our realm, Hon Gerry Brownlee, steered a wobbly diplomatic course on Israeli settlements, which became leveraged to a political level. In May, he described UN Security Council resolution 2334 of December ’16, ...4 hours ago - Justice for Hillsborough?In April 1989, 96 people were killed and over 700 injured in a crush at Hillsborough stadium in the UK. In the wake of the disaster, the police and other officials blamed the victims. In 2012, those lies were exposed, ...4 hours ago
- DrawnA ballot for two Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Sentencing (Domestic Violence) Amendment Bill (Nanaia Mahuta) Education (Teaching Council of Aotearoa) Amendment Bill (Chris Hipkins) There were seventy bills in the ballot today, but ...4 hours ago
- Ministers must commit to properly funding Telford takeoverBefore signing-off on an agreement for Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre to take-over the Telford division of Lincoln University, Ministers must make sure a properly funded long-term plan is put in place to ensure continued provision of training opportunities in the region, the ...4 hours ago
- P houses worth more than people’s health
5 hours ago - Hard News: Meth Perception
According to a story by Kirsty Johnston on the Herald website today landlords are avoiding telling local authorities if their properties have tested positive for methamphetamine residue – because even if it is cleaned up, the fact of a positive ...5 hours ago - The Singles Life: The Fate of the Furious Gin Wigmore
Welcome to weekly series The Singles Life, where known experts Katie Parker and Hussein Moses peruse, ponder and pontificate on the latest and (maybe) greatest in New Zealand music. Photo: Facebook Gin Wigmore is back and she’s also ...5 hours ago - Pouring Government energy into avoiding energy leadership
Energy Minister Judith Collins yesterday released the new New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy and it’s very disappointing. It’s unambitious, continues business as usual & won’t achieve much. It continues National’s well-worn tactic of playing tricks, rather than actually ...6 hours ago - Improving Stations – Part 1: Layout
At the beginning of the month I started a series looking at how we can improve our train stations, beginning with the lack of shelter. I started this after Auckland Transport sent out a survey titled “Help us improve train ...9 hours ago - Ireland – even more sins by the Catholic Church
by Socialist Democracy The announcement by an Irish government minister that “significant quantities” of human remains had been discovered at the site of a former mother and baby home in Tuam, County Galway has brought official confirmation to claims ...11 hours ago - We have 3 years to sort out carbon emissions, according to these scientists
The clock is ticking. A hole in the ice on Fox Glacier. Photo: Dave Appleby/Flickr The world only has three years to “safeguard our climate”, a group of six leading scientists and sustainability campaigners say. ...19 hours ago - Inside the marae at the centre of Labour’s intern scandal
John Campbell takes a tour of Awatahi Marae, which has been at the centre of a Labour party scandal. Its head Anthony Wilson tells Checkpoint they have been hurt by allegations of sub-standard accommodation. ...20 hours ago - How much food costs in NZ compared to Australia
In New Zealand, a supermarket basket of 11 essentials including bread and milk costs 37 per cent more than it does in Australia. ...21 hours ago - Spithill reveals Cup is useless; was just trying to get rid of it the whole time
“It’s a useless cup and I wanted to get rid of the bloody thing,” says Spithill. Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill has blamed his team’s America’s Cup loss on not wanting to win. “It’s a useless cup and I ...21 hours ago - Fiji: You are not allowed to talk about tortureLast year, Fiji finally ratified the UN Convention Against Torture, almost thirty years after other countries had done it. At the time, they said they were goign to outlaw torture in Fiji. Instead, it seems they've outlawed protesting against it:A ...1 day ago
- The White Ferns and badass star Suzie Bates are worth celebrating
We've got a great shot at winning the Cricket World Cup. Here’s why you should be watching. Suzie Bates celebrates scoring a century against Australia in 2013. Photo: Photosport Ten years ago, Suzie Bates was playing ...1 day ago - National, Dead Party Walking…
1 day ago - Election issues: Student debtStudent loans have been with us for 25 years, and over that period ex-students have been burdened with billions of dollars of odious debt. Currently almost three-quarters of a million of us are carrying $15 billion of this unjust debt, ...1 day ago
- About timeHaving promised it for months, National has finally introduced its bill to wipe historic homosexual convictions:A bill to expunge the historical convictions of gay men charged with homosexual activity has been introduced to Parliament. The Criminal Records (Expungement of Convictions ...1 day ago
- Member’s DayToday is a Member's day, and it marks the end of the run of first readings and ballots we've had recently. Firstly, because bills are coming back from select committee, and their later stages will eat House time. And secondly, ...1 day ago
- The importance PT hubs is starting to be understood in Auckland
As Auckland’s public transport has improved over the last 10-15 years, so too has the discussion around its value, both to transport and urban form. Nowhere is more representative of that change than Britomart. Both the station and surrounding development ...1 day ago - Barclay too wasted to speak
You’ve really got to wonder why Todd Barclay was selected in the first place and then protected by Bill English and the National party for over a year? He’s clearly unfit to be an MP.The kicker is that National party ...1 day ago - How much longer can we take our water for granted?
The first message I sent home from New Zealand was about tap water.Sounds weird. True story.Having spent the previous five years drinking London water (you know, the kind of hard water that means endless scrubbing to get crusty, yellowy limescale ...1 day ago - ATs new Statement of Intent
Every year Auckland Transport release a Statement of Intent (SOI), which is a document essentially saying what the organisation will be doing over the next three years and how that aligns with council priorities. This is one of the key tools ...1 day ago - Inferno II: Better call soul
When I first read the Divine Comedy it wouldn’t have occurred to me to compare it to a television show – TV was a bit shit in the 80s – but now it does. The first canto is the pilot ...2 days ago - Moderation in all things, even elections
The case for moderation is getting stronger by the day. We're hearing now that it's less than 100 days until the election, and until last week and the Todd Barclay story it had been a quiet build-up so far, with ...2 days ago - Shake your money-maker
Young New Zealanders are showing they care, by pushing for change at the companies they invest in and support. Susan Strongman reports. Students, staff and alumni of the University of Auckland are calling on the institution to divest ...2 days ago - The police were created to control working class and poor peopleWe’ve just added the US-based Labor and Working Class History Association to our list of links. Below is an article that gives a taste of the kind of material that appears on the LAWCHA site; while the article is from ...2 days ago
- We are heading for the warmest climate in half a billion years
Gavin Foster, Professor of Isotope Geochemistry, University of Southampton; Dana Royer, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, and Dan Lunt, Professor of Climate Science, University of Bristol This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original ...2 days ago - What you should see at the NZ International Film Festival
Overwhelmed with options? We're here to help. Anna Billing's The Love Witch. Photo: YouTube It’s film festival season once more! And you know what that means: Another bitter winter spent braving the elements, evading snobby ...2 days ago - I do not care about Todd Barclay’s lifestyleThe Todd Barclay saga hit the sewer this morning with a Newsroom article on Glenys Dickson's negotiations with Parliamentary Services, which included implications about Todd Barclay's lifestyle. The Barclay scandal raises several matters of public interest. Whether Barclay broke ...2 days ago
- Three Waters Infrastructure; What does Auckland need? – Part 2 – Water Supply
One the major prerequisites we need to build the houses we need to combat our housing crisis is infrastructure, without it, the development can’t occur. This post is about a highly but often forgotten element of infrastructure Three Waters – Water Supply, Wastewater ...2 days ago - Sucking New Zealand dry
It seems totally insane to allow companies to bottle one of our most precious resources, water, and sell it overseas at a huge markup without any proper recompense for New Zealand.Today, the NZ Herald reported:NZ Pure Blue wants to send ...2 days ago - Why we need to price water IIIAnother day, and another announcement of a water bottling firm wanting to suck us dry: Millions of litres of crystal clear spring water could be bottled and shipped overseas in a proposal backed by the local council. NZ Pure Blue ...2 days ago
- Todd Barclay timeline
The timeline of the Todd Barclay scandal is interesting, not just because it shows how long the National party was able to cover-up what looks like criminal behaviour by one of their MPs, but also because it shows just how ...2 days ago - Just say no to BroadspectrumNational wants to sell 2500 state houses in Christchurch,as part of its plan to exit the state housing sector and make government suck. And who do they want to sell them to? Broadspectrum:One of the consortiums shortlisted to buy Housing ...2 days ago
- Huge high country station risks going to overseas ownershipThe real estate advertisement is spot on in describing Mt White Station as an “iconic” South Island high country station. The 40,000 hectare property is adjacent to Arthur’s Pass National Park and the upper reaches of the Waimakariri River. Mt ...2 days ago
- Hard News: Drug policy: women lead the wayThere's a game you can play at conferences in any sector: count the women scheduled to speak and contemplate how far the event is from a true share of voices. The New Zealand Drug Foundation's two-day Parliamentary Drug Law Symposium ...2 days ago
- What to do when you’ve given up on buying a home
When your quarter acre dream is crushed, here’s what experts say you should do with your money instead. Illustration: Rachel Neser Ever heard of the one where a 20-something-year-old buys an actual liveable house in Auckland in ...2 days ago - Darwin, sexual selection and Putin
Credit: RussiaFeed. Must edge my way back in into blogging after a period of mourning. So here is something provocative. Perhaps President Putin is “making Russia great again” in a way we haven’t thought of. Via Darwinian sexual selection? If this song ...2 days ago - Te Kuha, the Sacrificial Lamb
by Zella Downing The idea of throwing a virgin into a volcano to appease the gods and prevent the inevitable seems somewhat comical in 2017, but 1st World, 21st century New Zealand is doing much the same thing. Sacrificing ...2 days ago - How Does Immigration Benefit the New Zealand Economy?During the Vogel boom, say between 1871 and 1881, the population of New Zealand doubled, as did real GDP (as best as we can measure). That means per capita GDP was much the same at the end of the boom ...2 days ago
- What the Team NZ win could mean for improving our city
2 days ago - Reflections on the Child Youth and Family Review: On evidence and prevention
This Briefing Paper critiques two aspects of the recent CYFS Review process of child protection services. A wider analysis of the process is in my longer report, an extract from which has also been published as a Briefing Paper ...2 days ago - Gordon Campbell on the America’s Cup
Column – Gordon Campbell W ith hindsight, the $5 million that then-Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce grudgingly allocated back in 2013 to keep the America’s Cup squad together has proved to be one of the government’s more successful exercises ...3 days ago - Team New Zealand perfectly poised to lose 7-6
Peter Burling says that setting this up was a “very delicate process” that required making sure to lose just one race before getting to six points. After two consecutive wins against Team Oracle in Bermuda, Emirates Team New Zealand have ...3 days ago - Don’t want lurkers tracking you on Snapchat’s Snap Map? You’ve got options
Snapchat already knew where you were. Now decide whether you want to share that info with your friends - or not. Snapchat is billing the app's new Snap Map update as a "a whole new way to explore ...3 days ago - New study confirms the oceans are warming rapidly
As humans put ever more heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, the Earth heats up. These are the basics of global warming. But where does the heat go? How much extra heat is there? And how accurate are our measurements? These ...3 days ago - Our Brand Is Uselessness part 5
Alienation, capitalist crisis, Economics, Unemployment, United States – economy, Workers’ rights, World economy A six-part series by Laurence Peterson documenting an example of downward mobility in Post-Meltdown America Part 5: Yuletide Epiphanies The author experiences a mildly excruciating revelation regarding his employer’s client’s attitude towards him Toward the ...3 days ago - Gender quotas weed out incompetent men – study
Does a new study answer an old debate? Photo: 123rf New research from the London School of Economics has found gender quotas can weed out “mediocre men” from politics and business. The merits of quotas and targets ...3 days ago - OIA timeliness complaintsOfficial Information Act requests are supposed to be responded to "as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which the request is received". But as we all know, delays ...3 days ago
- The British used waterboarding in Northern IrelandIts long been known that the British government used torture in Northern Ireland during "the troubles". The Five Techniques were the subject of a case before the European Court of Human Rights, and it has since emerged that (contrary to ...3 days ago
- Hard News: Blockchain, what is it?Many people will have heard Blockchain or “distributed ledger technology” and some may have dismissed it as hype – especially when you hear claims that Blockchain is possibly the most important IT invention of our age. But no matter what ...3 days ago
- What Kiwirail is investing their budget money inIn the government’s budget last month, they allocated $450 million to Kiwirail over the next two years $450 million of that funding will be invested in KiwiRail over the next two financial years. “KiwiRail has achieved significant productivity and efficiency ...3 days ago
- The heart in the horror of Spookers
It's the largest haunted attraction in the Southern Hemisphere, an Auckland institution and, now, a film. We talk to director Florian Habicht about the people and the past of Spookers. Photo: Greta Anderson If you’ve ever been to Spookers, you’ll ...3 days ago - Hard News: How journalism looks nowThere is more than one thing to be taken from the BBC Panorama programme London Tower Fire: Britain's Shame. The first is, of course, its damning indictment of the authorities whose catastrophic failure of care allowed so many people to ...3 days ago
- Climate change: To the courts!There's an interesting case in court today: student Sarah Thomson is challenging the government's climate change target:Sarah Thomson, 26, will have her case against Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett for the perceived failure to set emissions targets that reflect the ...3 days ago
- Not grovelling after allLast week, after a report in Stuff, I accused the Labour Party of grovelling to the almighty cow by backing away from resource rentals for water. But it turns out they were misreported:“It was reported following my speech to Federated ...3 days ago
- Growing up at Granddad’s – A Matāriki story
As we walk forward into new beginnings, Matāriki reminds us of our past, loved ones who are no longer with us and the memories we shared with our whānau. Chev Hassett shares his story. With the whānau back ...3 days ago - The racist right wing
3 days ago - Corbyn at Glastonbury
Although this video of Jeremy Corbyn speaking at Glastonbury has already torn up lefty Twitter and Facebook, it deserves all the plugging it can get: The full text is here, and it’s a demonstration of how to communicate progressive values ...3 days ago - Reviewing the OECD’s economic reviewThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the ‘rich countries club’, conducts an economic survey of its members. They just published their latest (2017) edition for New Zealand, which makes for some interesting reading. While the OECD’s reviews reflect its ...3 days ago
- National Party Congress breakout: How to Deal with a Scandal
This weekend many hundreds of National Party delegates have descended on Wellington for the party’s pre-election congress. Apart from sounding slightly rude, this gathering is designed to pump the troops before the cut and thrust of this year’s, undoubtedly, turgid ...4 days ago - TV Commercials – How Bad Are They?
When my wife and I returned home from England 23 years ago, one aspect of New Zealand life we noticed was the length of the commercial breaks on television. I could get down to the end of a long drive ...4 days ago - Do We Have to Put Up with Mike Hosking?Why do so many people dislike Mike Hosking? On the face of it, he has everything needed to host a successful daily television show. He is nice-looking (if you like that sort of thing), articulate and intelligent (or passably intelligent ...4 days ago
- Sunday readsA few pieces that caught my eye this week. Bec Shaw: Fat of the Furious I couldn’t write about what happened at the time because I felt so despairing when Roxane Gay discussed how humiliated the incident made her feel. ...4 days ago
- Sunday reading 25 June 2017
Welcome back to Sunday reading. It’s been a pretty interesting week in New Zealand politics, if you’ve been reading. But that’s not what this is about, so we’re not going to talk about it. Here’s a thought-provoking factoid about technological ...4 days ago - 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #25
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. Editor's Pick From heatwaves to hurricanes, floods to famine: seven climate change hotspots Global warming will not affect everyone equally. Here we look ...4 days ago
- Teachers should elect their own professional representation
A new Bill introduced to Parliament today would give teachers the right to elect representatives to their own professional body, says Labour’s Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins. ...3 hours ago - A fair deal for working people and good employersLabour will implement sensible changes to employment law to prevent the small number of bad employers undercutting good employers and driving a ‘race to the bottom’ on wages and conditions, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. ...3 hours ago
- The Foreign Minister, the Zone and the Convention
Last month the relatively new foreign minister of our realm, Hon Gerry Brownlee, steered a wobbly diplomatic course on Israeli settlements, which became leveraged to a political level. In May, he described UN Security Council resolution 2334 of December ’16, ...4 hours ago - Pouring Government energy into avoiding energy leadershipEnergy Minister Judith Collins yesterday released the new New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy and it’s very disappointing. It’s unambitious, continues business as usual & won’t achieve much. It continues National’s well-worn tactic of playing tricks, rather than actually ...6 hours ago
- Māori Party’s waka up river without paddleThe Māori Party’s waka is up the river without a paddle over its Waka Oranga mobile health unit pilot programme, says Labour’s Māori Development spokesperson Kelvin Davis. ...23 hours ago
- English covering for Barclay to pass legislationThe Prime Minister has been relying on Todd Barclay’s vote to pass key legislation, explaining why English has covered up the Barclay scandal for so long and why he continues to refuse to answer questions, says Leader of the Opposition ...1 day ago
- Typhoid report shows health officials under the hammerA chaotic picture has emerged around the response of Auckland public health officials to this year’s typhoid outbreak, says Aupito William Sio Labour’s Pacific Island Affairs spokesman. “Our Pacific community was left exposed by the Auckland Regional Public Health Services’ ...2 days ago
- Huge high country station risks going to overseas ownershipThe real estate advertisement is spot on in describing Mt White Station as an “iconic” South Island high country station. The 40,000 hectare property is adjacent to Arthur’s Pass National Park and the upper reaches of the Waimakariri River. Mt ...2 days ago
- Bill English must be upfront about his involvement in Barclay scandalBill English’s explanations that he was on the periphery of the long running employment dispute involving Todd Barclay don’t stack up, says Labour Leader Andrew Little. “The Prime Minister claims to have been a bystander, but we know he was ...3 days ago
- Labour will not resile from royaltiesLabour believes cleaning up our rivers so that they are clean enough to swim in is the most important freshwater issue for this election, but that it is also fair that a royalty should be charged where public water is ...4 days ago
- With friends like Hone, who needs enemies?With less than three months until the election, Hone Harawira has delivered another blow to the Māori Party’s flagship policy of Te Ture Whenua Māori reform and the already unstable MANA-Maori Party alliance, says Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Meka Whaitiri. “On The ...4 days ago
- Shifty Bill jumps the sharkBill English's claim today that it has never been established that Todd Barclay's recordings of his staff took place is bizarre and shows a complete lack of honesty and leadership, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson. "Todd Barclay told Bill ...5 days ago
- Te Ture Whenua – gone by lunchtime?Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell has to front up about yesterday’s mysterious withdrawal of Te Ture Whenua Bill from Parliament’s order paper, says Labour’s Ikaroa Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri. “Has he lost his way and has decided to run ...6 days ago
- Bill English ignorance of law beggars beliefFor Bill English to claim he and others in the National Party didn’t realise the law may have been broken in the Todd Barclay taping scandal is simply not credible, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. “The Prime Minister ...6 days ago
- Government ignored advice on Pacific people’s superannuationThe Government ignored advice from the Ministry of Pacific Peoples that raising the Superannuation age of eligibility would have a ‘disproportionately high impact’ on Pacific people, says Labour’s Pacific Island Affairs spokesperson Aupito William Sio. “The Ministry for Pacific ...6 days ago
- Bill English misleads Parliament on Police statementBill English's attempt to restore his damaged credibility over the Todd Barclay affair has backfired after his claim to have "reported" Mr Barclay's actions to Police has proven not to be true, says Labour MP for Wellington Central Grant Robertson. ...7 days ago
- Keep it PublicThe Green Party strongly supports the Tertiary Education Unions call to #KeepitPublic Keep what public? Out quality tertiary education system that National is trying to open up to more private for-profit providers with a new law change. The (Tertiary Education ...1 week ago
- This ‘technical error’ is hurting big timeJonathan Coleman cannot resort to his ongoing litany that the Ministry of Health’s $38 million budget blunder is an error on paper only, says Labour’s Health spokesperson David Clark. “He might keep saying it’s a ‘technical error’ but the reality ...1 week ago
- Labour to invest in public transport for Greater ChristchurchLabour will commit $100m in capital investment for public transport in Greater Christchurch, including commuter rail from Rolleston to the CBD, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. “As the rebuild progresses, there are huge opportunities for Greater Christchurch, but ...1 week ago
- Green Party will repeal solar taxIt’s ridiculous for an electricity distribution monopoly to apply a charge on solar panels but worse than that, it’s harming our effort to tackle climate change. Hawke’s Bay lines company Unison last year announced a new solar charge for their ...1 week ago
- English fails the character test over BarclayBill English is hoping this scandal will go away, but he is still dodging important questions over his role in covering up for Todd Barclay, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. ...1 week ago
- Government must apologise for Christchurch schools stuff-upThe Ombudsman’s findings that the Ministry of Education botched the reorganisation of Christchurch schools after the 2011 earthquake are damning for an under-fire National Government, says Labour’s Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins. “The Ombudsman has found the reorganisation of schools in ...1 week ago
- Government’s multinational tax measures weakThe Government’s proposals to crack down on multinational tax avoidance, by its own admission only recovering one third of the missing money, means hardworking Kiwis will bear more of the tax burden, says Labour’s Revenue spokesperson Michael Wood. “The Government ...1 week ago
- World Refugee Day – we can do our bitI’m really proud that yesterday, on World Refugee Day, the Greens launched an ambitious plan to increase the refugee quota to 5000 over the next six years. Of those places, 4,000 will be directly resettled by the government and another ...1 week ago
- PM’s leadership in question over Barclay affairThe Prime Minister must belatedly show some leadership and compel Todd Barclay to front up to the Police, says Labour Leader Andrew Little. “Twice today Bill English has been found wanting in this matter. ...1 week ago
- Another memory lapse by Coleman?The Minister of Health ‘couldn’t recall’ whether the Director General of Health Chai Chuah offered his resignation over the Budget funding fiasco involving the country’s District Health Boards, says Labour’s Health spokesperson David Clark. “In the House today Jonathan Coleman ...1 week ago
- Bill English needs to come clean over BarclayBill English needs to explain why he failed to be upfront with the public over the actions of Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay, following revelations that he knew about the secretly recorded conversations in the MP’s electorate office, says Labour Leader ...1 week ago
- Minister, show some backbone and front up and debateRather than accusing critics of his Te Ture Whenua Māori Bill of telling ‘lies’, Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell should show some backbone and front up to a debate on the issue, says Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Meka Whaitiri. “Te ...1 week ago
- Equal pay for mental health workersToday, mental health workers are filing an equal pay claim through their unions. Mental health support workers do important and difficult work in our communities. But because the workforce is largely female, they are not paid enough. It’s wrong for ...1 week ago
- Nats’ HAM-fisted housing crisis denialNational’s decision to knowingly release a flawed Housing Affordability Measure that underestimates the cost of housing is the latest evidence of their housing crisis denial, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...1 week ago
- New Pike footage builds compelling case for mine re-entryNew footage of the Pike River Mine deep inside the operation, revealing no fire damage or signs of an inferno, provides a compelling reason to grant the families of Pike River’s victims their wish to re-enter the drift, says Labour ...1 week ago
- Labour will get tough on slum boarding housesThe next Labour-led Government will legislate a Warrant of Fitness based on tough minimum standards to clean out slum boarding houses, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. “It’s not acceptable for New Zealanders in the 21st Century to be living ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party tribute to Dame Nganeko Minhinnick
Haere ngā mate ki tua o paerau; te moenga roa o ngā mātua tupuna. Haere, haere, haere. It was with a huge sense of loss that we learned of the death of Dame Nganeko Minhinnick yesterday. The Green Party acknowledges ...2 weeks ago - Urgent answers needed on DHB fundingJonathan Coleman must come clean and answer questions about what actual funding DHBs received in Budget 2017, says Labour Health Spokesperson David Clark. ...2 weeks ago
- Treasury puts Māori Land Service on red alertA damning Treasury report raises serious questions about the delivery of Te Ururoa Flavell’s proposed Māori Land Service, giving it a ‘red’ rating which indicates major issues with the project, says Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Meka Whaitiri. “Treasury’s Interim Major Projects Monitoring ...2 weeks ago
- Economy stalling after nine years of National’s complacencyThe second successive quarterly fall in per person growth shows the need for a fresh approach to give all New Zealanders a fair share in prosperity, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson. ...2 weeks ago
- Kiwi kids deserve much moreAll Kiwi kids deserve so much more than the impoverished picture painted by the shameful rankings provided by the UNICEF Innocenti Report Card, says Labour’s children spokesperson Jacinda Ardern. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ Zone a precursor to a total nuclear weapon banNew Zealand’s nuclear-free zone, legislated by Parliament in 1987, is something we all take pride in. It’s important, however, that we don’t let it thwart its own ultimate purpose – a world free of nuclear weapons. That goal must be ...2 weeks ago
- English must confirm we still stand by our principles on UN resolutionBill English must tell New Zealand whether we remain in support of the UN Security Council resolution on Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory, says Labour Leader Andrew Little. “After Foreign Affairs Minister Gerry Brownlee’s evasive answers to repeated questions on ...2 weeks ago
- Māori party drop the poi on Māori healthThe Māori Party have dropped the poi when it comes to supporting Ngati Whakaue and Māori interests in Bay of Plenty by allowing an iwi owned and operated service Te Hunga Manaaki to be brushed aside in favour of a ...2 weeks ago
- Labour to invest in Whanganui River infrastructureLabour will work in partnership with the Whanganui Council to repair and redevelop the city’s Port precinct in advance of planned economic development and expansion. To enable Whanganui’s plans, Labour will commit $3m in matching funding for repairing the Whanganui ...2 weeks ago
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- Councils step up as Nats drop the ball on housing crisisPhil Goff’s Mayoral Housing Taskforce is another positive example of councils stepping up where National has failed on housing, says Labour Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...2 weeks ago
- Time for a breather on immigrationLabour will introduce moderate, sensible reforms to immigration to reduce the pressure on our cities, while ensuring we get the skilled workers our country needs, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. “New Zealand is a country built on immigration. ...2 weeks ago
- Inaction puts Māui dolphins at riskConservation Minister Maggie Barry was at the United Nations Oceans Conference in New York last week, trying to convince the world that the New Zealand Government is doing a good job at protecting our marine environment. Yet last week after ...2 weeks ago
- National unprepared as immigration runs four times faster than forecastNational has been caught asleep at the wheel by record immigration that has outstripped Budget forecasts, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. ...3 weeks ago
- First home buyers shouldn’t carry the can for National’s failed policiesThe introduction of tighter limits on lending to first home buyers would see them paying the price for the National Party’s failure to recognise or fix the housing crisis, Labour’s Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson says. “Nine years of denial and ...3 weeks ago
- Bus drivers welcome Labour’s FPA policy
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- Small pokie venues disappoint in mystery shopper reportThis week the Department of Internal Affairs released the results of the "mystery shopper" audit of pokie venues. Casinos and smaller clubs and societies known as 'Class 4' venues were visited by actors trained to mimic problem gambling behaviour. ...41 mins ago
- Bishop Warden Releases White Paper on Debt Buying in NZA White Paper entitled ‘The Debt Buying Industry in NZ: Myth & Reality in the Age of Credit’ aims to change the way businesses view the evolving debt buying industry, said Bishop Warden’s Communications Director, Kirk MacGibbon. ...44 mins ago
- Support for SST increases exponentiallyThe Sensible Sentencing Trust says the response to its latest Newsletter has been phenomenal. Trust Founder, Garth McVicar said that the Newsletter headline article on the demise of the family seemed to have been the catalyst for the increased support. ...1 hour ago
- Immigration Symposium aims to take the heat out of debateNew Zealand’s first Immigration Symposium is being held in Dunedin this weekend to understand the real facts about immigration in New Zealand. ...1 hour ago
- Deep concerns around Labour’s workplace policyEMA has deep concerns about the Industrial Relations Policy released by the Labour Party today. ...1 hour ago
- Labour policy – missed opportunityLabour’s industrial relations policy would be a backward step for jobs and the economy, says BusinessNZ. ...1 hour ago
- E tū welcomes Labour’s new Workplace Relations PolicyWorking people in New Zealand will benefit significantly from Labour’s new Workplace Relations Policy announced today. ...2 hours ago
- TEDxWellington 2017 talks now onlineAll 13 talks from the sold-out TEDxWellington 2017 event, held on 18th June, are now available to watch online at tedxwellington.com . ...2 hours ago
- Labour’s new workplace relations policy focused on fairnessThe Labour Party’s new workplace relations policy demonstrates a fair and fresh approach that is good for workers and employers, with a firm eye on the challenges of the future, says the Public Service Association. ...2 hours ago
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- Bringing our firefighters togetherFire and Emergency New Zealand - which is bringing together New Zealand’s rural, urban, career and volunteer firefighters of 40 organisations into a new single organisation - comes into force on 1 July. ...3 hours ago
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- Advisory on Equal Pay under-funding misinformationIn recent weeks media have run stories claiming the Pay Equity Settlement for care and support workers in aged care will beggar many small rest homes, with some planning to reduce hours and cut staff to comply with the Settlement. ...4 hours ago
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- Ministers Must Commit to Properly Funding Telford TakeoverBefore signing-off on an agreement for Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre to take-over the Telford division of Lincoln University, Ministers must make sure a properly funded long-term plan is put in place to ensure continued provision of training opportunities ...6 hours ago
- Wellington’s Housing Taskforce RecommendationsThe Mayor’s Housing Taskforce has unveiled a bold new plan for fixing Wellington’s housing issues. ...6 hours ago
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- New standard to target meth-contaminated propertiesStandards New Zealand has today released NZS 8510:2017 Testing and decontamination of methamphetamine-contaminated properties, which will provide industry guidance on good practice methods in the testing and clean-up of methamphetamine contamination ...7 hours ago
- Aucklanders denied say on Point England’s futureThe Mayor of Auckland and the Chair of the Maungakiekie- Tāmaki Local Board have expressed their concern about elements of the Point England Development Enabling Bill. The legislation passed by the House of Representatives last night, allows for ...21 hours ago
- Parliamentary Service should be covered by OIAThe Taxpayers’ Union is calling on MPs to shed the cloak of secrecy surrounding Parliamentary Services and for political parties to commit to bring it under the Official Information Act in the next Parliamentary term. “Taxpayers should be able ...21 hours ago
- The Opportunities Party Clearwater Action PlanTHE OPPORTUNITIES PARTY Clearwater Action Plan for Preserving And Enhancing New Zealand’s Water Ways ...21 hours ago
- Mana Party: No to P and No to ExecutionsNobody quite grabs the public attention like Hone” said MANA President Lisa McNab when asked about her party’s position regarding Hone’s comments about ‘executing Chinese drug smugglers. ...23 hours ago
- Southern Response ‘Strategy’ Back on TrialIn December 2016, the High court granted an application brought by a group of policyholders to proceed with representative action against government owned insurer, Southern Response. ...23 hours ago
- Mika Haka Reacts to Legislation to Wipe Gay Convictions“I come from the period where dozens of my friends faced convictions, police raids and harassment for having sex with another man. This is way overdue. ...1 day ago
- PSA congratulates WCC on commitment to Living WageThe Public Service Association is heartened to see significant progress made by Wellington City Council towards being New Zealand’s first Living Wage Council, and applauds campaigners and PSA members for their hard work over the years. ...1 day ago
- Phil Goff Speaks About Need For Plastic Bag RegulationOn 2 July, organisations throughout New Zealand will be banding together to educate and inspire other New Zealanders to think about how personal choice affects their world ...1 day ago
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- Fighting for the integrity of waterRāhui Papa, Māori Party Candidate for Hauraki Waikato paid tribute to the contribution of the late Dame Nganeko Minhinnick and the Huakina Development Trust in transforming water law and policy in Aotearoa New Zealand, and their fight for the integrity ...1 day ago
- New study prepares for RMA shake-upA major review of New Zealand’s environmental management system has been launched in anticipation of fundamental reform of the Resource Management Act. ...1 day ago
- New Netsafe grant funds eight projects to combat online abusNew Netsafe grant funds eight projects to combat online abuse, bullying and harassment in New Zealand ...1 day ago
- Breaking Through The Grass Ceiling In The Agriculture SectorINSIGHTS ABOUT THE NEWS - West Coast dairy farmer Katie Milne’s election as Federated Farmers president was notable for several reasons. Obviously, Milne became the first woman to win the job in the group’s 118-year history and emphasised the increasing ...1 day ago
- Wellington City Council signs off Annual BudgetWellington City Councillors have unanimously voted to pass this year’s annual plan, which delivers major investments while keeping rates well below forecast. ...1 day ago
- Living Wage Wellington CelebratesLiving Wage Wellington, an alliance of faith groups, community organisations and unions, is celebrating today after Wellington City Council moved closer towards becoming New Zealand's first Living Wage Council. ...1 day ago
- Homelessness: A View From The United StatesThere is a poem well known to UK baby boomers called The Naming of Parts . It’s by Henry Reed who was a conscript to the army in the Second World War and his famous poem describes learning to use ...1 day ago
- Mayor supports plastic bag levyGisborne District Council Mayor Meng Foon is supporting 13 Mayors across the country to lobby central government to implement a national levy on single-use plastic bags. ...1 day ago
- Corrections officers to carry pepper sprayFrontline Corrections officers will soon be able to carry pepper spray on their bodies to increase staff and prisoner safety, says Minister of Corrections Louise Upston. ...1 day ago
- Whanau Ora Model Argues Case for Change“Social Investment has to provide a meaningful measure to reduce disparity to create social and economic advantage for our most challenging whanau” said Labour Whanau Ora Spokesperson Nanaia Mahuta. ...1 day ago
- Executing Drug Smugglers not the Best Call“Executing Chinese drug smugglers will not stem abuse,” says Leighton Baker, Conservative Party Leader. ...1 day ago
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- New meth testing standards released
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All week this week the Spinoff Review of Books looks at new Māori (and Pasifika) writing. Today: a personal essay by Kaipara novelist Kelly Ana Morey. ‘I can’t be the ‘Māori’ writer people want me to be,’ she writes, ‘all ...1 day ago - Sex, guilt and Catholic school
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- Goodnight, sweet prince: Pandora shuts down New Zealand operationsPandora – not the charm bracelets – has officially announced it’s the end of the line for their service in Australia and New Zealand, reports Don Rowe.After five years hard graft in the Australia/New Zealand market, Pandora is calling it ...1 day ago
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- PM hopeful police will put Barclay matter to restPrime Minister Bill English says he hopes a fresh police investigation will put the controversy around outgoing Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay to rest, once and for all. ...2 days ago
- Labour’s intern woes: Two students may not have had right visasTwo of the foreign volunteers in Labour's botched intern scheme may have broken immigration laws. ...2 days ago
- Labour’s intern woes: Students may not have had right visasTwo of the foreign volunteers in Labour's botched intern scheme may have broken immigration laws. ...2 days ago
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