quality of life

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Forty Christmases

Written By: - Date published: 11:20 pm, December 25th, 2013 - 49 comments

Exactly 40 years ago to the day I was having a white Christmas – on the summit of Mr Fyfe overlooking Kaikoura. Today I celebrate another Christmas, high on another mountain, in another part of the world – with a light dusting of very dry, very icy snow drifting on the wind. The decades in […]

Thank you ….

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, December 25th, 2013 - 34 comments

To all those making a difference and working for a more inclusive, equal, fair and sustainable society. Special thanks to Lynn for all his work for The Standard.

The party I will vote for ….

Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, December 13th, 2013 - 157 comments

… will be one that has effective policies to make a more equal, inclusive and democratic society, will seriously address the concerns of those least well-off, and not just pander to the concerns of people on (comfortable) middle incomes.Values in need of a slogan?

The Carbon or the Swag?

Written By: - Date published: 2:32 pm, December 12th, 2013 - 42 comments

So many choices! What’s a body to do?

Insecure work in NZ’s precariat

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, October 9th, 2013 - 108 comments

A recent study gives a strong indication of the extent of, and the recent increases in, insecure work in NZ.  It is being released at the CTU conference today, along with the launch of  a campaign to improve worker security. [Update: Cunliffe to CTU on Labour pledges]

Come in Houston…

Written By: - Date published: 5:56 pm, July 11th, 2013 - 16 comments

Story of a 111 response time.

Key, Brownlee: Not Auckland’s friends

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, July 1st, 2013 - 41 comments

John Key’s u-turn on Auckland City Rail is all smoke, mirrors and sleight of hand stealth of the common good. Phil Twyford and the Auckland Transport Blog are skeptical. Funding?  Roads over public transport? Asset sales?

Should a country be run like a business?

Written By: - Date published: 2:50 pm, June 22nd, 2013 - 102 comments

Many business people say that a country should be run like a business. Maybe they are right. It should be run like a SUCCESSFUL business. It is appropriate for Government to take lessons from business success, and the reverse. But when it comes down to details, right wing Neo-Liberal business do not want Government and country they govern to become too successful or democratic…

Akl Unitary Plan: the good, the bad & the debatable

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, March 17th, 2013 - 39 comments

The Draft Auckland Unitary Plan has much to commend it.  It focuses on resource management, responds to the reality of climate change & aims for a more dense but ‘liveable’ city.  It has weaknesses, embraces destructive “growth” and raises questions: e.g. about affordable housing & environmental management.

Ageing population

Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, March 2nd, 2013 - 80 comments

A British report on the implications of their ageing population structure highlights, yet again, the lack of any planning on this issue from the Key government…

A living wage: living with dignity edition

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, February 12th, 2013 - 49 comments

The concept of a living wage is one that just makes good sense to me.  A wage should be enough to live on, right?  Because it’s a wage?  Because what’s the point if it doesn’t?

A country to love: a country to fight for

Written By: - Date published: 10:07 am, December 13th, 2012 - 59 comments

Key’s government and his MSM cheerleaders, lead the country backwards to increasing inequalities. It’s been a year of the battle of the men.  Yesterday, Metiria spoke of an inclusive country to collaboratively fight for, and Jacinda Ardern spoke passionately for children in poverty.

Children of Men: money or our lives

Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, October 18th, 2012 - 28 comments

Paid Parental Leave, Charter schools, compulsory early childhood education for beneficiaries: for NAct it’s all about money, and they use ‘shonky’ figures to justify their ‘shonkey’ policies and vetos.  This is ostrich and patriarchal behaviour, ignoring the evidence of the wider benefits to communities and society of good quality child care, education and Paid Parental Leave.

What is “progress”?

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, July 5th, 2012 - 22 comments

If “two-income families are increasingly worse off than single-income families were a generation ago”, then something is seriously wrong with our definition of “progress”.