Isn’t that the Gower boy, being the smart arse reporter continually asking the same question? He certainly does get the knives out for some Labour MPs!
Well Lloyd Burr’s interviews with Ardern today, as on the Newshub site, are very positive about/with Ardern. So, don’t see him as a smart arse trying to pressure her.
It was a post caucus press stand-up so could have been a reporter from one of the newspapers or radio stations. It wasn’t Corin Dann or Paddy Gower. Their voices are well known and recognisable.
media bias agree Anne in the last 2 elections the tories have had an unfair advantage the media did there lobbying and were an important part of there election team and this needs to stop
Bill English is not on 7 pc that’s the big difference Also simply denying what is quite probable ( the ostrich strategy) will not happen is not really and answer
I worry that presenting it this way will be vulnerable to “one law for all” style attacks. I think Henare’s comment about investing in Maori health to lift Maori life expectancy is on target, and couple that with early superannuation for those unable to continue in their occupation through disability. Which would hopefully provide the same outcome for Maori that have spent their lives in demanding manual occupations, as well as including non-Maori in the same situation.
Despite Ministers laying red herrings before journos this week, research shows that Maori have shorter life expectancy even after accounting for factors like their health and the type of work they undertake. Rangi the factory worker is a figment of Joyce’s overactive imagination.
Those attacks come what may – cannot and must not adjust for those racists.
The facts are well known.
And why those facts exist are also well known – just one of the unhappy coincidences for most indigenous peoples colonised – lower life expectancy, higher mental health issues including suicide and self harming, higher prison population, lower incomes throughout their working life, less home ownership, over populated on all deprivation statistics and so on and on and on…
That won’t get addressed by this but it is worthwhile pointing it all out imo.
also Marty mars bad and unfair treatment from the state a sector that is suppose to help. For example we were more likely to be offered state flats in the bronxs the same areas the gnats have knocked down and built 500k houses for who not our people racist pigs
I think that is exactly what is eventually going to happen dv. After the age of 60 when a person wishes to retire from full time work, they will have to apply to a special agency set up for the task of investigating applicants’ circumstances. If they qualify under a set of reasonable criteria – such as in injuries caused by years of heavy manual labour – then they will be able to begin receiving super at an earlier age.
When (and its only a matter of time before it happens) they reach the age of 67 they will automatically receive the super. That does not mean others cannot start receiving it at 65 but they will have to fulfill the criteria laid down by legislation which could include anything from physical or mental impairment making it impossible for them to be able to continue earning a living.
No one automatically gets super now. Everyone applies for it if they think they are eligible.
The great thing about NZ’s system is that it’s universal. You just need to prove age, ID and years lived in NZ.
There is no need to include some means test. Actually, 60 years for all to apply would be better. Then properly pre-fund the super fund, and use the tax system to take back a high tax from those 60yrs + on a high income.
Means testing involves too much surveillance of individuals, and always results in some people trying to cheat the system, by using false info.
Or better still. Basic income for everyone, cradle to grave.
Seen several proposals discussed but not really my area. Financial transaction taxes seem hard to avoid. Taxing capital accumulation seems more useful than income to achieve distributional equity.
My accumulated capital already gets taxed: that’s my savings’ interest. But I do not own property, and property owners do not get taxed on their gains from rising house prices.
But I would think you are talking about capital accumulation in all kinds of investments, not just my little savings accounts.
Nothing to do with today, but Danyl MacLauchlan’s dimpost seems to have basically shut up shop. Does everyone else have trouble accessing: https://dimpost.wordpress.com/
Or did my IP/wordpress account just get banned? T^T
Would make sense if he was planning on publishing some of his posts in book format and wanted to pull it from online, but sad all the same if it’s gone.
“If they qualify under a set of reasonable criteria – such as in injuries caused by years of heavy manual labour – then they will be able to begin receiving super at an earlier age.”
But surely Anne, these injured workers will be on ACC 80% of there present earnings till they are 65 which will be far better than the miserable amount National Supper will pay. What ever the age of retirement ACC will turn off the insurance payments then anyway.
I know this to be true, as I went through this recently with a friend.
No. Those are called “gradual process injuries”, or “age related degeneration” and you are put on the laughably called, “job seekers benefit.
I have several acquaintances who have obvious long term impairment related to jobs such as fishing, machine shop, or building, who are incapable of sustained work.
They all have to go with the WINZ torture monthly, for, what was, the “sickness benefit”, Including applications for jobs they will never get, due to their physical condition and age.
Which is why I am implacably opposed to raising the retirement age, means testing and any form of trying to adjust for individual disability or condition.
It doesn’t work. Universal is effective, fair and well understood.
It also stops the wealthy from getting rid of it. As they get it to.
We already have ample proof that “Austerity” and “tax cuts” are a failure.
The fact is, super, and other forms of welfare are becoming unaffordable because successive Governments have cut tax levels below that required for a functioning country.
US states are instructive, because you can see the effect of less or more socialist policies side by side with similar populations. The recent success of Minnesota where a State Government has raised minimum wages and business and State taxes has resulted in the opposite to the predicted decline. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/opinion/campaign-stops/the-path-to-prosperity-is-blue.html?_r=0 Note, Blue States in the USA are Democrat.
When contemplating significant changes to Government Policy in relation to superannuation (which affects everyone) best not to come out the blue with a prescriptive change to be set in concrete.
Guaranteed to get everyone’s backs up, highlight previous little known social divisions, and likely to give easy fodder to your political opponents.
What he should have done:
1 Acknowledged that he wasn’t bound by the same pledge as Key.
2 Make a new pledge that he would not make any wholesale changes to the NZ Super scheme without cross party support.
3 State that he supports setting up a cross party inquiry (after the election) into the future of NZ super in which input from all parties and the public would be taken into account.
4 State that any final outcome would not be proposed in Parliament without at least 66% support. This would allow Nat/Labour to figure out a reasonable plan for the future without giving Peters too much power.
Outcome: Frees English from Key’s foolish pledge AND removes it from being a lightening rod for discontent at the 2017 election.
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Image credit:Diamond Harbour School Blogs I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or ...
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The Government is refining its COVID-19 essential business guidance to include the distribution of news publications for communities which are hard to reach. The Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media, Kris Faafoi, said the move was in recognition of the importance for New Zealanders who might be harder to ...
The Government is ensuring supermarkets can open on Easter Sunday so we can buy groceries, but stay closed on Good Friday allowing workers to take a break. This provides a balanced approach and ensures we avoid large queues that two days closure may cause. “Supermarkets will be able to open ...
Following the successful conclusion of the Building Partner Capacity (BPC) mission at Taji, New Zealand defence personnel are returning to New Zealand from Iraq, in accordance with the Cabinet decision made in June 2019, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. “New Zealand is very ...
The State of National Emergency to help stop the spread of COVID-19 has been extended for a further seven days, Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare said. The initial declaration on March 25 lasted seven days and can be extended as many times as necessary. “Since we went into isolation ...
New Zealand’s ability to go hard and go early in the fight against COVID-19 has been underpinned by strong Government finances and the growing economy heading into this global pandemic, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Treasury today released the Crown financial statements for the eight months to the end ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says 36 new intensive care beds at Christchurch Hospital’s new Hagley building are being fast tracked so they are available for treatment of COVID-19 patients. The Ministry of Health is working with contractor CPB and Canterbury DHB to enable access to the hospital’s ICU, ...
The Government has fast-tracked up to $1 million to help Air New Zealand move urgent freight to and from New Zealand, with the first flight to Shanghai leaving tonight, Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says it’s crucial that trade in vital goods such as medical supplies and ...
New Zealand will temporarily remove tariffs on all medical and hygiene imports needed for the COVID-19 response. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said today that the New Zealand Customs Service will apply tariff concessions to all diagnostic reagents and testing ...
Minister of Finance Grant Robertson has clarified that the changes to the wage subsidy scheme announced yesterday mean that employers should be passing on the full subsidy to workers, except in the case where the person’s normal income is less than the level of the subsidy. “We still want employers ...
Medical face masks from the national reserve supply are now being distributed to District Health Boards, while at the same time local production is being ramped up. Yesterday more than 640,000 masks were sent to DHBS – that is an immediate two week supply, with more to follow in coming ...
The Government has made modifications to the wage subsidy scheme to ensure people don’t lose their jobs during the national lockdown. These changes will soften the impact of COVID-19 on workers, families and businesses, and position them to exit the lockdown and look to recovery, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. ...
Farmers whose herds were culled in response to the outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis will be able to minimise the tax treatment of their income in some circumstances. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash says Cabinet has agreed to change the law. It means farmers may be eligible to spread their income over ...
A $27 million dollar package, effective immediately, is being provided to social sector services and community groups to ensure they can continue to provide essential support to communities as we stay at home as a nation to stop the spread of COVID-19, Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni announced. “At ...
“The guilty plea today will provide some relief to the many people whose lives were shattered by what happened on March 15,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “These guilty pleas and conviction bring accountability for what happened and also save the families who lost loved ones, those who were injured, ...
The Prime Minister is holding daily press conferences to update New Zealanders on the Government's response to COVID-19. Links to videos and transcripts of these updates below. These transcripts also include All of Government press conferences led by Director Ministry of Health's Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. 25 March: Live update from the Prime ...
Frontline Police numbers have broken through the 10,000 mark for the first time in history as officers step forward to keep the community safe during the COVID19 lockdown. “Two Police graduations in Auckland and Wellington in the past week have been conducted in unprecedented circumstances,” Police Minister Stuart Nash said. ...
Urgent legislation has been passed to support the package of economic and social measures needed to recover from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. “The COVID-19 Response (Taxation and Social Assistance Urgent Measures) Bill will cushion New Zealanders from the worst economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Revenue Minister ...
From tomorrow, Government support for farmers and growers affected by drought will be expanded and extended across the country, with access to Rural Assistance Payments (RAPS) available throughout the North Island, parts of the South Island and the Chatham Islands, Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced. “These challenging conditions have ...
Parliament has passed amendments to legislation that give the Secretary of Education stronger powers to act in the fight to limit the spread of COVID-19, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “They are part of a suite of changes passed under the COVID-19 Response (Urgent Management Measures) Legislation Bill,” Chris ...
Canada, Australia, Chile, Brunei and Myanmar have joined forces with New Zealand and Singapore by committing to keep supply chains open and remove any existing trade restrictive measures on essential goods, especially medical supplies, in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker today welcomed ...
Immediate freeze on rent increases Tenancies will not be terminated during the lock-down period, unless the parties agree, or in limited circumstances Tenants who had previously given notice can stay in their if they need to stay in the tenancy during the lock-down period Tenants will still be able to ...
As New Zealand unites to lock-down in the fight against COVID-19, the Finance Minister is urging all businesses and workers to stay connected over the next four weeks. “We understand the extreme pressure many businesses are under right now. I know most business owners think of their workers as family ...
A State of National Emergency has been declared across the country as the Government pulls out all the stops to curtail the spread of COVID-19. “Today we put in place our country’s second ever State of National Emergency as we fight a global pandemic, save New Zealanders’ lives and prevent ...
Mr Speaker I wish to make a Ministerial Statement under Standing Order 347 in relation to the recent declaration of a State of National Emergency. Having considered the advice of the Director Civil Defence Emergency Management, the Minister of Civil Defence declared a State of National Emergency for the whole of ...
People needing to travel on domestic flights, trains and Cook Strait ferries to get home before the country moves into level 4 lock-down tomorrow night will be able to continue using the passenger services until midnight on Friday, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. Domestic passenger services, particularly ferries, have ...
The Government, retail banks and the Reserve Bank are today announcing a major financial support package for home owners and businesses affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19. The package will include a six month principal and interest payment holiday for mortgage holders and SME customers whose incomes have been ...
Minister of Transport Phil Twyford has today announced details of the Government’s support package to keep key air freight moving and ensure New Zealanders retain access to essential goods during the four-week level 4 lockdown. “The Government is working with airlines and air freight operators to ensure New Zealand’s key ...
Four PhD students engaged a clinical psychologist to help them navigate an uncertain time in their studies. They share their findings here.As four PhD students from Massey University’s Joint Centre for Disaster Research we, like many others, can’t stop reading and talking about the unfolding events that have gripped our ...
The SpinoffBy Ashleigh Rushton, Lisa McLaren, Marion Tan & Sara Harrison
Covid-19 testing of the wider population is on the cards as World Health Organisation research shows people are most contagious within their first few days of being infected Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says Covid-19 carriers are highly infectious when they show few signs of carrying the virus. People were ...
Z Energy is the latest company to cut its dividend payout and start talking to its banks about strengthening its finances. Chief executive Mike Bennetts said the company, the largest fuel retailer in the country, had been battered by a range of issues over the past 18 months, and was ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melissa Kang, Associate professor, University of Technology Sydney Young people in Australia are among the fastest-growing group to contract COVID19. According to the Department of Health, there are now more cases in Australia among people aged 20 – 29 years than any ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Pattinson, Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Getting a good night’s sleep can be difficult at the best of times. But it can be even harder when you’re anxious or have something on your mind – a global pandemic, for example. ...
Journalist and Great Barrier Island resident Lindsay Wright reflects on outer gulf pandemic preparedness. Hardy locals can tough it out but Auckland bach owners and boaties should keep their distance. Aotea Great Barrier, the easternmost island in the Hauraki Gulf, are undergoing a Covid-19-inspired population flood. Great Barrier has scenery that makes ...
The Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand is delighted that the government has moved quickly to provide an initial financial support package for pharmacy. The $15 million package was paid this week to pharmacy contract holders. Pharmaceutical Society president ...
How is Covid-19 spreading within the country? Newsroom is collating information as it's available to paint a picture of what's happening.The following charts are based on numbers shared at the daily press conference and are "as of 9am" of the day. There were 71 new cases of Covid-19 in ...
A new poem by Wellington poet and bookseller Ash Davida Jane. washed up! it gets tiring pushing the fire alarm every nightbut things keep catching on fireor sometimes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charles Foster, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Sydney Our earliest vertebrate (animals with backbones) ancestors laid eggs, but over millions of years of evolution, some species began to give birth to live young. There is a traditional dichotomy in vertebrate reproduction: species ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charles Foster, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Sydney Our earliest vertebrate (animals with backbones) ancestors laid eggs, but over millions of years of evolution, some species began to give birth to live young. There is a traditional dichotomy in vertebrate reproduction: species ...
Welcome to the second edition of our lockdown Top 10s. A reminder that this chart has nothing to do with sales or launches or the publishing cycle; these are just books the Unity team love – and this week it’s westerns, full of big skies and long rides and showdowns.AUCKLANDAll ...
Wellington Mayor Andy Foster’s plan to cover revenue shortfalls through borrowing without cutting low priority spending is immoral, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . “Businesses and households across the country are meeting financial challenges ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin John Brophy, Emeritus Professor of Creative writing, University of Melbourne “Katrina, I had in mind a prayer, but only this came,” Bruce Dawe wrote to his infant daughter, new-born, in intensive care, her life in the balance, declaring as poets must ...
The shock closure of Bauer NZ – and with it all of the country’s current affairs magazines – is a stark reminder of the fragile state of local media, writes Mel Bunce, the author of a book on the subject.It is a dark week for journalism in New Zealand, with ...
Join Leonie Hayden as she works through the first four weeks of Scotty Morrison’s Māori Made Easy.Rāmere/FridayWe made it to the end of week one e te whānau. It wasn’t that hard! In fact it was… Māori made easy.To end our week of pronunciation practice we’re going to revisit everything we ...
India faces more challenges battling Covid-19 than any other country in the world. With 1.3 billion inhabitants, hundreds of different languages spoken, and an estimated 80% of the workforce daily wage earners currently without jobs, it could be a recipe for disaster.I’ve been living in India for more than three ...
By Sri Krishnamurthi of Pacific Media Watch The Vanuatu government is using the Covid-19 to impose draconian measures and authoritarian rule by end of last month. Wholesale censorship of all Covid-19 related content has been instituted. Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) took the extraordinary step to ...
People with lower credit scores increased their borrowing upon news of the lockdown, while those with higher scores dropped away. March data from the credit-reporting agency Centrix, which runs credit checks on behalf of banks, finance companies, online lenders, and buy now pay later schemes, showed credit inquiries dropped sharply ...
Small business owners say commercial rent relief is desperately needed if they are to survive past the Covid-19 disruptions. While the wage subsidy helped with staff costs, there is currently no government assistance for commercial rent - which typically accounts for 40 percent of a firm's fixed costs. Landlords and ...
SkyCity is making 200 staff redundant as part of cost cutting because of the Covid-19 virus. The casino operator said it had no choice but to cut the size of the workforce given that once business resumes it will be at much reduced level. Chief executive Graeme Stephens said it's ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Glikson, Earth and paleo-climate scientist, Australian National University At several points in the history of our planet, increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have caused extreme global warming, prompting the majority of species on Earth to die out. In ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand. Today’s contentMedia Henry Cooke (Stuff): There’s no easy way for Government to save media drowning. But a fast fix is ...
Just after midday a cyclist was killed on a straight road on a clear day, after being hit by a van in North Canterbury. Lucinda Rees from NZ School Speeds is asking for the mandatory cyclist/vulnerable road user passing gap, which is in consultation, ...
By Indra Singh in Suva Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says that if Fijians continue to disregard the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic directives from authorities, a nationwide 24-hour curfew could be imposed. His comments come as Fiji yesterday recorded its two latest coronavirus cases, taking the total to seven. Bainimarama said ...
In our new series The Lockdown Letters, some of New Zealand’s best writers tell us what they’ve been up to in the days of Covid-19 alert level four. Today, Ōtaki author Renée.Yes, a few cyclists out and about. I remember my first bike bought from Farmers around 1942, five shillings a ...
Internal memos from NZ’s biggest magazine company, which announced its sudden closure yesterday, state they were lobbying to change a ban on publication. But the minister responsible, Kris Faafoi, has doubled down on rejecting that position, calling those internal communications ‘contradictory’ to what they said to him directly.Magazine publishing giant ...
Up to 100,000 foreigners could be seeking to leave the country in coming weeks, now the Government has relaxed domestic travel restrictions for them. ...
The loss of a loved one can be difficult in the best of times. But it’s even more painful when the planes are grounded.Late on Saturday night, three days into New Zealand’s level four lockdown, Harish got a call from his sister in India telling him that his father had ...
Health Minister David Clark has flouted the Government's advice to exercise locally after confirming he drove to a park to go mountain biking on Thursday. ...
Covid-19 cases top 1m; Trump brags he's #1 on Facebook and says he knows about the virus because a 'friend' got it; UK testing scandal grows; Cats more vulnerable to virus than dogsTicking up to a million cases: A gruesome landmark was passed today when we go over one million ...
“So do not fear, I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” Isaiah 41:10 COVID-19 - Lock down: one week on Welcome to the latest Policy Watch ...
Workers at the Port of Lyttelton are resisting the introduction of casual cargo handlers due to concerns about COVID19. RMTU South Island Organizer John Kerr says there is concern about a Lyttelton Port Company (LPC) proposal to "bring in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Strangio, Associate Professor of Politics, Monash University One of Australia’s preeminent historians, Stuart Macintyre, once observed of John Curtin, the Labor Party leader revered for navigating this nation through the dangers of the second world war, that he would have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, University of Adelaide New research the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that SARS CoV 2, which causes the disease known as COVID-19 coronavirus, is more stable on plastic and stainless steel than on cardboard or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW The Australian government’s JobKeeper wage subsidy, estimated to cost A$130 billion, is a crucial measure to help keep the economy from completely cratering. But, even if COVID-19 is sufficiently under control for the economy to return ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gordon Menzies, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Technology Sydney During this pandemic, our twin health and economic crises require two different types of concern, and they operate differently. For the health crisis, a high level of concern is necessary. Saving lives ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Harriette Richards, University of Melbourne Times of instability and crisis produce increased nostalgia for the past. We long for a time that no longer exists, or never existed. Like melancholy, nostalgia is a sentiment of loss – one that’s particularly familiar to ...
RBNZ bans bank dividends; Who is next after Bauer's shock closure? Vital plan blocked; Commission wins in real estate price fixing case; Softbank walks out WeWorkNo you won’t: The Reserve Bank took the unprecedented step of prohibiting the banks from paying dividends during the coronavirus crisis or redeeming any ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Media reels after horror week, Wellington Council facing massive budget crunch, and highest single day of new Covid-19 cases.It had always been clear that this was going to be a difficult time for the media, with the Covid-19 downturn hitting ...
Former National Finance Ministers Steven Joyce and Bill English question the severity of the Covid-19 lockdown and ask whether the Government has an exit strategy. Andrew Patterson reports. Steven Joyce and Bill English have seen their fair share of financial crises and natural disasters as the last National Government's finance ...
There is no sign the government will tighten quarantine controls for those arriving at the border, in response to calls from the Opposition to quarantine and test everyone. ...
Two new cases of Covid-19 have been identified in Fiji, prompting a lockdown of its capital. Teuila Fuatai reports. Fijian health authorities are scrambling to identify close contacts of its latest two Covid-19 cases. The couple, from Nabua, Suva, appear unrelated to the country’s previous five. Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama ...
Christchurch is a city of contrasts, as some stretch their legs with smiles and others with suspicion. David Williams reports It was no surprise it happened in Christchurch’s student quarter. The smiles of those standing at their gates in Ilam Road broadened as a baby kayak strapped to a skateboard ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The ...
Suzanne McFadden speaks to two Kiwi 'bubbles' who have unanticipated - but serendipitous - housemates. Sue Bremner has found a silver lining to the brooding cloud of lockdown – it’s meant getting to know the sister who never knew she existed for almost 65 years. Englishwoman Bremner has found herself holed ...
As the walls go up around the world, global trade is feeling the effects. But beyond the short-term pain, what systemic change might we see? Sam Sachdeva reports. International trade was already facing headwinds before the spread of coronavirus - but the pandemic has knocked it well and truly off-course. ...
The decisions by German media giant Bauer to shut its New Zealand magazine operation and NZME’s axing of Radio Sport have been precipitated by the coronavirus. But, as Mark Jennings and Tim Murphy write, the closures are also due to the deeper problems of the local media industry. The sudden announcement ...
How long does it take to recover, how do you know you’ve recovered and can you catch Covid-19 twice? If you’ve had Covid-19 when are you officially recovered? Turns out there’s no test in New Zealand. It's judged by time of onset and last symptoms. How do I tick the ...
The first thing to note about the partying Queenstown backpackers is these acts of youthful rebellion are not an isolated phenomenon. As I write this on April 1, The Guardian is reporting on a group of people in their 20s who took the opportunity to celebrate Spring Break in the ...
Every Friday of lockdown, LockerRoom will share posts from Kiwi sportswomen who've caught our eye with novel ways of keeping on top of their game at home. This week we have Black Ferns making their own training equipment, a Kiwi professional cyclist virtually racing against riders around the world, and ANZ Premiership netballers calling their ...
Steve Braunias pays tribute to the Listener, closed yesterday in the wake of Covid-19's devastation of the economy. This piece to mark the end of the Listener is exactly how I started writing for the Listener: late at night, with instant coffee, in a state of shock. The shock then ...
The shockingly fast collapse of Bauer presents the government with a momentous choice, says Duncan Greive. Will it save the media industry, or concentrate on its own?This moment was always coming. The long, steady flow of advertising revenue to the tech giants has left the private sector media gaunt, much ...
A new app unveiled by the Government to dispense information about Covid-19 can be scaled up to help with pandemic tracking and diagnosing the illness, Marc Daalder reportsA Government WhatsApp channel revealed today will help carry information pertinent to the Covid-19 pandemic to the nation's smartphones - but that's ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As the COVID-19 transforms our individual lives, we are learning a few new things about ourselves as a society. We’ve known Australians suspect authority and, like other Western countries, have come to trust government less ...
About those handles and rails and communal areas …The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 crisis is only possible because of the support of members. If you can, please consider joining Spinoff Members here.As Aotearoa enters week two of lockdown, it’s clear we’re all still working out what our “bubbles” look ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kylie Quinn, Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is changing how we live. With a rapid increase in cases, we are now isolating in our homes to “flatten the curve”. However, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In this special hour long podcast presented by Mark Evans, professor of governance and director of Democracy 2025, the panel discusses Australian democracy with Emeritus Professor Ian Chubb and Michelle Grattan. The panel dissects the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government will provide free child care in a move aimed at ensuring parents, especially in essential services, are able to keep working. More than 945,000 families with 1.3 million children will benefit. The new ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Jackson, Education Policy Lead, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced free childcare for more than one million families, with a funding boost that aims to keep more than 13,000 childcare services across Australia open. In doing so, ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin What is Money?Keith Rankin.Money is a mystery. To most of us we receive it, we spend it, we save it, we borrow it. And if we don’t have enough, we are in trouble. Many of us think of money as if it is tangible, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, La Trobe University To control the spread of COVID-19 we need to identify as many people with the virus as possible. If we know who has it, we can isolate them so they can’t infect others and quarantine ...
By RNZ News New Zealand has had its biggest increase in one day as the Health Ministry confirms 89 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases to 797. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said today 92 people had now recovered from the coronavirus. Thirteen people ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bhiamie Williamson, Research Associate & PhD Candidate, Australian National University The catastrophic bushfire season is officially over, but governments, agencies and communities have failed to recognise the specific and disproportionate impact the fires have had on Aboriginal peoples. Addressing this in bushfire ...
PACIFIC UPDATE:By Barbara Dreaver of TVNZ There are now 147 positive cases across seven countries in the Pacific region and four deaths. In Guam, cases continue to grow, with the count now at 77, five of them health workers. The island nation is facing its own crisis on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Jin Kang, Lecturer, Edith Cowan University With #StayAtHome and social distancing now becoming a way of life, an increasing number of people are relying on the internet for work, education and entertainment. This has placed greater demand on our network infrastructure, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natalie Klein, Professor, UNSW The spectre of large ships with people desperate to come ashore is not a new sight in Australia. In 2001, the MV Tampa infamously sought to enter Australian waters off Christmas Island to discharge more than 400 asylum ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Holden, Senior Lecturer in Dental Ethics, Law and Professionalism, University of Sydney The coronavirus pandemic is changing the way we access health care, and dental care is no exception. Dentists are no longer allowed to provide a raft of care, such ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Kirstin Mead from the Regional Business Partners’ Network.Business owners around the country will ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Roberts, Associate professor (Curriculum Inquiry / Rural Education), University of Canberra Schools have been progressively moving classes online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there is uncertainty over what the next months may bring. This has thrown many year 12 students’ ...
The fourth in our new series of charts, graphics and data visualisations by Chris McDowall, covering the Covid-19 epidemic within New Zealand. We’ll publish the latest set each day on The Spinoff.This work is entirely funded by the generosity of The Spinoff MembersInformation about confirmed and probable cases of Covid-19 ...
Employers in essential services and foreigners trying to leave New Zealand were the targets of Government announcements on Thursday afternoon Essential services who employ workers who can't go to work due to Covid-19 will be able to access the Government's funds to pay them. The scheme would allow employers in "essential services" ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Stephens, ARC Future Fellow and Associate Professor of Cultural Studies, The University of Queensland Australia’s coronavirus public health messaging has been criticisedasconfusing during a time when health guidelines and regulations are changing rapidly, and educating the public about health ...
Daily Review 07/03/2017 
In order to meet our 2050 carbon target and do our bit to avoid making the Earth uninhabitable, New Zealand needs to decarbonise our economy, replacing fossil fuels with electricity in the energy, industrial and transport sectors. The good news is that it will mean cheaper power for all of ...2 hours ago
For those folk who find my other Lock-Down Diary versions too “negative” or otherwise unpalatable… Here’s a photo of a pretty flower, . . Better? Tomorrow’s Sanitised Version: a cute animal video. . . . =fs= ...3 hours ago
As Aotearoa enters week two of lockdown, it’s clear we’re all still working out what our “bubbles” look like and how to stay in them to stop the spread of Covid-19. New to the government’s Covid-19 website is some good guidance for people living in apartment blocks. Recent decades have ...6 hours ago
Yesterday was the day the consequences of the lockdown suddenly got very real for many. Firms have been closing and laying people off since the outset of the quarantine but this has mostly been happening out of the public eye. The mass closure of a number of iconic New Zealand ...7 hours ago
Resuming Normal Service: The Republican Party's nominee for in 1920, Warren Harding, promised the American people: “not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration”. If she wishes to remain our prime minister, then Jacinda Ardern will offer New Zealanders the same.HOW EDUCATED AMERICA snickered when the ...8 hours ago
by Daphna Whitmore A third of the world is under lockdown and a clear assessment of this measure to curb the spread of COVID-19 is urgently needed. With any high-stakes decisions it has to be asked what are we dealing with here? Are the measures warranted? Will they achieve their ...14 hours ago
I haven’t done a huge amount in the last few days. I’m reading The Poppy War and I’ve sort of poked at a couple of games – I started SOMA but I’m a wimp and I quit while in the first room after the brain scan. I might try it ...18 hours ago
Much has been written about the importance of discretion in an emergency situation, and the concerns raised by the potential for it to be exercised arbitrarily. Given the quality of the discussion, there seemed little point in adding to it at any length. In particular, I point to the evidence ...21 hours ago
46 Articles Physical science of global warming & effects Global response of evapotranspiration ratio to climate conditions and watershed characteristics in a changing environment Greenhouse effect: the relative contributions of emission height and total absorption Observations & observational methods of global warming & effects Climate change induced a ...2 days ago
Image credit: Diamond Harbour School Blogs I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is unexpectedly missing or ... 2 days ago
The Covid-19 saga will no doubt produce many twists and turns for us before it is finally brought to an end. But one thing it has shown us – and what comfort it should bring us – is that our country’s government is in good hands. I am not thinking ...2 days ago
The following statement was released on March 28 by the National Network on Cuba, a coalition of 40 groups, based in the United States. In recent weeks, Cuba has deployed hundreds of medical providers to over a dozen countries in Europe, Asia, as well as to their neighbors in Latin ...3 days ago
Yesterday, New Zealand recorded its first Covid-19 related death on the West Coast. Unfortunately this is unlikely to be the only fatality, with the virus now being found in every region of the country.However despite the significant danger, people are still unfortunately breaching lockdown rules.There’s really only one main very ...4 days ago
The CV-19 (COVID) pandemic has seen the imposition of a government ordered national quarantine and the promulgation of a series of measures designed to spread the burden of pain and soften the economic blow on the most strategically important and most vulnerable sectors of society. The national narrative is framed ...6 days ago
Society-wise, aside from the specific morbidity shall we say of the medically-oriented aspects of this COVID-19 crisis, what is unfolding before the world is in more than one way an instructive study of humanity and reactions to a high intensity, high stress environment in real time. Friends, we are at ...7 days ago
Right now low waged and insecure workers are feeling the economic brunt of the looming #Covid19 Recession. In response legal advocate Toby Cooper* and hospitality and worker’s rights advocate Chloe Ann-King, are putting together a series of legal blogs about your employment rights: In this legal blog we outline some ...7 days ago
Kia ora my name is Chloe Ann-King* and I am the founder of Raise the Bar, a campaign and non-profit that gives free legal aid, advocacy and tautoko to hospitality workers in Aotearoa. Right now all over our country hospo workers are being fired at will, having shifts cut or being ...1 week ago
Foreign Minister Winston Peters says getting New Zealanders back home and other travellers out of the country is "a nightmare for our embassies, consuls, and staff around the world". Speaking to NewstalkZB's Mike Hosking, the Foreign Minister said that he gave a clear message to people travelling overseas that they ...1 hour ago
The COVID-19 situation in New Zealand is moving fast - and to avoid what we've seen overseas - the Government's response must be to move fast too. We're committed to keeping New Zealanders safe and well-informed every step of the way. ...6 days ago
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The scale of what we face right now is unlike anything we have ever seen before. Overcoming it is our common purpose. ...1 week ago
The Government’s plan to cushion the blow of COVID-19 by supporting incomes, jobs and businesses, and position the economy to recover has been backed by another international report. International credit rating agency Moody’s today reaffirmed its highest Aaa credit rating on New Zealand, saying the economy is expected to remain ...4 hours ago
Four PhD students engaged a clinical psychologist to help them navigate an uncertain time in their studies. They share their findings here.As four PhD students from Massey University’s Joint Centre for Disaster Research we, like many others, can’t stop reading and talking about the unfolding events that have gripped our ...14 mins ago
Covid-19 testing of the wider population is on the cards as World Health Organisation research shows people are most contagious within their first few days of being infected Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says Covid-19 carriers are highly infectious when they show few signs of carrying the virus. People were ...20 mins ago
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I liked this from Jacinda Ardern. The new no nonsense Jacinda who challenges the media:
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/watch-you-worried-jacindas-popularity-overtake-yours-terse-andrew-little-ardern-desperately-try-shut-down-reporters-curly-questions
As for the terminology used to head the item… garbage in… garbage out. Little and Ardern called the smart-arse reporter out and they didn’t like it?
Did any smart arsed reporter ask English what he would do if Bennett out-polled him for the PM stakes? NO.
Isn’t that the Gower boy, being the smart arse reporter continually asking the same question? He certainly does get the knives out for some Labour MPs!
I don’t think it’s Gower, he’s a bit dazzled by Jacinda. That was good work though from her.
Must have been Corin Dann, then. TV1 news does seem to be cheerleading for Bling this week.
Not his voice. Possibly Lloyd Burr from mediaworks?
Well Lloyd Burr’s interviews with Ardern today, as on the Newshub site, are very positive about/with Ardern. So, don’t see him as a smart arse trying to pressure her.
It was a post caucus press stand-up so could have been a reporter from one of the newspapers or radio stations. It wasn’t Corin Dann or Paddy Gower. Their voices are well known and recognisable.
Ta. So that’s both Lloyd and Paddy in the positive column so far.
Love her to bits. Easily shut that smart arse down.
Yep – the silly journos will start getting used to that answer, and it will become a non-question after a while – it’ll get boring.
media bias agree Anne in the last 2 elections the tories have had an unfair advantage the media did there lobbying and were an important part of there election team and this needs to stop
Bill English is not on 7 pc that’s the big difference
Bill English is not on 7 pc that’s the big difference Also simply denying what is quite probable ( the ostrich strategy) will not happen is not really and answer
“Labour supports a call from the Māori Party to have the superannuation age lowered for Māori because their live expectancy is lower the non-Māori.”
https://www.maoritelevision.com/news/politics/should-maori-receive-superannuation-lower-age
Good call and lots of evidence to back this up.
Working together??? Start off with some shared values and see how we go eh…
+1
Personally I believe Labour has a lot more in common with MP than NZF …
Voting record in parliament supports that.
I worry that presenting it this way will be vulnerable to “one law for all” style attacks. I think Henare’s comment about investing in Maori health to lift Maori life expectancy is on target, and couple that with early superannuation for those unable to continue in their occupation through disability. Which would hopefully provide the same outcome for Maori that have spent their lives in demanding manual occupations, as well as including non-Maori in the same situation.
Despite Ministers laying red herrings before journos this week, research shows that Maori have shorter life expectancy even after accounting for factors like their health and the type of work they undertake. Rangi the factory worker is a figment of Joyce’s overactive imagination.
Those attacks come what may – cannot and must not adjust for those racists.
The facts are well known.
And why those facts exist are also well known – just one of the unhappy coincidences for most indigenous peoples colonised – lower life expectancy, higher mental health issues including suicide and self harming, higher prison population, lower incomes throughout their working life, less home ownership, over populated on all deprivation statistics and so on and on and on…
That won’t get addressed by this but it is worthwhile pointing it all out imo.
anyway I wrote this a few years ago
http://mars2earth.blogspot.co.nz/2011/10/lower-maori-retirement-age.html
also Marty mars bad and unfair treatment from the state a sector that is suppose to help. For example we were more likely to be offered state flats in the bronxs the same areas the gnats have knocked down and built 500k houses for who not our people racist pigs
Women can look forward to longer careers due to their higher life expectancy. Will smokers and drinkers get to retire early as well?
Pity you are so scornful gabby – you could have made a contribution to the discussion instead of your usual sour comment.
Pity you’re so grumpy, marty. You could have thought the thing through a bit less narrowmindedly couldn’t you.
why chuck smokers and drinkers in gabby – were you trying to be provocative or just couldn’t think of much to say and wanted to say it anyway?
Smokers and drinkers don’t live as long marty. It might get a bit tricky working out just how smoky or drinky they are though.
yep sure is funny that one ha ha
“…Māori because their live expectancy is lower the non-Māori”
that isn’t funny though, is it gabby?
‘men because their live expectancy is lower the non-men’
that’s just hilarious is it marty.
Lol no but you are – just say what you want to say, don’t fluff around with the bullshit gabby or are you not that brave
Get a grip marty. Stay off the piss and ciggies and you’ll be fine.
Lol gabby – better luck next time eh
Smokers and drinkers get to die early. Think of all those savings ..
Race-based super is an absolutely terrible idea
I suspect however, that wiser heads within Labour will prevail and this idea will be quickly shut down…
A.
I’m sure it will be shut down with ill-informed and ignorant commentary like yours out there.
I agree.
A.
PS Anyway NZ 1st would never agree to it
With all the big data stuff, surely we can fit retirement age to the background of the retiree?
I think that is exactly what is eventually going to happen dv. After the age of 60 when a person wishes to retire from full time work, they will have to apply to a special agency set up for the task of investigating applicants’ circumstances. If they qualify under a set of reasonable criteria – such as in injuries caused by years of heavy manual labour – then they will be able to begin receiving super at an earlier age.
When (and its only a matter of time before it happens) they reach the age of 67 they will automatically receive the super. That does not mean others cannot start receiving it at 65 but they will have to fulfill the criteria laid down by legislation which could include anything from physical or mental impairment making it impossible for them to be able to continue earning a living.
No one automatically gets super now. Everyone applies for it if they think they are eligible.
The great thing about NZ’s system is that it’s universal. You just need to prove age, ID and years lived in NZ.
There is no need to include some means test. Actually, 60 years for all to apply would be better. Then properly pre-fund the super fund, and use the tax system to take back a high tax from those 60yrs + on a high income.
Means testing involves too much surveillance of individuals, and always results in some people trying to cheat the system, by using false info.
Or better still. Basic income for everyone, cradle to grave.
“use the tax system to take back a high tax from those 60yrs + on a high income.”
High wealth would be better – many of our richest manage their affairs to show hardly any income. Tax their capital and transactions.
wealth tax? Capital gains tax?
Seen several proposals discussed but not really my area. Financial transaction taxes seem hard to avoid. Taxing capital accumulation seems more useful than income to achieve distributional equity.
My accumulated capital already gets taxed: that’s my savings’ interest. But I do not own property, and property owners do not get taxed on their gains from rising house prices.
But I would think you are talking about capital accumulation in all kinds of investments, not just my little savings accounts.
Nothing to do with today, but Danyl MacLauchlan’s dimpost seems to have basically shut up shop. Does everyone else have trouble accessing: https://dimpost.wordpress.com/
Or did my IP/wordpress account just get banned? T^T
Would make sense if he was planning on publishing some of his posts in book format and wanted to pull it from online, but sad all the same if it’s gone.
I think he is “taking a break” from blogging. He intimated it was temporary due to other commitments – or whatever.
Interesting phenomenon. Blogging is a marathon. Danyl was really good at it. But it is not easy to keep it up for ever …
Isn’t he involved somehow with official Green party policy work now? Missed the announcement, just noticed missing site.
“If they qualify under a set of reasonable criteria – such as in injuries caused by years of heavy manual labour – then they will be able to begin receiving super at an earlier age.”
But surely Anne, these injured workers will be on ACC 80% of there present earnings till they are 65 which will be far better than the miserable amount National Supper will pay. What ever the age of retirement ACC will turn off the insurance payments then anyway.
I know this to be true, as I went through this recently with a friend.
No. Those are called “gradual process injuries”, or “age related degeneration” and you are put on the laughably called, “job seekers benefit.
I have several acquaintances who have obvious long term impairment related to jobs such as fishing, machine shop, or building, who are incapable of sustained work.
They all have to go with the WINZ torture monthly, for, what was, the “sickness benefit”, Including applications for jobs they will never get, due to their physical condition and age.
Which is why I am implacably opposed to raising the retirement age, means testing and any form of trying to adjust for individual disability or condition.
It doesn’t work. Universal is effective, fair and well understood.
It also stops the wealthy from getting rid of it. As they get it to.
We already have ample proof that “Austerity” and “tax cuts” are a failure.
The fact is, super, and other forms of welfare are becoming unaffordable because successive Governments have cut tax levels below that required for a functioning country.
US states are instructive, because you can see the effect of less or more socialist policies side by side with similar populations. The recent success of Minnesota where a State Government has raised minimum wages and business and State taxes has resulted in the opposite to the predicted decline. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/opinion/campaign-stops/the-path-to-prosperity-is-blue.html?_r=0 Note, Blue States in the USA are Democrat.
+1. Timeforacuppa has no idea at all about the outcomes of the ACC claims processor manual workers. Needs to be outed as a right wing troll.
The year zero reference has me WTF….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Zero_(political_notion)
edit:
https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vault7?src=hash
Lesson number 1 for Bill English.
When contemplating significant changes to Government Policy in relation to superannuation (which affects everyone) best not to come out the blue with a prescriptive change to be set in concrete.
Guaranteed to get everyone’s backs up, highlight previous little known social divisions, and likely to give easy fodder to your political opponents.
What he should have done:
1 Acknowledged that he wasn’t bound by the same pledge as Key.
2 Make a new pledge that he would not make any wholesale changes to the NZ Super scheme without cross party support.
3 State that he supports setting up a cross party inquiry (after the election) into the future of NZ super in which input from all parties and the public would be taken into account.
4 State that any final outcome would not be proposed in Parliament without at least 66% support. This would allow Nat/Labour to figure out a reasonable plan for the future without giving Peters too much power.
Outcome: Frees English from Key’s foolish pledge AND removes it from being a lightening rod for discontent at the 2017 election.
Think before you stink is a wonderful saying.