Yes, I know what it means. It means that if he were leader of Labour it’d be fucked and if he were leader of the Pagani party he’d just replace Dunne and Peters as holding the country to ransom.
“And I cannot think of a more damning indictment of Nash than the one that you just presented.”
Precisely. BM, you’re basically proposing that Labour become a right wing party and while I’m sure that would suit you it’s not actually what Labour voters want. Or members. Remember the last couple of leadership votes?
Labour is already a centre party. You are suggesting that it moves right so that it can be Nact Lite. Do you really expect anyone here to take that suggestion seriously?
I’m presuming you are referring to the conundrum the left appear to be in in how to defeat Key/Nats.
Personally I don’t think the left will gain the government benches until they achieve the following:
1 Crave competence in their MP’s above all else. Forget filling quotas etc. elect people who have a proven track record of achieving in their particular field of expertise. i would add to this – divest MP’s who’s only achievement in life has been to work the political system in order to attain the Parliamentary Gravy Train.
2 Competent Leadership. No one would accuse of Helen Clark of overflowing with charisma however she got elected 3 times on the back of a perceived ability to get things done. She had the ability (as does Key) that she could answer questions about most Government portfolios even if she wasn’t the relevant Minister.
( I cringe when I think of Goff and Cunliffe struggling to answer questions about various portfolios during election campaigns)
I believe the Parliamentary Leader needs to be a Jack of All Trades and have the ability to herd a Caucus of Egos in a somewhat unified direction.
3 Dead wood clearing. I know the right has harped on about this since 2008. Labour has never been able to tell the likes of Goff, Mallard, and King to take a hike. It is like they hang on to their Parliamentary jobs with a death grip – this is suffocating Labour.
4 Policy. Obviously I am not the one to tell Labour what policies to put up but I suggest that they need to be relevant to 2016 NZ not harking back to a yesteryear which is gone forever. I suggest that the voting public have a 5 second attention span towards a policy point – in that 5 seconds they decide if they like it or not. Once they make up their minds – tis very hard to change them.
1. work the political system in order to attain the Parliamentary Gravy Train. Sounds like good advice until you consider the rank hypocrisy – cf: Blabbermouth Lusk’s insights into the National Party’s “lucrative business careers”.
As for the “merit” argument it’s flawed: whatever your opinion of the Greens you can’t fault their talent pool: clearly quota are not the problem.
3. An inevitable artifact of FPP. Who can tell whether it is a bad thing or a good thing?
4. a yesteryear which is gone forever. This isn’t the first time financial and labour markets have been liberalised munted by faith-based incompetence and greed. Who’s trying to turn the clock back again? I can see few reasons why the solution this time won’t borrow some ideas from the past.
If the GP had stuck to the expression of the values of the Values Party, they probably wouldn’t even be in parliament. NZ had it’s chance to vote for the GP when it was more radical and it didn’t. Or are you suggesting that it would be better if the GP were still on 5%?
I’ve said this to you before – much of the Values Party ethics and principles are still there in the GP charter etc. When NZ is ready for those things, they ready and waiting. I’m guessing you’ve never voted for them.
Much of the original Labour Party ethics and founding principles are still in their constitution and other documents.
Need I say more.
If the GP had stuck to the expression of the values of the Values Party, they probably wouldn’t even be in parliament. NZ had it’s chance to vote for the GP when it was more radical and it didn’t.
Sadly, the Green Party wasn’t willing to wait for the times to catch up to where they were at 15 years ago. All around the world today, voters are voting in droves for the “radical” option (sometimes left wing, sometimes right wing).
The Greens made the wrong strategic decision, in other words, by heading straight towards the safe middle of the road mainstream.
I think so. The two very obvious differences between the LP and the GP are that the GP don’t have an entrenched stand off between the neoliberals and lefties (nor the history that Labour has with the electorate). The other is that the GP has a different set of structures that mean that it can still work according to those principles. As far as I can tell that’s not true for Labour eg Labour MPs can do what they like so there really isn’t a lot that the party can do until the neoliberal MPs are gone and replaced with ones that want to work with the values.
There is no evidence that the GP made a mistake to become more mainstream. I also don’t think they are ever going to be the left wing saviours that some say they want them to be. if you look at their kaupapa they are positioning themselves outside the traditional left/right divide. Not because they’re actually right wing, but because they’ve long recognised that that dichotomy is not workable within their values. As for making good choices, how interesting that they now are on 11% at a time when so many voters also don’t relate to the left/right divide.
“The Greens made the wrong strategic decision, in other words, by heading straight towards the safe middle of the road mainstream.”
Except they’ve not really done that. Here’s the other difference from Labour. The GP are still largely working from within their values and principles. So while they have gone mainstream on things like presentation and marketing, their policies and ways of working as still not that conventional. You can soundbite the criticism to being about Prius drivers, but in fact the GP members and voters are reasonably broad. I know you want a party that will represent the working classes, but that’s not the GP and never was going to be, despite them having the best policies on offer currently. And the criticism of them for not being a working class party falls flat in an age of MMP.
“btw I believe I am like the vast majority of NZers, who will probably never ever vote Green other than as a one off only protest vote, etc.”
Perhaps, but a far more interesting dynamic to me is why people like yourself won’t vote for them despite you apparently approving of their principles and much of their policy. Like I said, until NZ decides that it wants what the GP has on offer and is willing to put it’s money where it’s mouth is, the GP have pretty narrow options and they all involve becoming more mainstream. Time is running out.
the Greens are a bad cultural fit for me, plus their policies neither give me the benefits of a burn it all and enjoy it now approach, nor a more radical alternative approach which is going to actually deal with the problems we are facing. it’s watered down pretence in other words, just like Labour does, but in a different direction.
Interesting CV. It’s easier for me because while the GP aren’t radical enough for me they’re a pretty easy cultural fit. However that’s not why I vote for them (or anyone) and I think one of the things we have to get past is this idea that political parties are there to serve our personal needs (culturally, via direct benefits etc). I vote pragmatically. At this stage of the game that’s down to Labour or the GP and I’ve made the case elsewhere for why voting Green in 2017 is the better strategic move. It’s not about where I feel comfortable or what suits or matches my politics. It’s about what’s going to do the best good.
Even if the GP do peak at 13%, NZ is still far better off having another Green MP in parliament than another Labour one (or god forbid another National one from people not voting). For all sorts of reasons. That might not match your personal values or agenda or politics (or indeed even mine), but it’s a pretty hard one to argue against (by all means have a go).
it is often the case that the third party vote,or the rejection of incumbents inso far is not on policys but on the electorates having enough of the persistent platitudes.
Woodrow Wilson for example on the New Freedom (1913)
Now this has come about naturally; as we go on we shall see how very naturally. It is no use denouncing anybody, or anything, except human nature. Nevertheless, it is an intolerable thing that the government of the republic should have got so far out of the hands of the people; should have been captured by interests which are special and not general. In the train of this capture follow the troops of scandals, wrongs, indecencies, with which our politics swarm.
There are cities in America of whose government we are ashamed. There are cities everywhere, in every part of the land, in which we feel that, not the interests of the public, but the interests of special privileges, of selfish men, are served; where contracts take precedence over public interest. Not only in big cities is this the case. Have you not noticed the growth of socialistic sentiment in the smaller towns? Not many months ago I stopped at a little town in Nebraska, and while my train lingered I met on the platform a very engaging young fellow dressed in overalls who introduced himself to me as the mayor of the town, and added that he was a Socialist. I said, “What does that mean? Does that mean that this town is socialistic?” “No, sir,” he said; “I have not deceived myself; the vote by which I was elected was about 20 per cent. socialistic and 80 per cent. protest.” It was protest against the treachery to the people of those who led both the other parties of that town.
cf, George W Bush, charismatic as fuck, destroyed by catalcsymic policy failures to the point that his base is spitting on his brothe and he is having to sit on his hands because he can’t, even as a very recent former president who once had record approvak ratings, do anything to help.
Charisma is agreat thing for them to have, but it’s capital. Key doesn’t really spend his, he husbands it. Right wingers like him right now because he is beating the left, not because he is doing any great rw things.
To stay popular he’s been compromising rw policy all to hell: raising benefits, the ridic half arse and economically pretty silly ‘MOM model’, U-turning on mining and RMA;
he isn’t actually getting a lot done structurally, (and yes, I know about the welfare stuff English has been working on, but mush of that can be co-opted by a progressive govt fairly easily by removing the more punitive aspects that are not actually core to the ‘investment’ philosophy of the reforms).
Once he stops beating the left, or gets bored, that’s when the rw will start to assess his record based on policy
For nearly seven hours last week, we were granted a rare level of access. The militant leaders allowed us past the media staging area to roam, without escorts, through the compound—including in buildings the Bundys had kept off-limits to most other press.
But a spot in the prayer circle with Bundy? No dice.
As the mother and kids entered the headquarters, this observer could see Bundy form a circle with five children and two adults and bow his head to pray.
Snatches of conversation could be heard: Bundy explaining his political system, called the five circles of authority, which laid out the power of local and federal governments under the authority of God.
Education is for everyone. We all benefit from having a well-educated population. Even the mega-wealthy, who think that because they can afford to pay for their children’s education everyone else should be able to do the same, need the services of an educated workforce. It is thanks to our public education system that there are people out there who know how to make a trim latte just right, to prune the roses, create the perfect water feature, fly planes and helicopters. Not to mention teachers, nurses, plumbers, electricians, doctors, rubbish collectors, cleaners, care workers.
A world where only the wealthy can access a decent education is not a good place for anyone. Education should have a big sign across it CAPITALISTS KEEP OUT. There is no place for market forces ideology in the education system. Education is purely and simply for the common good. No money needs to change hands.
Free education. No fees, no loans, no debt. Enjoy!
First time I have seen new divinely inspired scripture on the internet. As an atheist, I am now going to have to work out how evolutionary forces caused this to happen.
The issue is whether the cutting of a benefit under those circumstances (and the reinstatement) is discretionary via policy rather than mandated in law. If it’s the latter then WINZ have their hands tied (probably). If it’s the former, then they’re just nasty fucks.
My experience of WINZ is that they’ve always had a proportion of staff who are just plain nasty and punitive irrespective of who was in government. But under Labour the percentage dropped either due to different hiring practices, or more likely, due to those staff needing to hide their nastier inclinations due to a change in culture. Ultimately it shouldn’t matter what the personal feelings of staff are about beneficiaries, the policy directions from management should make it clear what can and should be done.
Given how appalling the Bennett remoulding of WINZ is I’d guess that the pressure on staff is horrible too, so even the good people might be finding it difficult to do the right thing.
May as well use WINZ to administer a UBI. They will also be necessary to manage the supplementary benefits, so the culture and management issues still need to be addressed.
The problem managers exist because of the governments and how they manage the culture. It’s not as straight forward as you suggest. In a UBI system there might be less staff overall, but I’m not sure the % of nasty people would necessarily decrease. Plenty of bigotry of sick people and solo parents still left to go around.
There are a few different ways to answer this question.
If NZ communities found themselves in an economic downturn (as many areas outside the big cities are right now) why not use a UBI to help get money moving through those local economies where it can actually do some good for struggling Kiwis?
Also, a Government spending NZ dollars into the NZ economy doesn’t destroy them or somehow make those NZ dollars disappear. The government will collect up those same dollars very quickly via various taxes.
Thanks CV, makes sense, although it does sound a bit too good to be true for me. It would be good if there was a case study of an economy being bought out of depression in this way and how it faired in the long run.
Good points gsays, I wonder about the FTT as a source of funding though, if things got really bad people wouldn’t be making eftpos transactions – they wouldnt have the money and they’d be much more likely to use the black market and cash.
I thought gsays was talking about a financial transactions tax on trading and financial products. He can correct me if I am wrong, but I always think of Bill Nighy’s explanation when I think of this type of tax:
hi maui and molly,
i was thinking of trading and financial products, as well as wages, purchases etc.
if things are ‘that’ bad then the ‘black’ market will grow.
rather than seen as a bad thing i see it as a positive as we are doing things for each other and being more helpful as opposed to ‘selling our labour’ to an employer who then handles tax on behalf of the state.
good clips molly.
or as either cv or draco often point out, let the state print and issue funds.
Add my voice to this…the man is eighty nine fucking years old….jesus bloody wept…
Eighty nine….
And look…Kaitaia cops not issuing tickets to drivers failing to stop for 3 seconds at a stop sign, or prosecuting some unfortunate bus driver who got stuck in a hole on Ninety Mile…
I am really puzzled by this matter as well, Rosemary Anne and others.
Is NZ Super a benefit, or is it a “right”?
You don’t have to go thru beaurocratic hoops to get it, you just have to be aged 65 and be a NZer, or sufficient years as a resident.
What is more, WINZ has separate office spaces for those on NZ Super, separate from all those on benefits. So NZ Super recipients are treated differently from people on benefits.
If it is a “right” to which all NZers are entitled – presumably WINZ do not need to regard it in the same way as a benefit which does have a penalty if a person on a benefit is arrested.
Has WINZ overstepped the mark on this case? Certainly sounds like it.
Just what I was thinking. I understood that there were sanctions on Jobseeker Allowance recipients and perhaps eve SLP recipients…”if you can do the crime you can bloody well work”…but an eighty nine year old Nat Super recipient?
Selwyn Clarke is an activist from way back…Bastion Point, no less. He was the guy that tossed the table at the Statoil meeting.
Quite often they step outside the ‘accepted’ Maori representation.
I don’t know…and it kinda concerns me as some of us older folk feel we can be a bit more involved now that the kids are grown and at least the super was safe….is there a message being sent, you think?
ok, according to this, whether a benefit is stopped or not on the basis of a warrant is discretionary,
If a person receiving a benefit has an arrest warrant, Work and Income will tell them that their benefit may be reduced or stopped unless it’s cleared or they’ve taken all reasonable steps to clear it.
Yes, Weka – the brochure is clear “a beneficiary” is likely to get their benefit stopped if they are arrested.
BUT – is a NZ superannuitant a “beneficiary” or a “pensioner”?
I would have thought there is a distinct difference between the two, and the 89 year old superannuitant should not have had his super stopped.
This sort of nonsense needs sorting out promptly because like Rosemary says many older people are appalled at what is going on in this country and doing what they can to protest about it ….. and should not lose their super if they transgress the law.
I had a quick look on the WINZ website last night. Superannuation eligibility is dependent on two things: age and residency/citizenship. WINZ have Super listed under main benefits, so yes it looks like it is considered just another benefit.
My previous links are important because they show that this is a policy issue not a legislative one, which means that individual staff can use discretion i.e. they’re not legally obligated to cut a benefit for someone who has an outstanding warrant. Which begs the question of why they chose to in this case.
Bloody good description of the mire that is water in NZ.
Blame is complicated, I wonder if stopping this shameful environmental abuse will be as complicated? Accountants and banks encouraged farmers to convert sheep farms to dairying, local governments have allowed resource consent and water rights, central government allowed and encouraged unsustainable growth. Land is being farmed intensively that never should have been. As a result rows of trees planted by New Zealand’s first farmers have been removed to make way for centre pivots that deliver precious water to the parched soils. Soil erosion results with sedimentation build up making a perfect environment for algae to flourish and river flows are compromised. Some dairy farmers wanted to make a living, and some were driven by greed. Some are doing a fantastic job planting riparian strips, showing best practice animal care and management, and 100% compliance with regional council rules. Others I believe are not, and don’t care.
Is Andrew Little for or against the TPPA? serious question. He waffled this morning on National Radio for six minutes but was unable to answer the question.
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New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their memories and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock I met with a friend for a walk beside Merri Creek, in inner Melbourne. She had lived in the area for a few years, and as we walked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Throsby, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Macquarie University Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and patrons. However, it is frequently overlooked that a major source of support for the arts ...
Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Lili Tokaduadua was only 15 when she left her family in Fiji to pursue her netball dream in New Zealand. She’d been playing the sport for 10 years and was offered a netball scholarship at Auckland’s Howick College. Now, in her first year out of high school, the 19-year-old defender ...
The beloved local grocers lost a legal challenge to stop a new cycleway outside their store. Joel MacManus reports. In the annals of New Zealand legal history, there are a few brave people who have dared to stand up to the powers that be, no matter how bleak the odds ...
How what we produce and what we eat connects us to the world beyond our shores, visualised. Walking around a supermarket or vege shop, it might be obvious that everything on the shelves came from somewhere. But you might ...
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The following interview with auto electrician and former caver Stu Berendt, 68, of Charleston on the West Coast, came about because he was part of the caving team that found the rare and amazing fossil remains of the giant Haast eagle, the subject of one of the year’s best books, ...
A $1.8b funding boost for Pharmac still won’t enable it to buy more drugs, raising questions about the Government’s approach to the agency The post Can Pharmac do more with the same pot of money? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Professor Jemma Geoghegan, of the University of Otago, Otakou Whakaihu Waka, co-leads a Te Niwha project aimed at understanding how and where avian influenza could affect Aotearoa New Zealand, as the highly infectious H5N1 virus spreads globally. The virus has now spread to all continents except Oceania and was recently ...
Thirty years on from Rwanda’s genocide, is guilt over the atrocities is blinding the world to the true nature of its current leadership? The post The repressive underside of Rwanda’s regime appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Last week, important recommendations for our criminal justice system were made by the international community. Every five years, each member of the United Nations has its human rights practices reviewed. This rolling event – the Universal Periodic Review – is the culmination of a government reporting on its human ...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza – H5N1, or bird flu – has been flying around the world since the late 1990s. New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands are so far free of it, but now it’s been discovered in mainland Antarctica and scientists say it’s only a matter of time ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eric Stokan, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County If you live in one of the most economically deprived neighborhoods in your city, you might think the government is directing a smaller share of public funds to your community. ...
Wansolwara The news media’s crucial role in climate change and environment journalism was the focus of The University of the South Pacific’s Journalism Programme 2024 World Press Freedom Day celebrations. The European Union Ambassador to the Pacific, Barbara Plinkert, and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna were the chief ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Adams, Professor of Corporate Law & Academic Director of UNE Sydney campus, University of New England Last August, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched legal proceedings against Qantas. The consumer watchdog accused the airline of selling thousands of tickets ...
This episode of A View From Afar was recorded LIVE on May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, May 5, 2024 at 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Taylor, Assistant Professor, Bond University Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures At the crux of the critical response to Luca Guadagnino’s new movie Challengers is one word: “sexy”. The film charts a love triangle between three up-and-coming tennis players: Tashi (Zendaya), ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Stewart, Professor of Public Policy, ADFA Canberra, UNSW Sydney For years, First Nations people have been telling governments they want to be listened to. In particular, they want more ownership of the programs and services that are supposed to help them. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Why do trees have bark? Julien, age 6, Melbourne. This is a great question, Julien. We are so familiar with bark on trees, that most of us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Nasser, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee. It runs from the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) and helps stabilise ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne I covered the May 2 United Kingdom local government elections for The Poll Bludger. The Blackpool South parliamentary byelection was also held, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanna Grant-Smith, Professor of Management, University of the Sunshine Coast The federal government has announced a “Commonwealth Prac Payment” to support selected groups of students doing mandatory work placements. Those who are studying to be a teacher, nurse, midwife or social ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you love a dark comedy: Bodkin (Netflix, May 9)An English podcaster, an Irish podcaster and American podcaster walk into a pub and…make a TV show? ...
By Eleisha Foon, RNZ Pacific senior journalist A Pacific regionalism academic has called out New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS and says the security deal “raises serious questions for the Pacific region”. Auckland University of Technology academic Dr Marco de Jong ...
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Difficult question:
can policy ever again overcome charisma?
No, the media won’t allow it.
Probably not because the right concentrate on focus group results and the media focus on personalities and not solutions to problems.
The media concentrates on what sells copy or gets website hits
Therefore, personality trumps policy every day of the week.
if Labour ever wants to win, they need to get some one personable up front and for me that person is Stuart Nash.
You don’t actually vote Labour though do you.
No, but I might with some one like Stuart Nash in charge.
Strikes me as sort of guy, you’d enjoy having a beer with.
I’m not sure if that’s an argument for Nash and the Pagani party or an argument against it.
Definitely not the Labour party though.
It means he’d appeal to the middle.
Very important if you ever want to be in charge.
Andrew Little, nice guy, probably very intelligent, but a leader, 40 years ago yep, modern day not a chance.
Yes, I know what it means. It means that if he were leader of Labour it’d be fucked and if he were leader of the Pagani party he’d just replace Dunne and Peters as holding the country to ransom.
No, it means Labour may actually have a chance of winning.
He wouldn’t be Peters or Dunne, he’d be Key.
With Nash in charge I’d bet my balls Labour would be late 30% , maybe even 40% poll wise within a year of him becoming leader.
Labour under Nash might win the election but it would be the end of Labour.
You are not the middle though BM. And I cannot think of a more damning indictment of Nash than the one that you just presented.
Sure he could not solve the world’s problems but he was good to have a beer with.
I have a former Australian brother in law I could say the same thing about. I would not trust him with the keys to the nation.
I can’t stand the suspense.
Is he a former Australian or is he a former brother-in law?
Feck the latter …
It’s not his job to solve world problems.
It’s his job to make NZ better for New Zealander not intellectually wank all over the world stage.
“And I cannot think of a more damning indictment of Nash than the one that you just presented.”
Precisely. BM, you’re basically proposing that Labour become a right wing party and while I’m sure that would suit you it’s not actually what Labour voters want. Or members. Remember the last couple of leadership votes?
I’m saying Labour needs to be initially a center party.
You can’t start right and then end up left straight away, you need to start from the middle first.
Labour is already a centre party. You are suggesting that it moves right so that it can be Nact Lite. Do you really expect anyone here to take that suggestion seriously?
– BM
And that folks is the start and finish of the way a John Key voter thinks.
Very shallow?
I take it you aren’t a great fan of Barack Obama these days?
How would any of us know unless we got to have a beer with him?
Dumb question.
hoppy, but not much head…
Thank you for explaining, in clear and concise terms, why journalism shouldn’t be done by for profit corporations.
I’m presuming you are referring to the conundrum the left appear to be in in how to defeat Key/Nats.
Personally I don’t think the left will gain the government benches until they achieve the following:
1 Crave competence in their MP’s above all else. Forget filling quotas etc. elect people who have a proven track record of achieving in their particular field of expertise. i would add to this – divest MP’s who’s only achievement in life has been to work the political system in order to attain the Parliamentary Gravy Train.
2 Competent Leadership. No one would accuse of Helen Clark of overflowing with charisma however she got elected 3 times on the back of a perceived ability to get things done. She had the ability (as does Key) that she could answer questions about most Government portfolios even if she wasn’t the relevant Minister.
( I cringe when I think of Goff and Cunliffe struggling to answer questions about various portfolios during election campaigns)
I believe the Parliamentary Leader needs to be a Jack of All Trades and have the ability to herd a Caucus of Egos in a somewhat unified direction.
3 Dead wood clearing. I know the right has harped on about this since 2008. Labour has never been able to tell the likes of Goff, Mallard, and King to take a hike. It is like they hang on to their Parliamentary jobs with a death grip – this is suffocating Labour.
4 Policy. Obviously I am not the one to tell Labour what policies to put up but I suggest that they need to be relevant to 2016 NZ not harking back to a yesteryear which is gone forever. I suggest that the voting public have a 5 second attention span towards a policy point – in that 5 seconds they decide if they like it or not. Once they make up their minds – tis very hard to change them.
Key – Little
Corbyn – Cameron
Trudeau – other guy
Trump – Hillary
Blair – Corgi guy
Etc
1. work the political system in order to attain the Parliamentary Gravy Train. Sounds like good advice until you consider the rank hypocrisy – cf: Blabbermouth Lusk’s insights into the National Party’s “lucrative business careers”.
As for the “merit” argument it’s flawed: whatever your opinion of the Greens you can’t fault their talent pool: clearly quota are not the problem.
3. An inevitable artifact of FPP. Who can tell whether it is a bad thing or a good thing?
4. a yesteryear which is gone forever. This isn’t the first time financial and labour markets have been
liberalisedmunted by faith-based incompetence and greed. Who’s trying to turn the clock back again? I can see few reasons why the solution this time won’t borrow some ideas from the past.You are right, competence isn’t the issue for the Greens.
The Greens have softed out in order to gain the comfortable middle class Prius/Volt aspiring voter.
The 1970s Values Party were far harder core on their principles despite the world being in a far more disastrous shape today.
If the GP had stuck to the expression of the values of the Values Party, they probably wouldn’t even be in parliament. NZ had it’s chance to vote for the GP when it was more radical and it didn’t. Or are you suggesting that it would be better if the GP were still on 5%?
I’ve said this to you before – much of the Values Party ethics and principles are still there in the GP charter etc. When NZ is ready for those things, they ready and waiting. I’m guessing you’ve never voted for them.
Much of the original Labour Party ethics and founding principles are still in their constitution and other documents.
Need I say more.
Sadly, the Green Party wasn’t willing to wait for the times to catch up to where they were at 15 years ago. All around the world today, voters are voting in droves for the “radical” option (sometimes left wing, sometimes right wing).
The Greens made the wrong strategic decision, in other words, by heading straight towards the safe middle of the road mainstream.
Hmmm.
It sounds like you’re really getting keen on joining the Greens, CV.
lol just saw below – snap 🙂
“Need I say more.”
I think so. The two very obvious differences between the LP and the GP are that the GP don’t have an entrenched stand off between the neoliberals and lefties (nor the history that Labour has with the electorate). The other is that the GP has a different set of structures that mean that it can still work according to those principles. As far as I can tell that’s not true for Labour eg Labour MPs can do what they like so there really isn’t a lot that the party can do until the neoliberal MPs are gone and replaced with ones that want to work with the values.
There is no evidence that the GP made a mistake to become more mainstream. I also don’t think they are ever going to be the left wing saviours that some say they want them to be. if you look at their kaupapa they are positioning themselves outside the traditional left/right divide. Not because they’re actually right wing, but because they’ve long recognised that that dichotomy is not workable within their values. As for making good choices, how interesting that they now are on 11% at a time when so many voters also don’t relate to the left/right divide.
“The Greens made the wrong strategic decision, in other words, by heading straight towards the safe middle of the road mainstream.”
Except they’ve not really done that. Here’s the other difference from Labour. The GP are still largely working from within their values and principles. So while they have gone mainstream on things like presentation and marketing, their policies and ways of working as still not that conventional. You can soundbite the criticism to being about Prius drivers, but in fact the GP members and voters are reasonably broad. I know you want a party that will represent the working classes, but that’s not the GP and never was going to be, despite them having the best policies on offer currently. And the criticism of them for not being a working class party falls flat in an age of MMP.
“btw I believe I am like the vast majority of NZers, who will probably never ever vote Green other than as a one off only protest vote, etc.”
Perhaps, but a far more interesting dynamic to me is why people like yourself won’t vote for them despite you apparently approving of their principles and much of their policy. Like I said, until NZ decides that it wants what the GP has on offer and is willing to put it’s money where it’s mouth is, the GP have pretty narrow options and they all involve becoming more mainstream. Time is running out.
the Greens are a bad cultural fit for me, plus their policies neither give me the benefits of a burn it all and enjoy it now approach, nor a more radical alternative approach which is going to actually deal with the problems we are facing. it’s watered down pretence in other words, just like Labour does, but in a different direction.
+1
Interesting CV. It’s easier for me because while the GP aren’t radical enough for me they’re a pretty easy cultural fit. However that’s not why I vote for them (or anyone) and I think one of the things we have to get past is this idea that political parties are there to serve our personal needs (culturally, via direct benefits etc). I vote pragmatically. At this stage of the game that’s down to Labour or the GP and I’ve made the case elsewhere for why voting Green in 2017 is the better strategic move. It’s not about where I feel comfortable or what suits or matches my politics. It’s about what’s going to do the best good.
Even if the GP do peak at 13%, NZ is still far better off having another Green MP in parliament than another Labour one (or god forbid another National one from people not voting). For all sorts of reasons. That might not match your personal values or agenda or politics (or indeed even mine), but it’s a pretty hard one to argue against (by all means have a go).
btw i reckon the Greens will hit a max of 13% next election, and probably not even get that. Totally plateau’d out.
btw I believe I am like the vast majority of NZers, who will probably never ever vote Green other than as a one off only protest vote, etc.
it is often the case that the third party vote,or the rejection of incumbents inso far is not on policys but on the electorates having enough of the persistent platitudes.
Woodrow Wilson for example on the New Freedom (1913)
Now this has come about naturally; as we go on we shall see how very naturally. It is no use denouncing anybody, or anything, except human nature. Nevertheless, it is an intolerable thing that the government of the republic should have got so far out of the hands of the people; should have been captured by interests which are special and not general. In the train of this capture follow the troops of scandals, wrongs, indecencies, with which our politics swarm.
There are cities in America of whose government we are ashamed. There are cities everywhere, in every part of the land, in which we feel that, not the interests of the public, but the interests of special privileges, of selfish men, are served; where contracts take precedence over public interest. Not only in big cities is this the case. Have you not noticed the growth of socialistic sentiment in the smaller towns? Not many months ago I stopped at a little town in Nebraska, and while my train lingered I met on the platform a very engaging young fellow dressed in overalls who introduced himself to me as the mayor of the town, and added that he was a Socialist. I said, “What does that mean? Does that mean that this town is socialistic?” “No, sir,” he said; “I have not deceived myself; the vote by which I was elected was about 20 per cent. socialistic and 80 per cent. protest.” It was protest against the treachery to the people of those who led both the other parties of that town.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14811/14811-h/14811-h.htm
It’s not binary eh, but yeah it can.
cf, George W Bush, charismatic as fuck, destroyed by catalcsymic policy failures to the point that his base is spitting on his brothe and he is having to sit on his hands because he can’t, even as a very recent former president who once had record approvak ratings, do anything to help.
Charisma is agreat thing for them to have, but it’s capital. Key doesn’t really spend his, he husbands it. Right wingers like him right now because he is beating the left, not because he is doing any great rw things.
To stay popular he’s been compromising rw policy all to hell: raising benefits, the ridic half arse and economically pretty silly ‘MOM model’, U-turning on mining and RMA;
he isn’t actually getting a lot done structurally, (and yes, I know about the welfare stuff English has been working on, but mush of that can be co-opted by a progressive govt fairly easily by removing the more punitive aspects that are not actually core to the ‘investment’ philosophy of the reforms).
Once he stops beating the left, or gets bored, that’s when the rw will start to assess his record based on policy
I hope you’re right.
I think your analysis is a bit out.
The truly right wing/neoliberal set don’t really like the John Key/Bill English combination; they are simply tolerated.
Bionic arm
Nice! Got me thinking of the Tyrell Corporation. I’m funny like that.
‘Y’all Qaeda’ and the Mormon connection.
For nearly seven hours last week, we were granted a rare level of access. The militant leaders allowed us past the media staging area to roam, without escorts, through the compound—including in buildings the Bundys had kept off-limits to most other press.
But a spot in the prayer circle with Bundy? No dice.
As the mother and kids entered the headquarters, this observer could see Bundy form a circle with five children and two adults and bow his head to pray.
Snatches of conversation could be heard: Bundy explaining his political system, called the five circles of authority, which laid out the power of local and federal governments under the authority of God.
http://www.wweek.com/2016/01/13/bundyland/
How about the feds just build a wall around them? And make them pay for it.
Simple truth.
First time I have seen new divinely inspired scripture on the internet. As an atheist, I am now going to have to work out how evolutionary forces caused this to happen.
Ah, hate it when I do that 😳 : Free Education
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/294915/maori-veteran's-pension-cut-off
national the party that screws war vets , heartless fuckers.
I’m speechless – almost. But also, what does it say about the “Ministry of Social Development”?
The issue is whether the cutting of a benefit under those circumstances (and the reinstatement) is discretionary via policy rather than mandated in law. If it’s the latter then WINZ have their hands tied (probably). If it’s the former, then they’re just nasty fucks.
If it’s the former, then they’re just nasty fucks.
And racist too.
If the government employs nasty fucks that’s on the government. The Minister’s personal responsibility.
I expect Labour did it too. /sarc
My experience of WINZ is that they’ve always had a proportion of staff who are just plain nasty and punitive irrespective of who was in government. But under Labour the percentage dropped either due to different hiring practices, or more likely, due to those staff needing to hide their nastier inclinations due to a change in culture. Ultimately it shouldn’t matter what the personal feelings of staff are about beneficiaries, the policy directions from management should make it clear what can and should be done.
Given how appalling the Bennett remoulding of WINZ is I’d guess that the pressure on staff is horrible too, so even the good people might be finding it difficult to do the right thing.
Go to a UBI and get rid of 95% of “WINZ”
May as well use WINZ to administer a UBI. They will also be necessary to manage the supplementary benefits, so the culture and management issues still need to be addressed.
Indeed, but you can jettison most of WINZ, including the problem managers/supervisors.
The problem managers exist because of the governments and how they manage the culture. It’s not as straight forward as you suggest. In a UBI system there might be less staff overall, but I’m not sure the % of nasty people would necessarily decrease. Plenty of bigotry of sick people and solo parents still left to go around.
The UBI is very appealing, but what say NZ hit the economic doldrums, would a Government still be able to fund it?
Hi maui,
There are a few different ways to answer this question.
If NZ communities found themselves in an economic downturn (as many areas outside the big cities are right now) why not use a UBI to help get money moving through those local economies where it can actually do some good for struggling Kiwis?
Also, a Government spending NZ dollars into the NZ economy doesn’t destroy them or somehow make those NZ dollars disappear. The government will collect up those same dollars very quickly via various taxes.
Thanks CV, makes sense, although it does sound a bit too good to be true for me. It would be good if there was a case study of an economy being bought out of depression in this way and how it faired in the long run.
A government can always fund that which is produced by the countries resources.
hi maui
re affording a ubi two things:
the scf bailout, money was found in quick smart time.
a financial transaction tax, .1% on every $ that changes hands.
gets rid of gst and income tax and brings in all that speculation activity.
Good points gsays, I wonder about the FTT as a source of funding though, if things got really bad people wouldn’t be making eftpos transactions – they wouldnt have the money and they’d be much more likely to use the black market and cash.
I thought gsays was talking about a financial transactions tax on trading and financial products. He can correct me if I am wrong, but I always think of Bill Nighy’s explanation when I think of this type of tax:
I let the Youtube run in the background and a follow-up item came up which I had not seen before:
hi maui and molly,
i was thinking of trading and financial products, as well as wages, purchases etc.
if things are ‘that’ bad then the ‘black’ market will grow.
rather than seen as a bad thing i see it as a positive as we are doing things for each other and being more helpful as opposed to ‘selling our labour’ to an employer who then handles tax on behalf of the state.
good clips molly.
or as either cv or draco often point out, let the state print and issue funds.
Your riight the winz workers hands are tied ,but what a commentary that story is on how nz is becoming a cold heartless place to live.
As it turns out, WINZ workers’ hands aren’t tied in this case, they had discretion they just used to wrongly. Part of the cold heartlessness 🙁
Add my voice to this…the man is eighty nine fucking years old….jesus bloody wept…
Eighty nine….
And look…Kaitaia cops not issuing tickets to drivers failing to stop for 3 seconds at a stop sign, or prosecuting some unfortunate bus driver who got stuck in a hole on Ninety Mile…
https://www.maoritelevision.com/news/regional/huge-support-pensionless-maori-battalion-veteran
I am really puzzled by this matter as well, Rosemary Anne and others.
Is NZ Super a benefit, or is it a “right”?
You don’t have to go thru beaurocratic hoops to get it, you just have to be aged 65 and be a NZer, or sufficient years as a resident.
What is more, WINZ has separate office spaces for those on NZ Super, separate from all those on benefits. So NZ Super recipients are treated differently from people on benefits.
If it is a “right” to which all NZers are entitled – presumably WINZ do not need to regard it in the same way as a benefit which does have a penalty if a person on a benefit is arrested.
Has WINZ overstepped the mark on this case? Certainly sounds like it.
Just what I was thinking. I understood that there were sanctions on Jobseeker Allowance recipients and perhaps eve SLP recipients…”if you can do the crime you can bloody well work”…but an eighty nine year old Nat Super recipient?
Selwyn Clarke is an activist from way back…Bastion Point, no less. He was the guy that tossed the table at the Statoil meeting.
And Sam Kuha http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11078184
remember?
They have some staunch kaumatua in the Far North.
Quite often they step outside the ‘accepted’ Maori representation.
I don’t know…and it kinda concerns me as some of us older folk feel we can be a bit more involved now that the kids are grown and at least the super was safe….is there a message being sent, you think?
That’s a bloody good point Jenny. Are we about to find out that Super is not an entitlement but is instead discretionary?
ok, according to this, whether a benefit is stopped or not on the basis of a warrant is discretionary,
If a person receiving a benefit has an arrest warrant, Work and Income will tell them that their benefit may be reduced or stopped unless it’s cleared or they’ve taken all reasonable steps to clear it.
http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/documents/brochures/welfare-reform-changes-overview-july-2013.pdf
and this,
http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/individuals/brochures/warrants-to-arrest.html
Yes, Weka – the brochure is clear “a beneficiary” is likely to get their benefit stopped if they are arrested.
BUT – is a NZ superannuitant a “beneficiary” or a “pensioner”?
I would have thought there is a distinct difference between the two, and the 89 year old superannuitant should not have had his super stopped.
This sort of nonsense needs sorting out promptly because like Rosemary says many older people are appalled at what is going on in this country and doing what they can to protest about it ….. and should not lose their super if they transgress the law.
I had a quick look on the WINZ website last night. Superannuation eligibility is dependent on two things: age and residency/citizenship. WINZ have Super listed under main benefits, so yes it looks like it is considered just another benefit.
http://www.workandincome.govt.nz/map/income-support/main-benefits/new-zealand-superannuation/qualifications.html
My previous links are important because they show that this is a policy issue not a legislative one, which means that individual staff can use discretion i.e. they’re not legally obligated to cut a benefit for someone who has an outstanding warrant. Which begs the question of why they chose to in this case.
It’s basically National making sure that anyone who stands up to them can have everything taken away from them.
Bloody good description of the mire that is water in NZ.
More at https://www.facebook.com/choosecleanwaternz/posts/1690903644528249
Is Andrew Little for or against the TPPA? serious question. He waffled this morning on National Radio for six minutes but was unable to answer the question.