Raging at Metiria is not about the fraud; it’s that she sided with the lepers.
Excerpts.
‘In case you missed it, at the Greens annual conference in mid-July, Metiria fronted the launch of an impressive welfare policy, Mending the Safety Net. During that launch, she used an anecdote from 25 years ago to personalise the policy; when she was solo mum she didn’t tell Work and Income that she had flatmates so that she could retain the accommodation supplement.
It was a calculated risk, a chance to capture the news cycle, and if the last two weeks are anything to go by, it paid dividends. Every day there has been hand wringing and righteous anger from National and their proxies, sympathy from the Greens’ friends and the hashtags #IamMetiria and latterly #LeftwithEnough were an offensive defense of Metiria that dominated social media.
The attacks have been inevitably led by white and wealthy men who have stated that it is the crime of benefit fraud and should be prosecuted forthwith. It’s been a pile-on really: Barry Soper‘s written a self-congratulatory series of masturbatory metaphors; Martin Van Beynen claimed to not want to judge but then did; John Armstrong writes like he is the id of the Baby Boomers generation; Patrick Gower‘s heart is bleeding so much for the NZ taxpayer I’m surprised he’s still breathing. The coverage has been overwhelmingly critical, not because of the crime, but because Metiria’s attitude is an attack on the comfortable narrative of the past quarter of a century.’
Read the whole article here.
It is brilliant. I would love to see a whole thread on it.
This article by Steve Cowan is also superb reading on the Metiria witchhunt.
Two excerpts.
‘Nearly a fortnight after she revealed she had fiddled the welfare some two decades ago in order to survive and look after her new baby, Metiria Turei continues to find herself the target of a sustained attack from the corporate media.
They have continued a campaign to bury the Green’s progressive welfare policy under a mountain of criticism directed at the Green Party co-leader. Turei might want to have a national conversation on reforming the welfare system, but the corporate media don’t.
Turei’s real crime, which she has rapidly found out, is that she has failed to uphold the political status quo of which she is deemed to be a representative. She has bitten the hand that feeds her and she must be made an example of.
Helping to make an example of her have been various well-heeled members of The Commentariat, bravely standing up for the interests of the political establishment. These has included Tracy Watkins (Dominion), Larry Williams (Newstalk ZB), Duncan Garner (TV3), Mike Hosking (TVNZ and Newstalk ZB), Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB), John Armstrong (former NZ Herald columnist, now writing for TVNZ’s news website), Mark Richardson (TV3) Patrick Gower (TV3), Chris Lynch (Newstalk ZB) and Martin van Beynen (The Press).’
Like the Kraken, the Great Metiria Benefit Scandal has woken from its 25 year slumber and is spreading panic and outrage across the nation. As I argued in this column yesterday, the main point of her personal revelation was to highlight
(a) the inadequacy of the current benefit levels and
(b) the counter-efficient nature of a punitive response by WINZ to minor infringements of its rules on benefit entitlement. None of which seems to have got much traction, with the media anyway. To the outraged, it doesn’t seem to matter that Turei wasn’t advocating people breaking the rules. She was advising against over-reacting if and when a few poor people bend the rules, to make ends meet.
Call me irresponsible, but it is a bit galling that some people feel OK about chastising Turei even while they hold their hands out for tax cuts that will benefit them more, proportionately, than the people that Turei is trying to defend. It seems New Zealanders must be more morally pure than I’d suspected. Plainly no-one, but no-one in living memory has ever done work and taken payment under the table without paying tax on it. Because that’s the working poor version of what Turei did long ago, and it’s comforting to know that no-one has ever worked in the black economy, which evidently doesn’t exist. Oh, and its also great to know that no business in this country has ever arranged its finances to ensure that its taxable earnings top out just below the point at which the highest tax rate kicks in. Because that’s the corporate version of the heinous sin that Turei committed. Good to know that sort of thing also never happens, right?
Apparently, Turei is now to be investigated about what she did back in the early 1990s. Of course, rules are rules. That’s the same mentality that used to condone hanging people for stealing a loaf of bread.’
“it doesn’t seem to matter that Turei wasn’t advocating people breaking the rules.”
Maybe the original intent is as you say. She has since advocated breaking the law (rules) by defending a person she knows for defrauding the system.
Paying cash is not a crime eddy, the trader not declaring income to IRD is, if caught by what ever means including declaring you are a fraudster you will be dealt with, this line you run ie he with out sin throw the first stone is so fkn lame and intellectually weak, basically giving every one a pass card for anything, you need To do better than this sunshine, hit the web I am sure you can find a YouTube link somewhere to educate us all with
Psych nurse.
Not hoping for what you express but the ” Vote for Labour is a vote for the Greens” will strengthen and further diminish the Labour party vote.
Labour seems helpless to the Green’s onslaught.
MoU togetherness my arse.
“Greens are going to be sitting outside WINZ offices with enrollment forms!.”
The Green Party’s current lot of MPs will probably be doing precisely that on 25 September.
With the kickback from the public against MT the party vote could easily drop below the 5% figure and they will all be out of a job. I’m quite sure that the Greens will retain the votes of the people who approve of her sense of entitlement. They may not like the fact that it is not a very large number.
They are probably going to lose the bulk of their vote which comes from people who actually thought they were a party that was interested in conservation though.
So I don’t care if people think this is a vote grab. Every politician right now is trying to grab my vote. Metiria Turei is the only one with enough balls to deserve it.
The Green vote is going up because of their honesty especially when compared with the dishonesty of National and its support parties.
[4 month ban for misogyny and class bigotry. It would have been less but there’s no point in having people with no respect and intent on harm coming back close to the election. It’s not a free for all here. Here’s what the Policy says,
We encourage robust debate and we’re tolerant of dissenting views. But this site run for reasonably rational debate between dissenting viewpoints and we intend to keep it operating that way.
What we’re not prepared to accept are pointless personal attacks, or tone or language that has the effect of excluding others. We are intolerant of people starting or continuing flamewars where there is little discussion or debate. – weka]
I’ll have a read of Steve Cowan’s post shortly, but I’ve been thinking of doing a post of the positive coverage. If you have examples, especially from the MSM, please put in a comment below.
Might have to alert people to that stream tomorrow. From a piece linked to from the main linked piece (that I’m still reading)…
A 1994 HNZ report showed that state tenants had seen an increase of 54 percent in total rents in one year alone, while social welfare statistics for the same year revealed a ten-fold increase in those receiving the accommodation supplement. Again in 1994, the Ministry of Housing found between 20,000 and 30,000 households in “serious” housing need, with half of this total living in either inadequate conditions or paying more than half the household income in rent.
I recall (but cannot find the the source at the moment) that as the rents started rising, people were forced to abandon their housing and share houses on the Porirua estate. Richardson apparently observed the increasing rate of unoccupied public housing as being indicative of the people finding better commercially-available accommodation as a result of forcing market rates onto the public housing. It was an incredible observation in the true sense of the word.
Long story – but I missed it. I’ve just jumped and flicked trough it quickly on ‘replay’ and he seems to fairly accessible. From the snippets I’ve watched, it sounds like he’s essentially promoting a Keynesian view of economics.
Anyway. I’ll spend some time on it and see if I can nut it down to a post that’s easily understood.
Ed posted this link up post a bit but what I want to address is OT for that thread. Specifically, I want to address this bit:
Very occasionally, the policy persistence bears fruit. Charter schools may be a shameless taxpayer rort that can’t be justified by their educational outcomes here, or anywhere else in the world. Yet during this past week, Labour has capitulated to endorsing them – mainly to keep Kelvin Davis and Willie Jackson on board – provided there is some cosmetic change to the name, and so long as the new cosmetic name (special character schools) is different from the old cosmetic name (partnership schools) that National has already given them. Heroically, only Act continues to call them what they are: charter schools.
And that’s why Labour keep losing. They keep endorsing the failed policies of neo-liberalism.
If you really, really, want to change government this election, vote Green. Nothing less will do.
1. Special character schools already exist in NZ. These are included in Integrated Schools.
State-integrated schools are former private schools that have become integrated into the state system. The Ministry provides funding to integrated schools to build new property and maintain existing integrated property.
A state integrated school establishes a partnership with the Crown by way of a Deed of Integration in which the special character of the school is clearly defined and articulated. The articulation of special character will shape the school’s curriculum, enrolments, staffing processes and culture.
Types of special character include – Seventh-day Adventist, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Jewish, Muslim, Steiner, Montessori and non denominational Christian.
If these schools are actually doing ok, then it wouldn’t be too difficult to change them into State-integrated schools, under the existing rules for state-integrated schools and allowing them to retain their Special Character.
3. The other option is for them to be entirely run by the State but allowed to retain
a special character.
Becoming a section 156 designated character school
A designated character school is established under section 156 of the Education Act 1989 (the Act). It is a state school that has a particular character which sets it apart from ordinary state schools and kura kaupapa Māori. The only students who may enrol at a designated character school are those whose parents accept the particular character of the school.
A designated character school may be established as a new school or it may change from being a mainstream school or a section 155 kura kaupapa Māori, to being one with a designated special character.
Yeah, but those integrated schools are all cheating. When they were first integrated, it was on the terms that they had to conform with state schools regarding staffing ratios. For a while that held. But then during the late 90s integrated schools were allowed a little more ‘freedom’ in how they spent their state money combined with the high fees they charged the parents.
State school staffing ratios are no longer enforced upon integrated schools, and these integrated schools now benefit from smaller class sizes.
I know – I taught in an integrated school in the early 2000s, and saw the discrepancy in class sizes compared to the state school I had been in.
This stinks, and I am pleased to see that you oppose Charter Schools, but please don’t set up integrated schools as any kind of ideal. They are not.
Totally agree with you, Tautoko – including the bit about being opposed to Charter Schools. But there’s no getting around the fact that NZ has had special character schools for decades, and Labour said – right from the beginning when these charter schools were set up that (a) Labour doesn’t agree with them but (b) if they still exist when Labour comes into government, then they could be converted to special character schools.
Its just that this is the first time the media has actually picked up on something Labour said ages ago. And now people are making a big fuss about it.
Maybe, and well I know it’s a long shot at this late date. But maybe if labour didn’t have a cupboard full of ideological hogwash. Then the media wouldn’t have anything to pick up on?
Just a suggestion, but maybe labour might give the voting public credit, and realize people don’t like the radical liberalism bullshit sandwich that labour are offering them.
I think there is more to this than meets the eye – ask yourselves seriously why Maori have embraced this policy. Is it all about neo-liberalism or is there another, more fundamental reason why charter schools are seen as a positive by te ao Maori. It is just possible that Labour are genuinely listening. Think Tino Rangatiratanga
Gutsy woman
Metiria Turei has spoken for every mother struggling in adverse circumstances, every father who, for reasons of ill health or redundancy, has found himself out of work, every actor, musician and artist trying to survive between jobs, every worker and professional who, when they have needed the support of the state, has had to endure the humiliation of demeaning courses on budgeting and CV writing, assertions that their profession isn’t “real work”, and the accusations, insults, suspicion, snobbery and self-righteous rudeness that is the trademark of Winz officers whenever National are in government.
She has stood up to smug media moralists, the condemnations of millionaire ministers of the crown, the ugly mean spiritedness which has become part of the New Zealand character and a system that has much greater theft built into it by way of low wages, widespread job insecurity and the ability of the rich to get even richer without lifting a finger for it, off the backs of the rest of us.
She is one gutsy women so, for the first time in my near 60 years, come September I have decided to vote Green.
Aquifers supplying Christchurch’s pure drinking water may become contaminated with nitrates from intensive agriculture, research suggests.
The concerns have emerged from recent scientific work by Environment Canterbury (ECan), which shows deep groundwater from the Waimakariri district could be flowing towards Christchurch.
It is the first time ECan’s modelling has showed that is a possibility.
Now, who saw that coming?
Oh, that’s right, all of us. We just have a government in denial of the damage that farming does.
I find myself completely agreeing with Chris Trotter for a change.
I think he is right, a section of the NZ middle white class are going use their vote as a ‘lash’.
I think a large section of the middle class, as proven by many of the hard right commentators here, are ideological purist who can not handle being challenged. A collection who can’t face the fact, that their words, and their deeds, do not mesh up.
This is not a society that gives people a fair go – almost the exact opposite.
You know the answer it won’t, it just moving the deck chairs between green and labour and ensuring no new deck chairs from the Center, in contrast more will move to national led coalition as seen as the only center government choice, oh wait the missing million.and Verity ( sarcasm)
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The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
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Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
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. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara Solomon Islands’ incumbent prime minister Manasseh Sogavare has been re-elected in the East Choiseul constituency. It is the opening move in the political chess match to form the country’s next government. Returning officer Christopher Makoni made the declaration late last night after ...
Headline: The moment of friction. – 36th Parallel Assessments In strategic studies “friction” is a term that it is used to describe the moment when military action encounters adversary resistance. “Friction” is one of four (along with an unofficial fifth) “F’s” in military strategy, which includes force (kinetic mass), ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Brilliant article about Metiria….
Raging at Metiria is not about the fraud; it’s that she sided with the lepers.
Excerpts.
‘In case you missed it, at the Greens annual conference in mid-July, Metiria fronted the launch of an impressive welfare policy, Mending the Safety Net. During that launch, she used an anecdote from 25 years ago to personalise the policy; when she was solo mum she didn’t tell Work and Income that she had flatmates so that she could retain the accommodation supplement.
It was a calculated risk, a chance to capture the news cycle, and if the last two weeks are anything to go by, it paid dividends. Every day there has been hand wringing and righteous anger from National and their proxies, sympathy from the Greens’ friends and the hashtags #IamMetiria and latterly #LeftwithEnough were an offensive defense of Metiria that dominated social media.
The attacks have been inevitably led by white and wealthy men who have stated that it is the crime of benefit fraud and should be prosecuted forthwith. It’s been a pile-on really: Barry Soper‘s written a self-congratulatory series of masturbatory metaphors; Martin Van Beynen claimed to not want to judge but then did; John Armstrong writes like he is the id of the Baby Boomers generation; Patrick Gower‘s heart is bleeding so much for the NZ taxpayer I’m surprised he’s still breathing. The coverage has been overwhelmingly critical, not because of the crime, but because Metiria’s attitude is an attack on the comfortable narrative of the past quarter of a century.’
Read the whole article here.
It is brilliant. I would love to see a whole thread on it.
https://firstwetakemanhattan.org/2017/07/26/raging-at-metiria-is-not-about-the-fraud-its-that-she-sided-with-the-lepers/
This article by Steve Cowan is also superb reading on the Metiria witchhunt.
Two excerpts.
‘Nearly a fortnight after she revealed she had fiddled the welfare some two decades ago in order to survive and look after her new baby, Metiria Turei continues to find herself the target of a sustained attack from the corporate media.
They have continued a campaign to bury the Green’s progressive welfare policy under a mountain of criticism directed at the Green Party co-leader. Turei might want to have a national conversation on reforming the welfare system, but the corporate media don’t.
Turei’s real crime, which she has rapidly found out, is that she has failed to uphold the political status quo of which she is deemed to be a representative. She has bitten the hand that feeds her and she must be made an example of.
Helping to make an example of her have been various well-heeled members of The Commentariat, bravely standing up for the interests of the political establishment. These has included Tracy Watkins (Dominion), Larry Williams (Newstalk ZB), Duncan Garner (TV3), Mike Hosking (TVNZ and Newstalk ZB), Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB), John Armstrong (former NZ Herald columnist, now writing for TVNZ’s news website), Mark Richardson (TV3) Patrick Gower (TV3), Chris Lynch (Newstalk ZB) and Martin van Beynen (The Press).’
Read the whole article here.
http://nzagainstthecurrent.blogspot.co.nz/2017/07/media-attacks-on-metiria-turei-continue.html
It is excellent.
Don’t you just hope the Greens are going to be sitting outside WINZ offices with enrollment forms!.
You’ll read a lot more sense here than in the rancid words of Soper and the other cronies.
https://twitter.com/hashtag/IAmMetiria?src=hash&lang=en
And Gordon Campbell om Scoop…
‘The horror, the horror…
Like the Kraken, the Great Metiria Benefit Scandal has woken from its 25 year slumber and is spreading panic and outrage across the nation. As I argued in this column yesterday, the main point of her personal revelation was to highlight
(a) the inadequacy of the current benefit levels and
(b) the counter-efficient nature of a punitive response by WINZ to minor infringements of its rules on benefit entitlement. None of which seems to have got much traction, with the media anyway. To the outraged, it doesn’t seem to matter that Turei wasn’t advocating people breaking the rules. She was advising against over-reacting if and when a few poor people bend the rules, to make ends meet.
Call me irresponsible, but it is a bit galling that some people feel OK about chastising Turei even while they hold their hands out for tax cuts that will benefit them more, proportionately, than the people that Turei is trying to defend. It seems New Zealanders must be more morally pure than I’d suspected. Plainly no-one, but no-one in living memory has ever done work and taken payment under the table without paying tax on it. Because that’s the working poor version of what Turei did long ago, and it’s comforting to know that no-one has ever worked in the black economy, which evidently doesn’t exist. Oh, and its also great to know that no business in this country has ever arranged its finances to ensure that its taxable earnings top out just below the point at which the highest tax rate kicks in. Because that’s the corporate version of the heinous sin that Turei committed. Good to know that sort of thing also never happens, right?
Apparently, Turei is now to be investigated about what she did back in the early 1990s. Of course, rules are rules. That’s the same mentality that used to condone hanging people for stealing a loaf of bread.’
http://werewolf.co.nz/2017/07/gordon-campbell-on-act-the-centre-rights-perennial-ugly-duckling/
“it doesn’t seem to matter that Turei wasn’t advocating people breaking the rules.”
Maybe the original intent is as you say. She has since advocated breaking the law (rules) by defending a person she knows for defrauding the system.
Nelson Mandela advocated breaking the law.
Mahatma Gandhi advocated breaking the law.
In history bad laws great broken.
The alternative is the 14th July.
And, as you appear to be another ready to cast stones, I do hope you are without sin.
Ever paid for a cash job?
Paying cash is not a crime eddy, the trader not declaring income to IRD is, if caught by what ever means including declaring you are a fraudster you will be dealt with, this line you run ie he with out sin throw the first stone is so fkn lame and intellectually weak, basically giving every one a pass card for anything, you need To do better than this sunshine, hit the web I am sure you can find a YouTube link somewhere to educate us all with
Psych nurse.
Not hoping for what you express but the ” Vote for Labour is a vote for the Greens” will strengthen and further diminish the Labour party vote.
Labour seems helpless to the Green’s onslaught.
MoU togetherness my arse.
“Greens are going to be sitting outside WINZ offices with enrollment forms!.”
The Green Party’s current lot of MPs will probably be doing precisely that on 25 September.
With the kickback from the public against MT the party vote could easily drop below the 5% figure and they will all be out of a job. I’m quite sure that the Greens will retain the votes of the people who approve of her sense of entitlement. They may not like the fact that it is not a very large number.
They are probably going to lose the bulk of their vote which comes from people who actually thought they were a party that was interested in conservation though.
You’re dreaming.
Verity Johnson: The only reason I want to vote is because Metiria Turei lied to WINZ
The Green vote is going up because of their honesty especially when compared with the dishonesty of National and its support parties.
well case closed then, if Verity says it is so, then it is so….snigger
Yes an intellectual giant as Paul Henery mickey take
Are you saying Verity is moving her vote from National to Green.
I don’t know, but I strongly suspect she would never have voted for National.
Nope. I’m pointing out that MT’s actions have solidified and probably increased the Green vote rather than, as alwyn hopes, slashed it.
How much you wanna put on that Draco
Rosemary Mcleod:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/columnists/95088765/Rosemary-McLeod-Some-cheats-are-pathetic-but-others-are-middle-class
Wake the hell up Ed.
There’s a post on precisely this site, on precisely this article, with over 200 comments.
Ooops!
[deleted]
[4 month ban for misogyny and class bigotry. It would have been less but there’s no point in having people with no respect and intent on harm coming back close to the election. It’s not a free for all here. Here’s what the Policy says,
We encourage robust debate and we’re tolerant of dissenting views. But this site run for reasonably rational debate between dissenting viewpoints and we intend to keep it operating that way.
What we’re not prepared to accept are pointless personal attacks, or tone or language that has the effect of excluding others. We are intolerant of people starting or continuing flamewars where there is little discussion or debate. – weka]
Ed, 6.27pm
Grow up, Metiria and the Greens are striking at Labour, no one else.
I’ll have a read of Steve Cowan’s post shortly, but I’ve been thinking of doing a post of the positive coverage. If you have examples, especially from the MSM, please put in a comment below.
You just might find that the Steve Cowan post is somewhat familiar….
Meanwhile. The Newsroom piece by Susan St John from the 20th..
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@future-learning/2017/07/19/39245/the-greens-breathtakingly-bold-benefit-policies
Verity Johnson: The only reason I want to vote is because Metiria Turei lied to WINZ
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/07/verity-johnson-the-only-reason-i-want-to-vote-is-because-metiria-turei-lied-to-winz.html
Well said Verity. Verity=Sanity.
http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=36534
Promoter of progressive economics arrives in NZ. Talk on Friday in Wellington.
I see there is going to be a live streaming of the event.
https://vstream.victoria.ac.nz/ess/echo/presentation/6dc7bf0a-fa14-47b5-8bc9-3798fe6cd280
Might have to alert people to that stream tomorrow. From a piece linked to from the main linked piece (that I’m still reading)…
It wasn’t a bad lecture Bill. You may want to consider doing a post on it.
It’s available on demand.
https://vstream.victoria.ac.nz/ess/echo/presentation/6dc7bf0a-fa14-47b5-8bc9-3798fe6cd280
Cheers.
Long story – but I missed it. I’ve just jumped and flicked trough it quickly on ‘replay’ and he seems to fairly accessible. From the snippets I’ve watched, it sounds like he’s essentially promoting a Keynesian view of economics.
Anyway. I’ll spend some time on it and see if I can nut it down to a post that’s easily understood.
Keynesianism holds some valid fiscal points, hence could serve us well again going forward.
I see Jim Bolger attended the event.
“Anyway. I’ll spend some time on it and see if I can nut it down to a post that’s easily understood”
Sounds good, Bill. Looking forward to it.
Ed posted this link up post a bit but what I want to address is OT for that thread. Specifically, I want to address this bit:
And that’s why Labour keep losing. They keep endorsing the failed policies of neo-liberalism.
If you really, really, want to change government this election, vote Green. Nothing less will do.
Go ahead. You won’t be missed. Not here anyway. 😎
Taking Campbell’s piece as being accurate enough…that’s one stone cold corpse hoping to be getting votes from any notional left.
I think you are judging Labour unfairly, Draco.
1. Special character schools already exist in NZ. These are included in Integrated Schools.
https://education.govt.nz/school/property/integrated-schools/
2.,
http://www.aisnz.org.nz/special-character
If these schools are actually doing ok, then it wouldn’t be too difficult to change them into State-integrated schools, under the existing rules for state-integrated schools and allowing them to retain their Special Character.
3. The other option is for them to be entirely run by the State but allowed to retain
a special character.
(By the way, I am opposed to Charter Schools.)
Yeah, but those integrated schools are all cheating. When they were first integrated, it was on the terms that they had to conform with state schools regarding staffing ratios. For a while that held. But then during the late 90s integrated schools were allowed a little more ‘freedom’ in how they spent their state money combined with the high fees they charged the parents.
State school staffing ratios are no longer enforced upon integrated schools, and these integrated schools now benefit from smaller class sizes.
I know – I taught in an integrated school in the early 2000s, and saw the discrepancy in class sizes compared to the state school I had been in.
This stinks, and I am pleased to see that you oppose Charter Schools, but please don’t set up integrated schools as any kind of ideal. They are not.
Totally agree with you, Tautoko – including the bit about being opposed to Charter Schools. But there’s no getting around the fact that NZ has had special character schools for decades, and Labour said – right from the beginning when these charter schools were set up that (a) Labour doesn’t agree with them but (b) if they still exist when Labour comes into government, then they could be converted to special character schools.
Its just that this is the first time the media has actually picked up on something Labour said ages ago. And now people are making a big fuss about it.
Maybe, and well I know it’s a long shot at this late date. But maybe if labour didn’t have a cupboard full of ideological hogwash. Then the media wouldn’t have anything to pick up on?
Just a suggestion, but maybe labour might give the voting public credit, and realize people don’t like the radical liberalism bullshit sandwich that labour are offering them.
I think there is more to this than meets the eye – ask yourselves seriously why Maori have embraced this policy. Is it all about neo-liberalism or is there another, more fundamental reason why charter schools are seen as a positive by te ao Maori. It is just possible that Labour are genuinely listening. Think Tino Rangatiratanga
Did anybody see that big self-seeking turd called Dung on the TV this morning telling Garner why he would not go with labour as they have no policies?
I have a question for that self-seeking large bit of shit called Dung, what are your policies apart from self-aggrandisement
From todays Herald:
Gutsy woman
Metiria Turei has spoken for every mother struggling in adverse circumstances, every father who, for reasons of ill health or redundancy, has found himself out of work, every actor, musician and artist trying to survive between jobs, every worker and professional who, when they have needed the support of the state, has had to endure the humiliation of demeaning courses on budgeting and CV writing, assertions that their profession isn’t “real work”, and the accusations, insults, suspicion, snobbery and self-righteous rudeness that is the trademark of Winz officers whenever National are in government.
She has stood up to smug media moralists, the condemnations of millionaire ministers of the crown, the ugly mean spiritedness which has become part of the New Zealand character and a system that has much greater theft built into it by way of low wages, widespread job insecurity and the ability of the rich to get even richer without lifting a finger for it, off the backs of the rest of us.
She is one gutsy women so, for the first time in my near 60 years, come September I have decided to vote Green.
A gutsy letter from Bill Walker of Whangarei.
so Greens plus 1, Labour minus 1 = status quo.
Unless National manage to limp across the line (they could), then such sentiments and indication of intent are anything but “status quo”.
wow – love it!
Christchurch’s pure drinking water could be contaminated due to farming
Now, who saw that coming?
Oh, that’s right, all of us. We just have a government in denial of the damage that farming does.
No doubt ECan will pass the problem over to the CCCouncil.
And what is so wrong is that it was predictable and non reversible.
Now, who saw that coming?
QFT
I find myself completely agreeing with Chris Trotter for a change.
I think he is right, a section of the NZ middle white class are going use their vote as a ‘lash’.
I think a large section of the middle class, as proven by many of the hard right commentators here, are ideological purist who can not handle being challenged. A collection who can’t face the fact, that their words, and their deeds, do not mesh up.
This is not a society that gives people a fair go – almost the exact opposite.
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2017/07/the-majestic-equality-of-law-and-its.html
So, if the Greens get – say – a 4-5% boost out of this and become a true left alternative, WTF will be the point of the Labour party?
coalition partner.
+1
is it sad that we still have to explain this?
Junior coalition partner
Whipping boy to pity
Costly basics hitting beneficiaries harder – Stats NZ
Nope, not surprised. Welfare payments haven’t been keeping up with inflation since 1990 or perhaps further back.
EDIT:
An interesting point.
I have to ask all the political commentators on this site What makes you think voting Green is going to stop a 4th term of national?
You know the answer it won’t, it just moving the deck chairs between green and labour and ensuring no new deck chairs from the Center, in contrast more will move to national led coalition as seen as the only center government choice, oh wait the missing million.and Verity ( sarcasm)