Exploited workers need union protection

Written By: - Date published: 11:20 am, December 1st, 2014 - 30 comments
Categories: business, class war, Unions, workers' rights - Tags: , ,

Docking the pay of petrol station attendants when a customer doesn’t pay. Docking the pay of checkout workers in the same situation. And now this:

Parcel-eating dogs threat to courier’s pay

A courier driver was threatened with having her wages docked after a parcel she delivered was eaten by the recipient’s dogs.

But back at base, she was told by Fastway Couriers Wairarapa owner-operator Therese Boniface the dogs had eaten the parcel, and she would be docked $50 a week towards the parcel’s yet-to-be-established value.

Fortunately for the courier, she was a union member:

It was only after driver Tara Lindsay’s union, First, intervened that her employers, Fastway Couriers Wairarapa, backed down.

First Union general secretary Robert Reid had heard of a few cases, including some involving courier drivers, especially at smaller, non-unionised firms. “If it’s non-unionised, almost anything goes,” he said.

This is what unions do, protect vulnerable workers. Union membership results in higher pay (etc etc etc etc etc), and has many other benefits. Join a union!

(Update: Since this post was scheduled this morning, Mike Treen has written a much better one on TDB.)

30 comments on “Exploited workers need union protection ”

  1. Rodel 1

    News report- Non union charter school teacher’s pay deducted because a child in the class didn’t learn to read up to national standards?

    ….Just kidding but don’t dismiss the thought.
    Damn! I may have given John Bank’s successor, wotsisname, an idea.

    Join your union.

    • NZJester 1.1

      Oh come off it there is no way they would do that.
      They have so few actual teachers teaching in charter schools that they can not afford to loose them back to the public sector that is short of them.
      They will be docking the wages of the teachers assistants who are doing most of the education anyway and not the teaching staff.

  2. Skinny 2

    Proud to say I’ve brokered 2 workers to join separate Unions (different industries) today. One gets a back dated pay rise of 2.5% and the other could heading for a scrap with her bosses. I’ll do the mediation meeting as part of the deal should bullying conduct not stop. Many of her workmates will follow as they are sick of being mistreated by their Miss Bossy Boots manager and it only takes one to join and we are onsite and into it.

    Good to hear Sam Huggard is the new CTU Secretary, congrats chap and please get amongst it!

  3. Varity 3

    i am a low wage earner who does believe in a need for unions but can’t afford to pay toothless union fees on top of my student loan, kiwi saver and regular taxes.

    unite was suppose to come to my work the other week on a recruitment drive. our managers schooled us up – “you don’t have to talk to them, etc, blah, blah, blah”. but i wanted to talk to them and guess what? they didn’t show up.

    apparently they turned up the next morning when no-one was expecting them and we missed them.

    what am i or anyone suppose to make of that?

    • Te Reo Putake 3.1

      Who said what time they were supposed to be there, Varity? If it was the boss, then you have your answer; a set up. If it was Unite, then email them and tell them how that made you feel. Unite are effectively an amateur union, with minimal paid staff. There may be a genuine reason for the mistimed visit and I’m sure they’ll do their best to put it right.

      • Varity 3.1.1

        like i said – one of my managers told me they were coming and when to expect them.

        when they didn’t show i did email them. they apologised and said they got tied up with another workplace that night and if i wanted to talk they’d get in touch next time they are down my way.

        pfff. that’s little use to me, no?

    • Skinny 3.2

      Unite in my opinion is the strongest low paid worker Union going, they are certainly not toothless (though many are at times) members have to understand on any given day things happen at short notice. Sackings, disputes, stopwork meetings, don’t hold it against the organiser, just pick up the phone give them a call and arrange another meeting time, within the work place or outside.

      Too many members are their own worst enemy. Paid or unpaid meetings shouldn’t matter. The fee’s are cheap compared to the terms and conditions and coverage a Union will get you, and keep a scumbag boss off your back is worth the fee’s by it’s self. Having to use the services of a employment lawyer will cost anything from $200 an hour plus. If you have no joy let me sort it out as I know quite a few of their team 🙂

      • Varity 3.2.1

        1. my boss is not a scumbag
        2. the delegate should have shown up when he said he was going to or at the very least let us know he wasn’t coming.

        Like you said … pick up the phone.

        • Skinny 3.2.1.1

          Ok don’t get your knickers in a twist numbering things like your a management student. No one said your ($18 an hour) manager was a scumbag. Sounds like you hold a grudge ‘toothless.’

          • Varity 3.2.1.1.1

            oh but you did say “scumbag boss” hence my reply. my boss and managers are separate entities. as to the state of my underwear – surely you have somewhere better to go than there. gross dude.

        • Tracey 3.2.1.2

          You wrote

          “believe in a need for unions but can’t afford to pay toothless union fees on top of my student loan, kiwi saver and regular taxes. …”

          Can you expand in why you believe i them. It might help persuade others.

          Is your only reason for calling Unite toothless cos they didnt turn up when they said, or have you had other negative experiences?

          • Varity 3.2.1.2.1

            i didn’t actually call unite toothless. i called unions toothless.

            i’m an older person. i remember when unions had a lot of pull and did a lot of good. i’ve had good experiences with unions. but you can’t deny their power has been eroded by national governments over the years.

            your comment about kiwisaver was interesting to me. i haven’t figured yet whether or not it’s a good investment. what i have figured though is for me, at this point, unions are not. and just when i thought i might be persuaded otherwise … they didn’t bother to show up or even give us the courtesy of a phone call to let us know. tell me why i should buy into that?

            • Tracey 3.2.1.2.1.1

              i am not telling you what to buy into or not. i was just trying to find out more about your union experiences given you stated you believe in tyem.

            • Skinny 3.2.1.2.1.2

              I think your fake and jus playing silly buggers!

    • Tracey 3.3

      If you earn low wage, imo, you are better paying union dues than into kiwisaver.

    • NZJester 3.4

      So your seemingly anti union boss schooled you beforehand that you did not have to meet and talk to them as well as informed you of when they would be coming. Yet they then turned up on a different day than the one the boss had stated and no-one was around to meet them. Strange that, I mean the boss would not have failed to pass on important information and given you a bum steer to prevent you from actually meeting with with them would they?

  4. adam 4

    That is a great article by Mike Treen. Don’t sell yourself short either Anthony, this is something we should be discussing often and with force here on the standard. So thanks for the wee article.

    If you’re not a member of a union and reading this, think about joining – it maybe the only way to protect yourself, and your family, from a whole lot of pain and suffering from a bad employer.

    Because, bad employers are now the norm in NZ, when once, they were the odd loose cannon.

  5. coaster 5

    I stopped being a member of a union when the employment contracts act came in, but have alwaysed beleived in them. I joined the nzei a few years ago after I heard a different perspective on it. I was getting the benefits of the collective without paying my bit, they are very good and are quickly able to answer questions.

    here are my thoughts on the downsides of unions.
    1. Cost, if yoou are living week to week its hard to justify the cost, even though the long term benefits outway this.
    2. Who is my union?, why are there so many, how do I find out who my union is.
    3. How do I join, what are the costs and benefits and can I join without my boss knowing.

    maybe there could be a website with all this, or maybe the nzei or epmu could have sub unions to take retail, labourers, farmworkers etc.

    I dont think its as simple as picking up the phone, you ned to know who you are contactin. Do most unions use modern media to contact prospective employees.

    • Tracey 5.1

      It used to be easier to get that info coaster. The lack of immediate ease finding those answers is the result of the erosion of unions over the last thirty years

        • Tracey 5.1.1.1

          are you saying that unions have the same workplace access they used to? cos that was my real point.

          my low income aquaintances dont usually have easy access to the internet. not saying they couldn’t fi nd out just that you used to have leaflets and forms u ckd complete on the bhs going home.

          • Te Reo Putake 5.1.1.1.1

            Fair point, Tracey. Generally, unions don’t have the resources to get into small workplaces, so unless the firm has, say, 10 workers at a branch, or perhaps 50 nationwide, there is not likely to be a presence. Access has tightened under the Tories, but where there is a collective agreement, access is usually a clause in the agreement.

            Websites, social media, freephones etc are the primary point of contact for many union members these days.

            • adam 5.1.1.1.1.1

              When I worked in Aussie, to get around reactionary laws – we would get people to join our sports club or social club. Our sports club/social club could and did cover many more workplaces that way – we also had a membership who directed us to go into the small workplaces. IE: the workplaces with large membership effectively subsidised the small workplaces – because they understood, the small workplaces are were all the really nasty stuff, happens.

  6. whateva next? 6

    This is unbelievable, if ministers, and Rennie etc. were held to the same account (and the same proportion of their wages docked) even they would join a union!!! thanks to the union, justice has been done.

    I am even more concerned about workers who are in effect stopped from joining a union, being asked at interview (of a job they undoubtedly need to pay rent etc, so power imbalance), are you thinking of joining a union??……….I cannot believe we have come to this, how do those people sleep at night?
    How would we be if the care workers, bin men, factory workers, health workers, shop workers, couriers, petrol pump attendants etc all walked out of their jobs tomorrow???

    How would it be if Key and his cohorts stayed at home for a day?????????????
    It is them that should be told,
    “If you don’t like it, there’s someone outside who will do the job…”

  7. fambo 7

    Tsk tsk – that’s two similar high profile cases in Masterton. The Wairarapa electorate (which goes all the way from southern Hawkes Bay to the south coast) gave National candidate Alastair Scott a real easy ride into Parliament, despite all the hard work of Labour candidate Kieran McAnulty. Previous National MP for Wairarapa John Hayes enjoyed similar support with no great effort on his part.

    • tc 7.1

      You could whack a blue ribbon on a donkey and it’d take out the wairarapa seat it’s sock puppet central.

  8. Atiawa 8

    Before deciding that you need to join a union, find out if your workmates would also want to join. The key to unionism is collectivism and unless 60+% of your fellow workers are interested and of the same mind about wanting to be treated better by their employer you will likely end up disappointed by the outcome you hoped to achieve.
    Strength is in numbers. When one of you is knocking on the bosses door demanding a better deal while the others are sitting back waiting for the outcome, nothing will be achieved. When ten out of the 15 workers knock on his/her door together, you get the bosses attention real fast.

  9. Once was Tim 9

    @adam – it is (a great article). What impresses me is Mike Treen’s awareness of what is actually going on around Nu Zull – in partic with low paid workers, AND the fact that he hasn’t bought into all that ‘bloody immigrants coming here taking all our jobs’ routine.
    That said, it seems to me that there are a number of employers who’re buying into it from an employers perspective – i.e. looking at ways of ripping employees. They need to be named and shamed.
    As we know …. certain practices have been adopted by employers in places like service stations; restaurants, the building industry, and some horticultural enterprises – guess what – major employers of the immigrant/student-on-a-study-visa/refugee.
    I’m thankful that MoBIE is now starting to take a tiny bit of an interest because until recently they’ve been AWOL – and my suspicions are that this was by design (just as long as the Joyce disciples who love the buggers’ muddle that constitutes MoBIE kept it all under the radar. Unfortunately, their greed got the better of them).
    Old story – not much happens until it becomes an embarrassment. Let the gubbamint of the Key master of the Universe be under no illusion that the Chinese, and the Indians are aware (having had Indian students beat up in Melbourne, others royally ripped – promised the world and had very little delivered)
    I haven’t forgotten the (now three) complaints to the old Labour Department (now under the Bugger’s Muddle). I am disappointed that there are various legal firms (who purport to represent minorities) that have been complicit. AND I MEAN BIG fucking diapoointement – but never mind ….. they haven’t gone unnoticed by Modi-ites or his opposition both – not sure about the Chinese).

    JUST as bad as the deduction of loss from wages by the unscrupulous is the practice of ‘trialing employees’ whereby someone (such as a waiter) is tried out (such as by the TxJ Courtenay Place) restaurant to ‘just see if they are suitable. (Incidentally, a complaint with the old Labour Dept which mysteriously got lost – but not by me in all its detail.) At the end of the week, they even have the cheek to say “Oh…. we’re not really sure but we’ll give you the opportunity of another week). The sensible gave up without pay (thinking this to be normal) and resorted to prostitution.

    Like I said…..thankfully parts of MoBIE are beginning to get real

    • Once was Tim 9.1

      oh btw ….. we treat out immigrants/international students/refugees like shit even if trying to emulate things they’re often used to, and with the disadvantage of our language and culture being foreign to them – then we are primed (under the neo-lib agenda) to treat OUR OWN by the same measure.
      There’s now an attitude that’s become prevalent amongst employers that people should be grateful for employment. How fucking SICK is that! Especially considering their employees generate the good-will (they’ll try to take advantage of when and if they they sell their bizznuss); they’re the face of (buzzword alert) their ‘Enterprise) ….. etc., etc…… etc.

      It’s not that hard to understand really. IF you’re a bizznuss that can ONLY survive by paying you employees slave-labour rates and treating them as such – then you’re ekshully NOT fucking viable. 9 times out of ten, my bet is that you simply want to ensure you’ve got the latest Beamer (that you can’t ekshully drive that well), and that you can kick the can down the road a bit further by exploiting a fellow human-being.

      /endrave ….. but unfortunately there are some (WITH MINORITY CREDS) and who I imagine have trad Labour values – or rather purport to have – who SHOULD FUCKING KNOW BETTER. Oh for the change of gubbamint – if I’m still around, the record stands – given the TOTAL shit they’ve caused for some, hardship I’ll fucking bet they’ve NEVER considered (despite their little jaunts to India for a few days enabling them to become ‘experts’ and the hectoring and lecturing they now dish out from time to time) – I’ve not forgotten – and my dick is bigger than their strap-on

  10. Philip Ferguson 10

    With more and more work becoming precarious – welcome to the ‘superiority of market forces’, eh? – these stories are likely to multiply.

    One disagreement with the author, however. Often even lefties use the term ‘exploitation’ to refer to the very worst employment situations. In fact, exploitation is better understood as people being paid less than the value their labour-power produces. Workers as a class are exploited by the employers as a class.

    Workers who have very good conditions are still exploited. In fact, they may be creating more value and being paid relatively less of it than those working in really shitty conditions.

    I try to deal with these issues in plain English here:
    What is exploitation?: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/what-is-exploitation/
    How capitalism works – and why it doesn’t (written ten yard ago for a union training day): https://rdln.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/how-capitalism-works-–-and-doesn’t-work/

    Phil

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    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    3 days ago
  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    3 days ago
  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    4 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    4 days ago
  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    5 days ago
  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #48 2023
    Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
    6 days ago
  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago
  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    6 days ago
  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    7 days ago
  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    7 days ago
  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    7 days ago
  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    7 days ago
  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    1 week ago
  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Minister sets expectations of Commissioner
    Today I met with Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to set out my expectations, which he has agreed to, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Under section 16(1) of the Policing Act 2008, the Minister can expect the Police Commissioner to deliver on the Government’s direction and priorities, as now outlined in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • New Zealand needs a strong and stable ETS
    New Zealand needs a strong and stable Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that is well placed for the future, after emission units failed to sell for the fourth and final auction of the year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.  At today’s auction, 15 million New Zealand units (NZUs) – each ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • PISA results show urgent need to teach the basics
    With 2022 PISA results showing a decline in achievement, Education Minister Erica Stanford is confident that the Coalition Government’s 100-day plan for education will improve outcomes for Kiwi kids.  The 2022 PISA results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Collins leaves for Pacific defence meeting
    Defence Minister Judith Collins today departed for New Caledonia to attend the 8th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM). “This meeting is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with my Pacific counterparts to discuss regional security matters and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Pacific,” Judith Collins says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Working for Families gets cost of living boost
    Putting more money in the pockets of hard-working families is a priority of this Coalition Government, starting with an increase to Working for Families, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. “We are starting our 100-day plan with a laser focus on bringing down the cost of living, because that is what ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme scrapped
    The Government has axed the $16 billion Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme championed by the previous government, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says. “This hugely wasteful project was pouring money down the drain at a time when we need to be reining in spending and focussing on rebuilding the economy and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ welcomes further pause in fighting in Gaza
    New Zealand welcomes the further one-day extension of the pause in fighting, which will allow the delivery of more urgently-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of more hostages, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. “The human cost of the conflict is horrific, and New Zealand wants to see the violence ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Condolences on passing of Henry Kissinger
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters today expressed on behalf of the New Zealand Government his condolences to the family of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has passed away at the age of 100 at his home in Connecticut. “While opinions on his legacy are varied, Secretary Kissinger was ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Backing our kids to learn the basics
    Every child deserves a world-leading education, and the Coalition Government is making that a priority as part of its 100-day plan. Education Minister Erica Stanford says that will start with banning cellphone use at school and ensuring all primary students spend one hour on reading, writing, and maths each day. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • US Business Summit Speech – Regional stability through trade
    I would like to begin by echoing the Prime Minister’s thanks to the organisers of this Summit, Fran O’Sullivan and the Auckland Business Chamber.  I want to also acknowledge the many leading exporters, sector representatives, diplomats, and other leaders we have joining us in the room. In particular, I would like ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Keynote Address to the United States Business Summit, Auckland
    Good morning. Thank you, Rosemary, for your warm introduction, and to Fran and Simon for this opportunity to make some brief comments about New Zealand’s relationship with the United States.  This is also a chance to acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Trade Todd McClay, Ambassador Tom Udall, Secretary of Foreign ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • India New Zealand Business Council Speech, India as a Strategic Priority
    Good morning, tēnā koutou and namaskar. Many thanks, Michael, for your warm welcome. I would like to acknowledge the work of the India New Zealand Business Council in facilitating today’s event and for the Council’s broader work in supporting a coordinated approach for lifting New Zealand-India relations. I want to also ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Coalition Government unveils 100-day plan
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has laid out the Coalition Government’s plan for its first 100 days from today. “The last few years have been incredibly tough for so many New Zealanders. People have put their trust in National, ACT and NZ First to steer them towards a better, more prosperous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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