Holding back our productivity

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:17 am, April 14th, 2016 - 72 comments
Categories: capitalism, class war, economy, wages - Tags: bad management, business leaders, fail, growth, oecd, productivity, wages

“Productivity is commonly defined as a ratio between the output volume and the volume of inputs. In other words, it measures how efficiently production inputs, such as labour and capital, are being used in an economy to produce a given level of output.”

New Zealand has had low productivity for decades, and it shows no sign of catching up with other OECD countries. Why? It isn’t from a lack of hard work. As reported in 2013:

Kiwis work longer, produce less, says Commission
…
On average, New Zealanders work 15 per cent longer than the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development as a whole and produce about 20 per cent less output per hour worked, according to the commission’s report ‘Productivity by the numbers: The New Zealand Experience’….

An interesting piece (by Fiona Rotherham) on Stuff yesterday throws some light on the matter:

New Zealand productivity still lags
…
A new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says New Zealand still has a large productivity gap (27 per cent) to other OECD countries because of a lack of investment in “knowledge-based capital” and international connections.
…
It says New Zealand’s policy settings should generate gross domestic product per capita 20 per cent above the OECD average, but we are actually more than 20 per cent below average. This affects New Zealanders’ income and wellbeing and comes in spite of the economic upswing.

Distance is one important factor:

More than half of New Zealand’s productivity gap relative to the OECD average is explained by weaknesses in our international connections. … While not much can be done about its distance to markets, New Zealand’s two-way trade flows could be altered to reduce its impact.

But there are others:

…the OECD work finds the gap reflects weakness in knowledge-based capital which has become increasingly important in driving productivity gains in the digital age. Knowledge-based capital ranges from things like product design, inter-firm networks, research and development, and organisational know-how. While New Zealand ranks well in software investment and trademarks, the amount of R&D undertaken by the private sector is among the lowest in the OECD.

Our private sector is not pulling its weight on R&D. Furthermore:

Cross-country surveys also show the quality of management is below average in New Zealand, which lowers productivity gains from new technology.

So, our below average management is not investing enough in R&D and not dealing with the challenges of our distances to markets. This is not the first indication that the country is held back by poor management. Much as they like indulge in their own self importance and tell the rest of us how things should be done, our “business leaders” are doing an objectively poor job.

Perhaps instead of insulting Kiwi workers as “pretty damned hopeless”, Bill English should be taking aim at these captains of industry.

And of course, what productivity gains there are never seem to filter through to workers:

wage and productivity gap

72 comments on “Holding back our productivity ”

Comments are now closed

TepidSupport 1

14 April 2016 at 7:35 am

I think we need to take some notes from China and India on developing a “knowledge” economy and opening ourselves up to new and innovative ways.
BUT. We also have to realise we will have much greater gap between wages and productivity here as we *care* for our workers and don’t pay slave wages like those economies either.
TopHat 2

14 April 2016 at 7:43 am

I must admit when I returned to New Zealand, my work ethic crumbled .
I would bounce out of bed in the morning and think, ‘hmm $20 an hour…” and go back to bed.

I didn’t train and work overseas ( no student loans.) to return and not have my efforts rewarded at all.
People here do not appreciate their employees, seeing them as mere tools to exploit.
So in view of all that I am not surprised our production down the sink as with our work ethic.
A proper days work = a proper days pay.
- vto 2.1
  
  14 April 2016 at 7:50 am
  
  Yep.
  
  Free market in action.
  
  Employers can’t deal with the free market.
  
  Farmers can’t deal with the free market.
  
  pussies
  - Internationalrescue 2.1.1
    
    14 April 2016 at 8:25 am
    
    Employers deal successfully with the free market every day. We have a labour market with too many jobs and not enough matching workers, so employers have an incentive to recruit and pay well. A free market generated incentive.
    - Stuart Munro 2.1.1.1
      
      14 April 2016 at 8:52 am
      
      Massive milk powder exports? So 1960s.
    - vto 2.1.1.2
      
      14 April 2016 at 9:15 am
      
      No, they don’t deal successfully with the free market every day….
      
      evidence one – farmers recruiting from low-paying third world countries.
      
      evidence two – Queenstown accommodation operators doing the same.
    - UncookedSelachimorpha 2.1.1.3
      
      14 April 2016 at 9:21 am
      
      ” employers have an incentive to recruit and pay well”
      
      Or alternatively, lobby the government to manipulate wages downward by importing cheap labour and passing legislation to reduce worker’s rights.
    - One Anonymous Bloke 2.1.1.4
      
      14 April 2016 at 9:23 am
      
      The free market also generates incentives for R&D, staff training, and high levels of education. Other countries recognise this, and act accordingly. Here, the National Party sells legislation and pretends that Jenny Shipley earned her directorships on merit.
    - Colonial Viper 2.1.1.5
      
      14 April 2016 at 9:24 am
      
      Employers deal successfully with the free market every day.
      
      And plenty of employers will tell you how fucked up it is, every day.
      
      By the way, you’re dreaming if you think your fairy tales of the ‘benefits of the free market’ hold any water today. Maybe in the 1980s when the theory was all flashed up to sound good to the masses.
      
      Too many of us now know your lies through hard experience.
    - saveNZ 2.1.1.6
      
      14 April 2016 at 11:32 am
      
      @Internationalrescue –
      
      “We have a labour market with too many jobs and not enough matching workers, so employers have an incentive to recruit and pay well. ”
      
      In spite of 67,000 new migrants into NZ this year alone, the skilful NZ manager still find under National’s rule that they can’t fill all those new ‘jobs’.
      
      what a joker you are…
      - Thom Pietersen 2.1.1.6.1
        
        16 April 2016 at 12:00 am
        
        Most migrants are not skilled labour – they are property investors – for the former the pay does not match the living costs anymore. And too many baby boomer employees are holding down salaries on the back of their property windfall fucking the rest of us up the arse… They’ll die in comfort after a few world cruises and leave the debt for the next generation – absolute selfish c*nts!
    - adam 2.1.1.7
      
      14 April 2016 at 12:14 pm
      
      ” I sometimes wonder if austerity might be less of an ideology and more of a pathology.” Frankie Boyle
      
      I think poor Internationalrescue has gone a long way to prove that today.
- RedLogix 2.2
  
  14 April 2016 at 11:44 am
  
  @TopHat
  
  As a kiwi working in Aus at the moment I can only 100% endorse what you are saying. In the few short years here I’ve achieved more than I was ever allowed to do in 30 years working in NZ.
  
  Way more.
One Anonymous Bloke 3

14 April 2016 at 8:13 am

Too many “business” “success” stories are in fact an indication of Cabinet Club membership: the National Party manufactures incompetence.
- Draco T Bastard 3.1
  
  14 April 2016 at 12:10 pm
  
  Too many “business” “success” stories are a result of policy settings that dis-empowers everyone that doesn’t have money and connections
Whispering Kate 4

14 April 2016 at 8:34 am

Why did we do away with apprenticeships where an employer took on a young person, educated them on the job for 5 or so years – where has that employer responsibility gone? Why do these young kids now have to pay their own way through Tech, end up with debt and be expected to arrive on the job up and running? Why is it common now for employers to contract out their staff and expect them to do their own tax, pay their own health insurance etc, buy their own utes and their tools, what do employers do these days?

Also with degrees at university, why is there a degree now for everything – once upon a time an employer took on someone with a good general degree, mentored them in the job and trained them up, now they expect people to be fully trained by university lecturers in the many specialised degrees offered so they are primed and ready for work. Even Bob Jones has said he always employed people with a good Humanities Degree as they were taught to think outside the square and had independent thought, he said he wanted to train them the way he wanted them so they would be flexible to learn from him. Employers seem to want it every which way.

No wonder some young people feel non responsive to work, indebted with loans and paid low wages its stands to reason they aren’t too enthusiastic to be up at the crack of dawn, working 60+ hours a week for coolie rates. Because our employment ethics are poor its no wonder we have become a nation of small businesses, no-one it seems wants to be working for a boss these days, I can see why. Shame on Bill English, he has been at the tax payers trough all his working life, he wouldn’t understand at all about being on poor wages. He should be sacked.
- Draco T Bastard 4.1
  
  14 April 2016 at 11:58 am
  
  Why did we do away with apprenticeships where an employer took on a young person, educated them on the job for 5 or so years – where has that employer responsibility gone?
  
  Why do these young kids now have to pay their own way through Tech, end up with debt and be expected to arrive on the job up and running?
  
  Employers decided that it was costing them too much and that the employee should now pay for it thus we got tertiary school fees and student debt.
  
  Why is it common now for employers to contract out their staff and expect them to do their own tax, pay their own health insurance etc, buy their own utes and their tools, what do employers do these days?
  
  Because shifting all of the expenses on to the employees is an effective way to cut costs and thus boost profits. Also, contracting is a great way to decrease wages as people compete against each other from a precarious position meaning that they will take whatever income they can get.
  - Descendant Of Sssmith 4.1.1
    
    14 April 2016 at 5:40 pm
    
    Not forgetting of course that in the golden period of apprenticeships most of them were done by the state – not the private sector.
    
    Hospitals had their own electricians and carpenters and took on apprentices, places like the railways and Ministry of Works produced electricians, and boiler makers and electricians, carpenters, builders and so on and so on.
    
    Many of those people would go on to have successful private sector businesses – all courtesy of the training they got in the public service.
    
    The free market was never going to deliver the future volumes.
    
    Bit like housing – it’s not just housing New Zealand houses that have vanished into the free market it’s the housing the workers had – single mens quarters on the railways, Ministry of Works, Education, railway housing – all vanished in the cause of privatization and replaced with shite housing for high rentals and ever increasing house prices.
    
    The private sector only likes market forces in their favour – market forces that say we don’t want to work for you cause you treat us as disposable and pay us poor money apparently don’t exist.
ianmac 5

14 April 2016 at 8:44 am

Kate, “once upon a time an employer took on someone with a good general degree, …”
The thrust from Joyce is to abandon University courses for Arts degrees and if he had his way only job specific courses would be allowed. Jones would employ a degree on Philosophy over any other.
- Henry Filth 5.1
  
  14 April 2016 at 8:53 pm
  
  The triumph of training over education.
Whispering Kate 6

14 April 2016 at 8:53 am

Ianmac, I always understood that university was for furthering your education, not a training place for work. A person with a good general degree can work in many fields. I have a relative who has an MA Hons in Art History and now holds a very senior position in an American Bank and is doing very nicely too I might add. Its not a lifestyle I would like for myself but it justifies what I am saying, people who have extended university educations are adaptable for many careers. This Government is lazy, it only has time for its cronies and to hell with everybody else. They punish people just because they can, sadistic lot if you ask me. Our poor wage economy is wrecking this country, people deserve to be able to take home a living wage at the very least.
- ianmac 6.1
  
  14 April 2016 at 9:18 am
  
  I know a young woman who did MA specialising in Greek History. She now manages a horse stud farm in Britain.
  My son has a BA in History and is Logistics Manager in a large wine making firm. So yes. I think Joyce is starking mad. And dangerous for the health of our society. I do suspect that a person who has a single-minded degree in say Engineering, may not have the flexibility of thought to tackle problems out of the norm. Depends on the individual I guess.
  - AB 6.1.1
    
    14 April 2016 at 4:28 pm
    
    ” I think Joyce is starking mad.”
    If he really means what he says then indeed he is – also a vulgar, ignorant, philistine, embarrassment.
    However I think his opposition to arts degrees is that he sees people who learn about their history and culture often become lefties, and it doesn’t suit him.
    - Draco T Bastard 6.1.1.1
      
      14 April 2016 at 6:59 pm
      
      However I think his opposition to arts degrees is that he sees people who learn about their history and culture often become lefties, and it doesn’t suit him.
      
      People who learn history will generally oppose the machinations of those who still try to exploit their fellow people.
- saveNZ 6.2
  
  14 April 2016 at 1:31 pm
  
  +1 Whispering Kate – within the Information Technology community most of the most creative and successful people actually have other degrees than information technology.
  
  Degrees and knowledge need to be tailored to what the individual is best at, not what they speculate will bring them the most money in future years (that they often do not enjoy).
  
  The most important thing NZ could be doing is encouraging much higher university and KEEPING or REEMPLOYING those people back in NZ (on real wages).
  
  As for Singapore they have their own problems with their ‘test’ culture, one of which is that although they score so well in maths, their graduates are not confident enough to start a new business and so have much less patents that other countries compared to their results!
  
  It seems the old Kiwi way of creative learning that created some of our great NZer’s and NZ as one of the best education systems in the world. (but now biting the dust under a barrage of testing of infants and primary school kids under National’s rule that has completely been discredited all around the world….)
  
  In my view, NZ has the talent, but not the government will or skill to actually create NZ into a knowledge economy. I mean they feel they can’t even train a chef or milker or fruit picker in NZ so how in hell are they going to create and retain someone with skills to transform our economy?
Colonial Viper 7

14 April 2016 at 9:18 am

New Zealand has had this same problem for 30 years: too little capex, too much reliance on cheap labour for “competitiveness” (yet another neoliberal code word), a government which believes that watery market mechanisms are going to change things.

Tax breaks on R&D anyone? Useless. We’ve had a discussion on what Singapore has done to get where they are. There, the Singapore Government has poured billions of dollars into advanced biotech/biological sciences centres. That’s where they see the future.

Here is Helen Clark on “Catching the Knowledge Wave” – back in 2001:

SIAC report: setting an innovation framework

The council, chaired by a leading figure in management and industry, Rick Christie, was appointed last year by Helen Clark to provide advice on how to best position New Zealand as a knowledge-driven economy and society…

Helen Clark said the report by SIAC was an important element in the government’s commitment to economic transformation aimed at fulfilling a vision of a more innovative, skilled, creative and enterprising nation.

The government is now seeking feedback from across all sectors on the seven challenges identified in the report, called An Innovation Framework for New Zealand, as work continues towards the production of an action plan.

The seven challenges outlined in the report are:

* Reward ‘can do’, risk taking and success
* Educate for a knowledge economy
* Become a magnet nation for talent
* Generate wealth from ideas and knowledge
* Excel globally
* Network, collaborate and cluster
* Take an investment-driven approach to government

Helen Clark said it was critical to engage with a wide range of New Zealanders over the report so that a shared vision emerged on how to secure the country’s future success.

…

“The report sets the goal of building within the next twelve months a national movement for revitalising our economy with the support of business, educators, local government and other community leaders.

“As the report notes, innovation provides New Zealand with the best opportunity to lift its game. It is about making ourselves more visible in a crowded world.

“But as we work through the process of fleshing out the framework that is being presented today, the government will continue the work it has begun on transforming the economy. There is simply no time to waste.

All sounds good doesn’t it? In retrospect, this was another case of more reports and more consultation and more flashy “frameworks” while countries like Singapore just got on with the job.

My guess is Te Papa got more funding from that Government than new high tech initiatives.
Dean Reynolods 8

14 April 2016 at 10:03 am

Every 5 years the NZ Institute of Management takes part in an international survey of management expertise around the world. The last time the survey was taken, the skill of NZ managers ranked lower than that of India. For 30 years we’ve been fed this neo liberal BS that the ‘free market’ produces rugged, efficient employers. It doesn’t – it produces lazy bosses with short term, greed driven goals.
- Draco T Bastard 8.1
  
  14 April 2016 at 10:43 am
  
  +1
- BM 8.2
  
  14 April 2016 at 11:12 am
  
  Problem with most NZ managers is that they haven’t being trained in the people side of management, they tend to get selected as managers because of their technical skill, but that’s only halve the equation.
  
  That wasn’t so much of an issue 25 years ago because you could rely on your staff to get on with it and get the job done without having to be checked up on every 5 minutes.
  
  These days that lack of people skills and productivity knowledge is really creating an issue as younger employees tend to be easily distracted, prone to lose focus and not do their job .
  
  This requires managers to be constantly checking on them and trying to motivate them to do their job without the employee going into sulk mode.
  - saveNZ 8.2.1
    
    14 April 2016 at 11:38 am
    
    Dream on there BM, with this Natz bullshit.
    Funny how under the Natz where Kiwis were formally thought of as hard workers and used to be well liked in the UK and pretty much anywhere, now in 8 years of Natz rule we are now described by English as “pretty hopeless as workers’.
    
    I guess the 67,000 migrant workers being imported in per year under National are filling up the slack by lazy locals… sarc.
  - AB 8.2.2
    
    14 April 2016 at 4:37 pm
    
    Don’t agree – my experience is that the best way to de-motivate and drive people away is to be constantly checking on them. High performance workplaces come from giving trust and autonomy.
    Also in my experience HR people are absolutely the worst at this – their training in the “people side” seems to make them more dangerous than anyone else.
    - Wensleydale 8.2.2.1
      
      14 April 2016 at 6:39 pm
      
      Largely because HR exists to protect the company from their workers, not as some delusional souls believe, as a shoulder to cry on when the stress of the daily grind becomes too much. They are the gatekeepers and the hatchet wielders; experts in legalese, and navigating the dangerous ground between what they can get away with relatively unscathed, and what will likely result in a PR disaster or a workplace mutiny. The business ethics classes they took in university were generally surplus to requirements.
      - miravox 8.2.2.1.1
        
        14 April 2016 at 9:38 pm
        
        “Largely because HR exists to protect the company from their worker”
        
        Yup. It’s in the name. If HR was there for humans, they wouldn’t be calling them resources.
    - Colonial Viper 8.2.2.2
      
      14 April 2016 at 9:32 pm
      
      Hence the cartoon character Dogbert.
    - Draco T Bastard 8.2.2.3
      
      14 April 2016 at 11:02 pm
      
      Dilbert
  - McFlock 8.2.3
    
    14 April 2016 at 4:56 pm
    
    Yeah, well looking at the chart, in that 25year period productivity has increased by about half and wages by what – 10 or 20%?
    
    Not much stake in working so hard, is there…
  - Thom Pietersen 8.2.4
    
    16 April 2016 at 12:32 am
    
    BM… in my industry I have to disagree with you – managers do not get selected for their technical skills, they get selected because they are ‘show ponies’ that take credit for financial return, they might originally have a technical background in training but they use that for status to move them forward with gift of the gab and brown nosing. But I agree they have no ‘man’ agement skills with people.
    
    The thing is, it’s simple, we are judged purely on a bean counting basis, if you cannot report back in the purist format on this basis you’re screwed. No one trains anymore and no one learns therefore the technical problems are just pushed around until you can find someone to be the fall guy.
    
    The outcome of this, for any young person becomes demotivated quickly because the future is uninspiring crap.
    
    The young being distracted thing, it more to do with what’s the point? – NZ is a cheap skate, cost cutting, disillusioning shithole full of half arsed mediocre business – get into property and make your millions!
    
    We are aksuhally f*cked!
Draco T Bastard 9

14 April 2016 at 10:41 am

It says New Zealand’s policy settings should generate gross domestic product per capita 20 per cent above the OECD average, but we are actually more than 20 per cent below average.

If people think that the policy settings should be producing a result and they’re not then their belief in the policy settings are wrong. Physical reality trumps delusion every time.

Our private sector is not pulling its weight on R&D.

Neither is our government. No country has ever developed their economy without the government doing a hell of a lot of basic research. You know, the hard stuff that doesn’t make a profit but can then be applied to make new products that do.

Then there’s the fact that NZ is a small country and we can’t afford for individuals to compete in manufacturing. What that means is that the government needs to build and own factories that our entrepreneurs can then use to produce the products that they design.

Considering how well 3D printing is developing (Rocket Lab use 3D printing to produce rocket engines) then the government needs to be researching and developing manufacturies that use 3D printing. The effect of these will be to eliminate economies of scale as the factory will be able to produce everything and thus will be in use 24/7 (with time down for maintenance).

They should also look to developing our own resources and processing them so that we’re not reliant upon importing raw resources.
NZJester 10

14 April 2016 at 11:15 am

Lack of investment in proper maintenance of machinery could also be a big factor with the longer hours and lower productivity.
I have worked in a place with workers standing around for anywhere from half hour to two hours while a machine is repaired. It happened 3 times to me. Not to mention lots of little 1 minute breaks every few hours while something jammed was removed to unblock the flow of the goods through the factory.
An older worker told me how they used to have a much more regular maintenance schedule and a breakdown was very uncommon. Now that the machines are serviced less often and there are less maintenance staff there are a lot more breakdowns.
Getting rid of some of the maintenance staff was obviously a false cost saving measure.
I could go into this in more detail, but New Zealand being a small place if I was more specific the place I worked at might be identified.
- saveNZ 10.1
  
  14 April 2016 at 11:52 am
  
  Hello there NZJester, pretty much everything you buy these days in made in China or the like for slave wages. And surprise surprise it’s shit and 50% of what you buy does not work, is already missing a part, or only lasts the 1 year of warranty.
  
  Not to mention that under neoliberalism, the company should not be expected to invest in their workforce as the mantra is the ‘individual’ is the sole beneficiary apparently. So they don’t bother training anyone anymore, they just import someone in, or keep the old people going. Young people apparently are not keen to work for minimum wages when it costs more for 1 hr car parking in Auckland than for 1 hour of work in some cases.
  
  And the cronyism and waste. Why worry, because friends of friends get the contracts to everything and are untouchable. Look at the super city IT, over 1 billion and not really anything being done about it, because National and the new Super city structure will just cream it off the ratepayers some more.
  
  Vector, water treatment and so forth. Water meters went from being $500 to $12,000, if something goes wrong with power you have to wait for Vector to turn up (through multiple companies clipping the ticket and adding to the time frames and complexity).
  
  The whole country of NZ is running down. Money is only coming into NZ through migration but the cost is, that NZer’s are losing control and becoming tenants in our own country and of our former businesses.
  
  If you think of a farm, and it is going bankrupt through mismanagement but the farmer just keeps selling off a little chunk each year to keep the bills paid, and borrowing a whole lot more to pay it’s bills. But eventually the farmer is left with a lot of debt and does not even own the farm. That is what the National party has been doing to NZ.
  - Draco T Bastard 10.1.1
    
    14 April 2016 at 2:19 pm
    
    If you think of a farm, and it is going bankrupt through mismanagement but the farmer just keeps selling off a little chunk each year to keep the bills paid, and borrowing a whole lot more to pay it’s bills. But eventually the farmer is left with a lot of debt and does not even own the farm. That is what the National party has been doing to NZ.
    
    That started in the 1980s under the 4th Labour government. Hasn’t really stopped since although it decreased under the 5th Labour government.
    
    We’ve, essentially, stopped investing in ourselves and have started selling ourselves into slavery instead as we sell off industry, land and public assets and businesses.
- Draco T Bastard 10.2
  
  14 April 2016 at 1:53 pm
  
  Yep, seen that as well. As I was a middle manger at the place I complained about it to try and get it fixed. By the time I moved on nothing had happened.
  
  It’s not just maintenance either. Cost cutting is causing all sorts of problems across a range of areas within businesses. Using the wrong equipment or even no equipment, getting someone to make something up rather than just going down the road and buying a pre-made unit etc, etc.
  
  In NZ managers are cutting costs to the detriment of the business. And when they don’t get the expected increase in profits they cut costs even more making it even worse.
Shifty 11

14 April 2016 at 12:03 pm

So this is what my mum faces every day when she goes to work. Anecdotally, none of this is new, well, to us plebeians anyway. To see it formalised really makes for depressing reading. Why do we permit such stupidity? The 1% are totally uneconomical and I’m tired of the props from 1% wannabes. Its enough to stir me into action…but what action to take?
- Stuart Munro 11.1
  
  14 April 2016 at 1:33 pm
  
  Defenestration is one of the traditional responses to non-performing democratic leaders – unfortunately a factor that played a part in the design of the Beehive.
  
  But if we want to rebuild national productivity, co-ops are the way to go. No-one has monopoly power and there is an incentive to share knowledge and support development. No parasitic ‘elite’ class in a co-op, bet the Fonterra farmers wish they didn’t have a parasite group in theirs.
The lost sheep 12

14 April 2016 at 1:44 pm

I’m presuming all the experts commenting here are currently running brilliantly managed innovative research focused companies, that are achieving fantastic levels of productivity?

Or is the Government preventing you?
- McFlock 12.1
  
  14 April 2016 at 1:56 pm
  
  actually, I’m working for a good organisation that has significantly boosted its productivity and nationwide impact over the last five years, as have all its employees.
  
  And yet I still don’t get quite enough to service a mortgage.
  
  The main reason I chose to stay this year was because it makes the country a better place. But financialy – nah.
  - RedLogix 12.1.1
    
    14 April 2016 at 2:08 pm
    
    Which is wrong. In my last role in NZ I generated documented productivity gains in excess of $900k pa over a period of years. Even got written up in industry journals.
    
    Pay still sucked dirt. And I was one of the better off ones.
    - McFlock 12.1.1.1
      
      14 April 2016 at 2:20 pm
      
      yep.
      
      I sure wasn’t bitching – I’m one of the better-off ones in my social group.
  - The lost sheep 12.1.2
    
    14 April 2016 at 2:09 pm
    
    I know a lot of companies that have significantly sharpened their games over the last few years McFlock. IMO all this anecdotal bullshit above is, well, bullshit from people who wouldn’t know how to run a sausage sizzle, but are experts at moaning about how the Government should be doing it for them.
    
    I appreciate your comment about the level of remuneration in NZ, but am interested because I employ a few high end people who would certainly be earning far more if they had stayed in AUST / USA / UK / Sweden etc.
    Some of them tell me that they work here because the net costs v wages thing means they have a better quality of life here than if they were home, and some of them tell me that there are some aspects of quality of life here that they simply couldn’t buy at home.
    
    Which countries do you think you’d be better off in, all things considered?
    - McFlock 12.1.2.1
      
      14 April 2016 at 2:26 pm
      
      Nowhere. Dunedin is home. If I lose all connection to my home, I’ll be ok most places on the planet. Transferable skills, good quals, little capital startup.
      
      But the issue isn’t whether or not I have any connection to the land and community around me.
      
      The issue is the fact that NZ workers are producing more and more, and not sharing in the profits they generate. That’s a fact compiled by statisticsNZ, not anecdotal at all.
      - Draco T Bastard 12.1.2.1.1
        
        14 April 2016 at 4:08 pm
        
        +1
    - Stuart Munro 12.1.2.2
      
      14 April 2016 at 4:23 pm
      
      Korea is certainly better governed – Saudi isn’t but its economy is awash with money – everything is easy except the bureaucracy. China basically sucks – low pay, no environment. NZ would be okay but the government have been wrecking it for the last thirty years. England is poor and miserable, with scarcely a trace of former greatness.
      
      You hope that your government does its job and looks after our people – and then you see that asshole Bill has Chinese boners in Southland now SFF is sold. Same as the Russians who destroyed the fishing industry, there will be nothing left for kiwis unless we punish the traitors.
      - Colonial Viper 12.1.2.2.1
        
        14 April 2016 at 9:40 pm
        
        “China basically sucks.”
        
        It’s all relative. They have far less extreme poverty than countries like India or the USA.
        
        Stuart Munro 12.1.2.2.1.1
        
        14 April 2016 at 10:30 pm
        
        I am of course considering the expat perspective. Rural poverty in parts of China remains pretty significant, and the deculturation China suffered during the 20th century was pretty severe – it makes you want to retire to a quiet corner like Hangzhou and raise violet pearls – but nowhere seems particularly quiet any more. I expect in 20-30 years China will be much better – Korea’s Han river was almost dead 20 years ago – now it’s a park. Bad cultural match for me – as America would be I expect: pushy and lacking substance.
        
        As an ELT teacher you need a healthy economy or what you need to earn to save anything is too great an imposition on your students’ families. If that matters to you.
        
        Colonial Viper …
        
        15 April 2016 at 12:26 am
        
        Although I don’t disagree with your specific comments, I have to state again that China, despite its huge population, has largely escaped the bottom 2 or 3 deciles of personal income, on a global basis.
        
        http://thestandard.org.nz/global-poverty-global-oligarchy/
        
        Of course on an expat basis or vis a vis NZ, they are still much worse off in general, excluding their oligarchic class.
- Draco T Bastard 12.2
  
  14 April 2016 at 1:57 pm
  
  It’s capitalism and the greed of the rich preventing people from improving productivity.
- RedLogix 12.3
  
  14 April 2016 at 2:04 pm
  
  Well as I said above, I’m working for a very innovative company that really is a disruptor in our industry. (Yeah that word is a bit hackey … but it’s true.)
  
  We are doing things … and I mean projects >$100m that no-one else in our industry can or has the balls to do. Is my world perfect? Of course not, but our senior management does value hard work and new ideas They’re always looking for better AND safer ways to do things. On a daily basis.
  
  Shame is I had to move to Aus to find it.
- Descendant Of Sssmith 12.4
  
  14 April 2016 at 5:54 pm
  
  I’ve got a decent sized list of innovative ideas for various employers that have gone through to implementation that have made many things better and increased productivity.
  
  I’ve got other things that become someone else’s idea a couple of years later – often the same person that poohed poohed it two years earlier.
  
  I also see what’s wrong with things which poor managers see as negativity and good managers use to manage risk.
  
  I’d say it’s been about 50/50 over the years.
  
  It’s pretty obvious over the years that there are some pretty skilled and knowledgeable people on this site.
  
  Making lots of money isn’t necessarily the motivation for many.
  
  Sometimes saving lost sheep is all we aim to do.
  - The lost sheep 12.4.1
    
    14 April 2016 at 9:25 pm
    
    Making lots of money isn’t necessarily the motivation for many
    
    I agree. The real purpose is the creation of ‘wealth’ for the many.
    What ever the motivation, we need people who are intelligently working to better our collective situation.
    
    Personally, I think the (oops) responsibility (oops) for that lies far more with the people than it does with the Government.
    Either way, more power to you for your contribution Sssmith.
    - Colonial Viper 12.4.1.1
      
      14 April 2016 at 9:42 pm
      
      “What ever the motivation, we need people who are intelligently working to better our collective situation.”
      
      That’s not what happens in an oligarchy.
      - The lost sheep 12.4.1.1.1
        
        14 April 2016 at 10:36 pm
        
        Yup.
        But not sure how that is relevant?
        A society with Universal suffrage is not an oligarchy, like NZ if that is what you are implying, and so there is nothing stopping you getting out and creating enterprises that benefit the people.
        
        Be a far more significant contribution to the general good than spending all day whinging about the Labour Party on an obscure blog don’t you think?
        
        Stuart Munro 12.4.1.1.1.1
        
        14 April 2016 at 10:48 pm
        
        Ha. Read Michel’s Iron Law.
        
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_law_of_oligarchy
        
        The lost sheep …
        
        14 April 2016 at 11:05 pm
        
        You are quoting a 1911 theory by someone who went on to migrate to Italy and joined Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Party, as he believed this was the next legitimate step of modern societies
        
        That’s about where I’d picked your political sympathies lay Stuart.
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        14 April 2016 at 11:51 pm
        
        And RWNJs keep referencing back to an 18th century book but ignore the greater lessons of the author of that book.
        
        The lost sheep …
        
        15 April 2016 at 7:15 am
        
        What book and what lessons Draco?
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        15 April 2016 at 10:57 am
        
        The Wealth of Nations but fail to take into account Smith’s philosophy.
        
        The lost sheep …
        
        15 April 2016 at 11:21 am
        
        Even older than Marx Draco. I don’t think anyone takes it as gospel now days.
        
        Stuart Munro …
        
        15 April 2016 at 11:46 am
        
        Nevertheless there is always an oligarchy. In NZ it’s currently a set of tax-evading property speculators and dairy concerns.
        
        As a RWNJ I must defer to your insider’s knowledge of fascism.
Whispering Kate 13

14 April 2016 at 2:36 pm

Another way for companies to cut costs is through the tool of job attrition, where a staff member leaves they are not replaced, their job is shared among remaining staff and so on. I know a company who has a third less staff now and, granted the economy hasn’t been helpful they nevertheless are left with stressed staff, job morale is low and everybody on a daily basis feels not very loyal to the company. Suspicious always. What sort of a job experience is that. And, writers on this site are correct middle/top tier managers are usually psychopathic and bullies or haven’t a clue how to interact with their staff. Bill English has been out of the “real job market” for 40 years if he ever was in it, what gives him the right to slag off NZ young men – he has a family of his own and probably sons, what a terrible thing to say.
- Sacha 13.1
  
  14 April 2016 at 9:45 pm
  
  Talked with someone in that boat this week – 30% more work, no increased pay, respect, anything. Leaving.
Sacha 14

14 April 2016 at 9:43 pm

The Herald’s Brian Gaynor assesses how and why NZ business leaders fail to perform long-term: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11195066
hoom 15

16 April 2016 at 7:27 pm

Bit late so probably nobody will read it but:
The thing about Productivity as an economics term at the national level is that its not what most people (& especially the righties like to make us think) it is.

Productivity = GDP/hours worked

GDP = compensation of employees + gross operating surplus + gross mixed income + taxes less subsidies on production and imports

So if you keep salaries & taxes low you are actively working against GDP growth -> Productivity stays flat.
Increasing salaries & tax will increase GDP -> Productivity.
Increasing hours worked without increasing salaries also works to keep Productivity flat.

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6 days ago

A pallid shade of Green III
Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
6 days ago

A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaos
Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
6 days ago

More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
6 days ago

Letter To Luxon.
Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
6 days ago

LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
Lindsay Mitchell writes – While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
6 days ago

BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Brian Easton writes – Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
6 days ago

CRL Progress – Sep-23
It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
6 days ago

Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enough
We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
6 days ago

Game on; Hipkins comes out punching
Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
PolitikBy Richard Harman
6 days ago

Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
1 week ago

MIKE GRIMSHAW: It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…
Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
1 week ago

Labour Manifesto 2023
Labour is in it for you. This election Kiwis will decide what kind of country they want New Zealand to be, who they trust to have their back, and how we can be better, together. This election matters. View our full Manifesto below. ...
Labour Blog
1 hour ago

Release: National's water U-turn will drive up New Zealanders' rates bills
The National Party's U-turn on water reform has left local councils high and dry and will drive up Kiwi's rates bills, Labour Party Local Government Spokesperson Kieran McAnulty says. ...
Labour Blog
5 hours ago

Labour's Rainbow Manifesto
A re-elected Labour Party will continue to tackle discriminations still faced by members of the Rainbow community in areas ranging from surrogacy and adoption to blood donation. ...
Labour Blog
23 hours ago

Release: National’s plan means more cuts, more kids in poverty
National’s fiscal plan has failed to fill the massive fiscal hole in its dodgy tax scheme, it will mean more cuts to public services, more children being put into poverty and an end to action on climate change. ...
Labour Blog
2 days ago

Release: Labour will continue to back Kiwis when the going gets tough
Labour’s Social Development Plan will build on the social welfare safety net, rather than strip it back. ...
Labour Blog
2 days ago

Policy Announcements: Law & Order and Justice, Courts & Corrections
New Zealand First Policy Announcement: Law and Order New Zealand First believes that keeping society safe should be the priority of law-and-order policies. Every New Zealander deserves to feel safe, secure, and have their person and property respected. That is why New Zealand First continues to fix the flaws in ...
NZ First Press Release
3 days ago

Labour's Dirt Campaign Exposed With Media Help
In last night’s leaders debate Labour Leader Chris Hipkins referred to a quote without giving any explanation of its content, which was about the ‘disease of co-governance’ that is perpetuated by the Māori elite, and he said it was racist. Then, without even examining the content, National leader Christopher Luxon agreed with ...
NZ First Press Release
3 days ago

Labour's Dirt Campaign Exposed With Media Help
In last night’s leaders debate Labour Leader Chris Hipkins referred to a quote without giving any explanation of its content, which was about the ‘disease of co-governance’ that is perpetuated by the Māori elite, and he said it was racist. Then, without even examining the content, National leader Christopher Luxon agreed with ...
NZ First News
3 days ago

Chris Hipkins: Speech Progressing Together
Today, Chris Hipkins delivered a speech about Labour’s relationship with and ongoing commitment to Māori. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Release: National out of ideas on law and order, copies Labour’s policies and costings
After years of criticising the Government on law and order, National have embarrassed themselves by conceding they have no new ideas and instead copied Labour’s Police policy announced three weeks ago, Labour Police spokesperson Ginny Andersen says. ...
Labour Blog
4 days ago

Release: Labour releases balanced, costed and credible fiscal plan
Labour’s fiscal plan will continue its focus on carefully managing the books while protecting critical public services like health and education and investing to deliver high wage jobs and a low carbon economy. ...
Labour Blog
4 days ago

Policy Announcement: Capped Time-Period For Job Seeker Beneficiaries
New Zealand First today is announcing a policy on adjusting the rules and restrictions around access to the Job Seeker Benefit. New Zealand First’s policy is to introduce a capped time-period for any person to access the Job Seeker Benefit during their lifetime. Any individual will have the ability to access the Job Seeker ...
NZ First Press Release
5 days ago

Policy Announcement: Capped Time-Period For Job Seeker Beneficiaries
New Zealand First today is announcing a policy on adjusting the rules and restrictions around access to the Job Seeker Benefit. New Zealand First’s policy is to introduce a capped time-period for any person to access the Job Seeker Benefit during their lifetime. Any individual will have the ability to access the Job Seeker ...
NZ First News
5 days ago

Release: National’s traffic light system has child poverty reduction stalling
National’s cuts to funding for beneficiaries will once again leave children and their parents with less, Spokesperson for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni said. ...
Labour Blog
5 days ago

Green Party will end child poverty
The Green Party will double the Best Start payment and make it available for every child under three years of age - and it will be paid for with a fair tax system. ...
Greens
5 days ago

Release: Labour pledges billion-dollar medicines boost
Labour will fund more medicines for more New Zealanders by investing over $1 billion of new funding into Pharmac if re-elected, Chris Hipkins announced today. ...
Labour Blog
5 days ago

National's welfare policy is cruel
The National Party’s job seeker policy announced today is heartless. ...
Greens
5 days ago

Labour's PHARMAC Policy A Placebo
Labour has just announced a policy to increase Pharmac funding by $1billion over four years to fund additional medicines. With the current Pharmac budget of $1.2billion per year and needing a further $213million, by Minister Verrall’s own admission, just to keep up with current costs - then this is nothing ...
NZ First Press Release
5 days ago

Labour's PHARMAC Policy A Placebo
Labour has just announced a policy to increase Pharmac funding by $1billion over four years to fund additional medicines. With the current Pharmac budget of $1.2billion per year and needing a further $213million, by Minister Verrall’s own admission, just to keep up with current costs - then this is nothing ...
NZ First News
5 days ago

Re: The Call For Corporate Manslaughter Legislation
This matter begins with the Pike River investigation being inadequate, inexplicably lengthy, and after millions of dollars, the evidence that should have been placed before the public still has not been. We have always believed that Pike River is a crime scene, and that a proper investigation would have come to that conclusion. Blue ...
NZ First News
6 days ago

Re: The Call For Corporate Manslaughter Legislation
This matter begins with the Pike River investigation being inadequate, inexplicably lengthy, and after millions of dollars, the evidence that should have been placed before the public still has not been. We have always believed that Pike River is a crime scene, and that a proper investigation would have come to that conclusion. Blue ...
NZ First Press Release
6 days ago

Release: Labour releases New Zealand’s first climate manifesto
New Zealand faces a stark choice this election – vote for Labour to continue to confront the climate emergency with eyes wide open or bury your head in the sand alongside Christopher Luxon. ...
Labour Blog
6 days ago

Green voice crucial for climate action
The Green Party is today welcoming Labour’s climate manifesto, but is clear that much more will need to be done to tackle the climate crisis. ...
Greens
6 days ago

Speech: Chris Hipkins – Wellington Rally, 24 September
...
Labour Blog
7 days ago

People need a government that will build many more homes
Labour’s plan to build more homes is a welcome step forward, but it lacks ambition. ...
Greens
7 days ago

Release: Supercharging public housing
Labour is supercharging its plan to solve the public housing shortfall created by National, promising another 6,000 homes on top of what has already been committed says Labour Housing spokesperson Dr Megan Woods. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Release: New Super Visa for migrants’ parents and rights for Dawn Raid victims
Labour will back migrant working families by introducing a 10-year multiple-entry parents’ and grandparents’ Super Visa, and make good on the Dawn Raids apology by providing a one-off visa for overstayers who have been in the country ten years or more, Labour’s Immigration Spokesperson Andrew Little says. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Only the Greens will deliver a fair amnesty for overstayers
The Green Party is today welcoming Labour coming to the table to ensure an amnesty for overstayers, but only the Greens will ensure immigration settings actually reflect the reality of people who have been failed by our immigration system. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Climate future of communities on the line this election
Green Party co leader James Shaw attended a South Dunedin Future street meeting today to discuss local responses to climate change. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Green Party calls for stronger action by Auckland Council to protect urban trees and native forest
The Green Party is calling on Auckland Council to do more to protect urban trees and housing developer Aedifice Property Group to restore and replant the native forest it cleared, and protect all the remaining trees on Ngahere Road in Pukekohe after a significant number of native trees were cut ...
Greens
1 week ago

Release: Ram Raids drop to two-year low
Latest Police data shows monthly ram raids have hit a two-year low, laying waste to Christopher Luxon’s false claim that there are two ram raids a day says Labour’s Police Spokesperson Ginny Andersen. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Every party needs to step up on school lunches
Labour has finally said it would continue free school lunches - and the Green Party is calling on every party to step up. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Release: School lunches on the line this election
Free and healthy school lunches will be here to stay if Labour is re-elected, guaranteeing food for our kids who need it most and significant cost saving for parents. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Release: Labour commits to a new hospital for the people of Hawke’s Bay
The next Labour Government will build a new hospital in Hawke’s Bay, Labour leader Chris Hipkins and Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall announced. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Govt changes fall short of what’s needed for migrant protection
The Green Party will keep up the fight to support exploited migrant workers, including pushing to end single employer visas, after the government picked up Green recommendations to improve immigration settings. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Clean Power Payment the smartest way forward to reduce emissions and bills
Green Party co leader James Shaw visited a home in Auckland today that has been upgraded with a wide range of energy improvements, similar to those that would be supported through the Green Party’s Clean Power Payment. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Foreign Minister's Action – A Contempt For “Caretaker Government” Convention
The Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta’s presence in New York today at the United Nations General Assembly is a contempt of New Zealand’s “caretaker government” convention. Despite the long-standing caretaker convention, Minister Mahuta is today at the UN to sign a highly contentious “Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement”, delivering a ...
NZ First Press Release
2 weeks ago

Back To Black Responsibly
The Pre-Election Fiscal Update Changes Everything Within an hour of this speech there is going to be a debate between the political parties that the media, under MMP, still think are the only parties that matter in this campaign. Both of those parties are riddled with inexperience, as evidenced by ...
NZ First Press Release
2 weeks ago

Stop the cuts before they start – Labour launches new TV ad
National and ACT's tax plans don't add up, and that means deep cuts to the public services New Zealanders rely on, says Labour Campaign Chair Megan Woods. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Free school lunches paid for with a wealth tax
The Green Party will expand free school lunches and pay for it with a fair tax system. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Safeguarding Tuvalu language and identity
Tuvalu is in the spotlight this week as communities across New Zealand celebrate Vaiaso o te Gagana Tuvalu – Tuvalu Language Week. “The Government has a proven record of supporting Pacific communities and ensuring more of our languages are spoken, heard and celebrated,” Pacific Peoples Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Many ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 hours ago

New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Immigration settings updates
Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

COVID-19 funding returned to Government
The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Appointment of District Court Judge
Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today. Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today. “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

More support for victims of migrant exploitation
Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

New Zealand provides support to Morocco
Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Government invests in Greymouth’s future
The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 weeks ago

Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 weeks ago

PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflation
Economy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 weeks ago

New cancer centre opens in Christchurch
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 weeks ago

Two Million Free Hours Of Maths And Literacy Catch Up
Intermediate and secondary school students will have access to two million free tutoring sessions to help lift maths and literacy achievement A maths and literacy training fund for all primary and intermediate teachers More funding to help young ...
Scoop politics
1 hour ago

Let’s Vote For The Aotearoa We Deserve
The Future is Up to Us released today by the Green Party is a clear vision of the future we can build together. The Green Party has also published an independent fiscal review of the policy priorities set out in The Future is Up to Us , which shows ...
Scoop politics
1 hour ago

National’s water U-turn will drive up New Zealanders’ rates bills
The National Party’s U-turn on water reform has left local councils high and dry and will drive up Kiwi’s rates bills, Labour Party Local Government Spokesperson Kieran McAnulty says. “The National Party said they’ll repeal Affordable Water ...
Scoop politics
2 hours ago

Election 2023: Green Party unveils policy priorities and fiscal plan review
The Green Party has unveiled its policy priorities as well as an independent fiscal review, which it says shows their plan adds up. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 hours ago

Why you must vote ACT for real change
Today, ACT Leader David Seymour released a video asking New Zealanders to Party Vote ACT to avoid inaction and instability. You can watch the video by clicking the image below. “ACT is making one final appeal to voters before the polls open tomorrow. ...
Scoop politics
2 hours ago

National Announces 100 Day Action Plan
If New Zealanders choose a National-led government to rebuild the economy and deliver tax relief, we will go to work immediately implementing our 100 Day Action Plan, National Party Christopher Luxon says. “New Zealanders have waited six long years ...
Scoop politics
2 hours ago

It could all come down to one seat: Seymour
With advance voting almost under way, Act pitches hard for voters to exclude "chaos" in a future government by ensuring National and Act can govern, Tim Murphy reports Act leader David Seymour is emphasising one extra seat could be the difference between "real change" and "chaos" in a centre-right government after ...
Newsroom
2 hours ago

'It's because I'm young, I'm female, and I'm Māori'
The country’s youngest candidate to run for Parliament has made three separate reports to police after her home was broken into and her rubbish rifled through. Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke says other political leaders have gaslighted her experience. Te Pāti Māori Hauraki Waikato’s candidate says she isn’t scared or shaken by the ...
Newsroom
2 hours ago

Election 2023: Labour reveals full policy plan
Labour has released its full policy plan this afternoon, with a focus on improving education for children and funding for training and work for youth. ...
Radio NZ – political
3 hours ago

Chris Hipkins isolating with Covid-19
The Prime Minister and Labour leader has tested positive for Covid-19 and is isolating for five days or until he returns a negative test After feeling unwell on Sunday morning and cancelling his attendance at a Samoan church service in Auckland, Chris Hipkins has now tested positive for Covid-19. He ...
Newsroom
3 hours ago

'Bugger' – Labour leader Chris Hipkins tests positive for Covid-19 at crucial point ...
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has revealed that he has tested positive for Covid-19, just as the party prepares to release its manifesto today. ...
Radio NZ – political
4 hours ago

Prime minister tests positive for Covid-19
Prime minister Chris Hipkins has tested positive for Covid-19, and will be isolating for five days or until he returns a negative test. A spokesperson confirmed he has cold and flu symptoms that began yesterday and will continue with engagements he can undertake via Zoom. Hipkins missed an event on ...
The SpinoffBy Anna Rawhiti-Connell
4 hours ago

Mediawatch: Giving young people an election voice
The TVNZ Young Voters' debate run by Re:News was a rowdy interjection into a relatively subdued election campaign, and its moderator has some ideas on how media organisations can better cater to young people. ...
Radio NZ – political
4 hours ago

‘I’ve got news for you and your masters’: Winston Peters takes aim at ‘corrupt’ TVNZ
In a bizarre interview with TVNZ’s Q&A programme this morning, NZ First leader Winston Peters said he would “make sure” he secured the broadcasting portfolio should his party make it into government. “We’ll start with TVNZ after the campaign,” he told journalist Jack Tame in an interview that made yesterday’s ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
5 hours ago

Election 2023: National Party releases 100-day action plan if elected
The National Party has released its plan of what it would do in its first 100 days in government, if elected. ...
Radio NZ – political
6 hours ago

Hipkins missing morning campaign event but will launch Labour manifesto
Labour’s manifesto launch will go ahead this afternoon, despite leader Chris Hipkins missing an event on the campaign trail this morning due to being unwell. Deputy prime minister Carmel Sepuloni is speaking at a Sāmoan church service in Auckland this morning in Hipkins’ place, but according to a Labour spokesperson, ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
6 hours ago

National sets out priorities in ‘100-day action plan’
National has pledged to remove the Auckland fuel tax, repeal water reform and resource management legislation, ban gang patches and remove funding for cultural reports used in sentencing in its first 100 days in office. The party has set out a range of priorities for its first 100 days in ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
6 hours ago

Chris Hipkins unwell, to miss morning campaign event
The prime minister is missing an event on the campaign trail this morning because he’s unwell. Chris Hipkins was due to speak at a Sāmoan church service in Auckland, but deputy prime minister Carmel Sepuloni is stepping in to take his place. Hipkins is scheduled to launch Labour’s manifesto at ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
6 hours ago

Make it strange: an interview with Bill Nelson
Lawrence Patchett talks to Bill Nelson about Root, Leaf, Flower, Fruit, a verse novel that Nelson has just released with Te Herenga Waka University Press. Bill Nelson demonstrated his versatility with his first book, Memorandum of Understanding. A book of surprising range and humour, it included a love poem styled ...
The SpinoffBy Lawrence Patchett
7 hours ago

The French vanilla fraud
None of New Zealand’s commercial French vanilla ice creams contain the crucial ingredient. Dylan Jones busts the case wide open. Like any good investigation, this one started as an innocuous Thursday night question among flatmates: what is French vanilla ice cream, and how is it different to regular vanilla? A ...
The SpinoffBy Dylan Jones
8 hours ago

An Ode for .. the Kingmaker
Bard Billot on Lord Winston The Duke of Hazard Lord Winston, the Duke of Hazard, Rose late and yawned. The Palace was loud with the hubbub Of busy courtiers preparing to flee the city. Outside the gates, the followers of Baron Luxon Prepared for their assault upon the ...
Newsroom
8 hours ago

Election 2023: All the latest developments on 1 October
National leader Christopher Luxon says he wouldn't do a deal with The Opportunities Party leader Raf Manji, even if it could help avoid a potential coalition with New Zealand First. ...
Radio NZ – political
9 hours ago

All Black legend’s Mitey legacy
School-aged children in the south are increasing their emotional literacy and talking about the tough stuff thanks to a rugby star’s commitment and a Southland teacher’s persistence Belinda Brown was a teacher with two decades of classroom experience when she heard Sir John Kirwan talk at a Winton pub about his ...
Newsroom
10 hours ago

The time is ripe to turn wine waste into gold
The promise of science to add commercial value to the waste of the New Zealand wine industry while limiting how much of it is sent to landfill Opinion: The New Zealand wine industry has been a great success story, creating world-renowned wines with continued export demand, but it’s an industry ...
Newsroom
10 hours ago

The Sunday Essay: The joy of paper diaries
My appointment diary will never be replaced by apps and platforms. It is the only true record of the minutiae of my life. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Images by Tina Tiller. I bumped into an old friend and former colleague ...
The SpinoffBy Venetia Sherson
11 hours ago

The truth behind the ‘audacious’ return of the Pop-up Globe
The Pop-up Globe might be returning to the stage, but not everybody’s happy about it. Sam Brooks talks to some creditors – left in the dark after the company’s liquidation – about its shock 2023 return. On September 15, the Pop-up Globe announced it would be making an “audacious” return ...
The SpinoffBy Sam Brooks
11 hours ago

NZ elections 2023: Green Party, Te Pāti Māori call out ‘harmful emboldening of extremism’
RNZ News Green Party co-leader James Shaw has compared the language of New Zealand First leader Winston Peters to former US president Donald Trump, saying it may be emboldening violence against candidates in Aotearoa NZ’s election campaign. It comes after several candidates from different parties have spoken out about being ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
17 hours ago

Hipkins claims the 'm' word
Chris Hipkins endured four seasons in one hour at an outdoor festival in an Auckland park – and claims to be sensing a rapid change in mood in the electorate as well, a fortnight from the election The Labour leader has gone there. He's publicly claiming his party has picked up 'momentum' in this ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Labour releases Rainbow Manifesto, promising reformed surrogacy laws and LGBTQ+ refugee quota
The party also wants to look at possibly removing the stand-down period for blood donation men who have sex with men currently face. ...
Radio NZ – political
23 hours ago

Green Party and Te Pāti Māori call out 'harmful emboldening of extremism' after incident...
Green Party co-leader James Shaw has compared the language of New Zealand First leader Winston Peters to Donald Trump, saying it may be emboldening violence against candidates. ...
Radio NZ – political
24 hours ago

1 in 50 Fijian children may have rheumatic heart disease, says health chief
By Pauliasi Mateboto in Suva One in 50 Fijian children could have rheumatic heart disease and children between the ages of five to 15 years are the most at risk of rheumatic fever. While revealing these alarming statistics, Health Secretary Dr James Fong revealed the high figures indicated the high ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
24 hours ago

NZ election 2023: Police investigate after invasion of Te Pāti Māori candidate’s home
RNZ News New Zealand police are investigating after the home of Te Pāti Māori election candidate Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke was invaded, vandalised, and a threatening letter left behind. They said the burglary of a Huntly home was reported to police on Monday. On Friday, Te Pāti Māori issued a statement saying ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
1 day ago

Anti-co-governance march to parliament overshadowed by counterprotest
A protest against co-governance led by Julian Batchelor, a prominent figure in the movement, has ended, with police saying there were no issues. About 300 people marched from Civic Square to parliament in Wellington today, according to a police press release, and they have now departed parliament grounds. About 45 ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
1 day ago

ACT's business plan: Removing January holiday, putting minimum wage on hold
The ACT Party says it would abolish Fair Pay Agreements, put a hold on minimum wage increases for three years, and remove the 2 January public holiday. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Police investigate after invasion of Te Pāti Māori candidate's home
Police are investigating after the home of Te Pāti Māori candidate Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke was invaded, vandalised, and a threatening letter left behind. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Election 2023: All the latest developments on 30 September
There's no break in sight for the political party leaders as they continue to campaign in communities on Saturday. Follow RNZ's live blog for more. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Andy Foster plots his glorious return
Former Wellington mayor Andy Foster is attempting a political comeback as a candidate for NZ First. He talks to Joel MacManus. Fear not, Wellingtonians, your leader has returned from exile: Andy Foster is back. After nine terms on council and one term as mayor, Foster lost his re-election bid to ...
The SpinoffBy Joel MacManus
1 day ago

Andy Foster plots his glorious return
Former Wellington mayor Andy Foster is attempting a political comeback as a candidate for NZ First. He talks to Joel MacManus. Fear not, Wellingtonians, your leader has returned from exile: Andy Foster is back. After nine terms on council and one term as mayor, Foster lost his re-election bid to ...
The SpinoffBy Joel MacManus
1 day ago

‘Who’s that?’ says Peters of Luxon in at times jovial, at times furious interview
In an interview that swung from jovial to furious and back again, Winston Peters joked about National leader Christopher Luxon’s claim not to know him, and denied his party was responsible for race-baiting that’s led to an escalation in vitriol towards Māori. In an interview on Newshub Nation this morning, ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
1 day ago

‘Who’s that?’ says Peters of Luxon in at times jovial, at times furious interview
In an interview that swung from jovial to furious and back again, Winston Peters joked about National leader Christopher Luxon’s claim not to know him, and denied his party was responsible for race-baiting that’s led to an escalation in vitriol towards Māori. In an interview on Newshub Nation this morning, ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
1 day ago

‘I had to drive into a wheelbarrow’: Miriama Smith on the TV ad that haunts her
The star of Shortland Street, The Gone and now Celebrity Treasure Island shares some of her favourite TV moments. Name a New Zealand television show, and Miriama Smith has probably been in it. For the past 30 years, the actor and presenter has been a welcome fixture on our TV ...
The SpinoffBy My Life in TV
1 day ago

The Week in Detail: Tiny homes, mental health awareness, and Afghan refugees
Every weekday, The Detail makes sense of the big news stories. This week, the big problems with tiny homes, how we can do our bit to mitigate climate change (besides recycling), why it's so difficult to keep our drinking water safe, the limits of mental health 'awareness', and the case of an ...
Newsroom
1 day ago

VOTE2023: Q&A with James Shaw
In this week's episode of VOTE2023, we talk to Green Party co-leader and Climate Change Minister James Shaw about student-focused policies, electric vehicles, the Emissions Trading Scheme, and whether the Green Party would form a coalition government with National This series is made by politics students and aims to entertain ...
Newsroom
1 day ago

Their house, my garden: Growing things in pots
See ya later, ground. This week on Their house, my garden, it’s all pots, balconies, window ledges and the kitchen bench. Sometimes you move into a tiny CBD apartment to live out your urbanite dreams. You put on your sparkly eyeshadow and smile till 3am behind the bar of a ...
The SpinoffBy Gabi Lardies
1 day ago

Getting the brain back on track: Is there new hope for sufferers of chronic illness?
After a mild traumatic brain injury turned her life into a ‘game of snakes and ladders with no ladders’, Ursula Cochran discovered a powerful tool she could use to start getting better – her own brain. Here, she explores the potential of mind-body training for sufferers of other chronic illnesses, ...
The SpinoffBy Ursula Cochran
1 day ago

Getting the brain back on track: How my recovery from chronic illness could hold hope for others
After a mild traumatic brain injury turned her life into a ‘game of snakes and ladders with no ladders’, Ursula Cochran discovered a powerful tool she could use to start getting better – her own brain. Here, she explores the potential of mind-body training for other sufferers. This piece is ...
The SpinoffBy Ursula Cochran
1 day ago

Long Read: The food lobby in Aotearoa
This is The Detail's Long Read – one in-depth story read by us every weekend This week, it's a story from RNZ's In Depth team: 'Fully embedded': The food lobby in Aotearoa. Investigative reporter Guyon Espiner has come out with a new series, Off the Shelf, looking at the quiet struggle to stop New Zealanders eating ...
Newsroom
1 day ago

Media targeting public for a war with China, warns Declassified Australia
Pacific Media Watch Barely a day passes without a story in the British or Australian media that ramps up fear about the rulers in Beijing, reports the investigative website Declassified Australia. According to an analysis by co-editors Antony Loewenstein and Peter Cronau, the Australian and British media are ramping up ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

Indonesian police raid church office, home in Nduga – arrest six, torture 12
Asia Pacific Report Members of Indonesia’s Nduga District Police and the Damai Cartenz Police Task Force have raided a residential house and the local head office of the Papuan Tabernacle Church (Kingmi Papua) in the town of Kenyam, Nduga Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province, reports Human Rights Monitor. Before raiding the ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

Candidate's home broken into, vandalised, threat left behind
The home of Te Pāti Māori candidate Hana Maipi-Clarke was broken into, vandalised, and a threatening letter left behind this week. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

‘Politically motivated attack’: Te Pāti Māori candidate’s home vandalised, ‘threatening le...
Te Pāti Māori’s candidate for Hauraki-Waikato says her home was “invaded, vandalised, and left with a threatening letter” in what the party is calling a “politically motivated attack”. Hana-Rawhiti Maipi Clark said the “premeditated and targeted attack” was the latest of three incidents to take place at her home just ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
2 days ago

Ghoulish smoke and mirrors: Reaction to National's fiscal plan
The National Party's fiscal plan is ghoulish smoke and mirrors that will put more children into poverty, if you listen to Labour and the Green Party. ACT is critical, too. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

Taking The Politics Out Of The Covid-19 Royal Commission
“ACT will take the politics out of the Royal Commission into the Government’s Covid-19 response by allowing all New Zealanders to have their say on what should be investigated through a new crowdsourced terms of reference”, says ACT Leader ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Te Pāti Māori Candidate Hana Maipi-Clark’s Home Invaded In Politically Motivated Attack
Te Pāti Māori are not strangers to hate speech and online threats. Today however, a line was crossed. Our Hauraki-Waikato candidate, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi Clark’s home was invaded, vandalised, and left with a threatening letter. This premeditated and ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

The disability royal commission recommendations could fix some of the worst living conditions – bu...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, La Trobe University The bite mark on Ashlee’s cheek, her broken teeth and other photos of injuries from assaults in disability housing are some of the haunting images emerging from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

The Week in Politics: Luxon likely to get what he doesn't want
Analysis - Christopher Luxon's announcement that he'll work with Winston Peters after the election if he has to boosts NZ First's chances of getting back into Parliament, writes Peter Wilson. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

National's big guns come out in Tāmaki
National has wheeled out its stars into the blue, blue seat of Tāmaki which is under friendly fire attack from Act deputy leader Brooke van Velden First Bill English, then Christopher Luxon fronted within two days of each other for Simon O'Connor in the previously safe National heartland of the east ...
Newsroom
2 days ago

Concern at candidate's assault: 'He shook me, slapped my cheeks'
Chris Hipkins has condemned the increased risk of campaign trail violence as police investigate an assault on Labour’s Angela Roberts Labour’s candidate for Taranaki-King Country has confirmed she was assaulted following an election debate at the Inglewood Rotary Club earlier this week. Angela Roberts explained in a Facebook post after ...
Newsroom
2 days ago

National's fiscal plan doesn't answer tax cut questions
National may have hoped its detailed fiscal plan would put to bed the lingering questions about how it will pay for its tax cuts, but there are no satisfactory answers in sight, Marc Daalder writes Analysis: Grant Robertson says National's new fiscal plan has a $537 million hole in it and ...
Newsroom
2 days ago

Beneficiary Bashing Continues This Election With National, ACT & NZ First Policies
“People who experience poverty as sanctioned by a capitalist system shouldn’t be punished for the predicament they’re in” says Brooke Pao Stanley, AAAP Coordinator. These parties use fear based politics to gain popularity and continue to push a narrative ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Foreign policy has been missing from NZ’s election campaign – voters deserve answers to these bi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Tax cuts, crime, the cost of living, potholes and co-governance … these and various other issues are now familiar to most voters. But there has been one major election area missing the serious debate ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Labour candidate slapped following debate in Taranaki
Labour candidate Angela Roberts, a list MP campaigning in Taranaki-King Country, was shaken and slapped by a member of the public following a debate on Tuesday this week. She described the incident on Facebook. While talking about education policy with an attendee after an event at Inglewood Rotary Club, the ...
The SpinoffBy Shanti Mathias
2 days ago

Forest Owners Welcome National's Forest Policy But Hold Reservations On Planting Restrictions
The Forest Owners Association generally welcomes the National Party forestry policy announcement that National wants to give certainty and support to the forestry and wood processing industry clearly recognising its economic and environmental advantages. ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Funding The Basics Brilliantly Would Be A Start
Both major parties needed to have prioritised ongoing new investment in children and education in their allowances for new spending, NZEI Te Riu Roa president Mark Potter said today. “The two fiscal plans released this week made pre-commitments ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

National’s Fiscal Plan Continues Attack On Low Income Households
National has finally released its fiscal plan after much delay and it reveals a plan to cut the incomes and essential public services the poorest New Zealanders rely on, just so they can pay for tax cuts for landlords and the well-off, says NZCTU ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Governor-General’s Official Visit To Malaysia
The Governor-General of New Zealand, Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, and Dr Richard Davies will depart for an official visit to Malaysia on Sunday 1 October 2023. Their Excellencies are travelling to Malaysia at the invitation of His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

‘Forcing more children into poverty’: Labour responds to National’s fiscal plan
Labour says National’s plan to index benefits to inflation rather than wages will result in more children living in poverty. Speaking in Lower Hutt today, party leader Chris Hipkins said National was proposing “$2 billion in benefit cuts”. “In the middle of a cost of living crisis, they’re cutting benefits ...
The SpinoffBy Alice Neville
2 days ago

Review Of Wellbeing Strategy Needed As Police Recruitment Declines; Suicides Continue
Hatikvah Blue Hope Foundation is gravely concerned following the suicide of another serving police officer in the past month, and we extend our deepest sympathy to the grieving family. This tragedy comes as NZ Police is seeing a staggering 48.5% decline ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Here’s how to fix Australia’s approach to soil carbon credits so they really count towards our c...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron Simmons, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, University of New England William Edge, Shutterstock Australia’s plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 relies heavily on carbon credits. These credits are awarded to projects that avoid the release ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
2 days ago

Tough Times Ahead For Children In Hardship Under Next Government, CPAG Warns
The Child Poverty Action Group is asking the National Party to make good on its commitment to children in poverty, but says the party’s fiscal plan reveals it has no desire or intention to help those living in the greatest poverty in Aotearoa. ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Review: Patricia Highsmith play never quite reaches its subject’s brilliance
Sam Brooks reviews Auckland Theatre Company’s Switzerland, which can’t quite meet its subject straight in the eye. What is it? The last show in Auckland Theatre Company’s programme is somewhat of a pivot from the rest of its programme this year. It’s a psychological thriller by an Australian playwright (Joanna ...
The SpinoffBy Sam Brooks
2 days ago

The Friday Poem: ‘farm to table’ by kī anthony
A new poem by kī anthony. farm to table there is a story in my body that you want to hear. pull me apart like supermarket pizzabread and tell me who i am. narrative unspools my broken cassette; pick up your fork. wind me up. present me on masterchef and ...
The SpinoffBy kī anthony
2 days ago

'Completely unacceptable': Labour candidate Angela Roberts 'slapped' following p...
The candidate for Taranaki-King Country says she was going to let it go, but realised it was important to take a stand against aggressive and unacceptable behaviour. ...
Radio NZ – political
2 days ago

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending September 29
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. AUCKLAND 1 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Vintage, $26) Gamer Queen of the list! ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff Review of Books
2 days ago

Taxpayers’ Union Slams National’s Alternative Fiscal Plan
The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming the plan released by the National Party today saying it barely touches the sides in terms of cutting waste, and realigning the sector to live within the country’s means. Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Jordan ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

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