It’s different when it’s your job

Written By: - Date published: 12:50 am, July 18th, 2010 - 47 comments
Categories: class war, workers' rights - Tags:

In a pretty shameful piece of political pandering, the Department of Labour has released a study on the 90 Day Fire at Will legislation just ahead of John Key’s announcement to extend it to all working Kiwis. When Fire at Will was introduced, the Minister of Labour, Kate Wilkinson, said DoL wouldn’t be monitoring its effects, so it’s no surprise that this is a pretty half-arsed and politically convenient piece of work.

The report isn’t on the DoL website (great work, guys) but the media coverage shows that it is written almost entirely from the employer’s perspective. Not surprisingly, employers love being able to hire someone and fire them without justified cause or fair process. It gives them carte blanche to fire anyone who isn’t completely subservient. Of course they want Fire at Will extended to all workers.

I can’t help but notice a sinister coincidence: the percentage of workers who were fired after their 90 no rights period (Derek Cheng means during the period, surely) and the share of the workforce that is unionised are both about 22%.

But it’s not just workers who want to join a union that will be at the mercy of the boss if this comes to pass. You will face being fired for literally anything. Sure, in theory, the boss can’t breach your human rights by firing for, say, getting pregnant but what’s to stop them? Under the law as it stands, the boss can fire you during your no rights period and isn’t even required to give you the reason in writing. And any reason that they do give doesn’t have to be supported by the facts because you have no legal recourse to challenge it.

Say you get pregnant and the boss fires you when they find out saying ‘sorry, you’re just not up to the job’. You would be right to think the real reason is your pregnancy, which would make the sacking illegal but there would be no way for you to get justice: no court, no tribunal which you would have a right to access.

This isn’t the 19th century. We deserve better. It is simply not acceptable that to get a job we have to give up our rights to be treated fairly. These are our incomes, our livelihoods, how we support our families, at stake. The right to fair treatment at work shouldn’t be dependent on having a fair-minded boss. Your dignity and your livelihood are guaranteed by enforceable work rights.

And it seems Kiwis get it. The first generation of Fire at Will applied only to workplaces with fewer than 20 employees – it was mainly young and poor workers on the minimum wage who were its victims, and we know that the middle class doesn’t really give a crap about them. But now the middle class’s jobs will be on the knife edge too and they’re not happy.

This will be an issue that causes National to bleed votes, especially if Labour and the unions organise a strong campaign. Middle New Zealand might not have cared much about the first round of Fire at Will but it’s different when it’s your job at risk.

47 comments on “It’s different when it’s your job ”

  1. Bruce 1

    Unfortunately with National polling so high, they feel they can get away with first testing the mood, then pushing whatever they want through – usually done very fast to give any opposition very little time to organise resistance.
    At the same time we have right wing minded people coming on this blog pretending to claim they have NZ workers’ best interests at heart and know whats best for us o_O ..Big Bruv, you and your ilk have a god damn nerve.
    “Us employers wanna have less risk when taking on new employees, so with this law change more employers will try before they buy, therefore reducing unemployment” – This despite practically asking everything but what time a potential employee sits on the toilet when they apply for a job, including references from last employers, phoning them, putting them through computerised personality checks, testing body fluids, and filling out 5 page questionaires. Unemployment has not gone down since this law was introduced – The last Government did not need this law to reduce unemployment down to the lowest levels in decades FACT!
    Evidence thrown into the debate today by National suggested that three quarters of employees were kept on after 90 days of probation, …. so 25% of people were sacked before 90 days of probation (250/1000 people, 2500/10000 people – thats a lot of people)
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3929746/National-Party-President-survives-challenge
    “Good workers have nothing to fear” – that is unless they complain about something.
    To conclude, this legislation is for lazy and unscrupulous employers. I believe that the many good employers, who are prepared to do things by the book, have no problem at all with current Labour legislation: ie. where they give employees a second chance to correct bad behaviour for minor offences (current legislation allows for instant dismissal for major offences at any time of the employment).
    A consistent and historic tactic by the National Party is to make people feel insecure about their jobs – this is exactly the same as lazy and unscrupulous employers when it suits them.

  2. Bruce 2

    To boil my long winded comment down, I think a keyword is ethics. This Government is unethical and this proposed law encourages unethical behaviour.

    • illuminatedtiger 2.1

      To borrow a quote from Michael Moore immoral behavior breeds immoral behavior.

  3. tsmithfield 3

    The evidence is that the substantial majority of workers kept their jobs. The figures for the number that lost their jobs doesn’t really mean anything unless it is compared against the number that would have lost their jobs under the previous act over the same timeframe.

    What would be interesting to know is how those figures compare after 12 months. It may be that the 90 day process speeds up the inevitable, and that most of those that lost their jobs would have done so anyway over the slightly longer timeframe it took for employers to rid themselves of unsuitable employees under the old act.

    The other thing is that if employers are willing to take more risks due to the act they may also make more mistakes. This may not only be in terms of choosing the wrong employee. But in terms of misjudging the business environment. An employer might take the risk of taking on another employee due to the 90 day bill believing that the business environment will pick up sufficiently in that time frame to make the extra position sustainable in the long term. However, if those conditions do not eventuate the new employee may have to be made redundant.

    For those people who get jobs that would have otherwise been sitting on the dole queue, the prospect of a 75% chance of keeping their brand new job after 90 days has got to be pretty good. There is also powerful motivation for the employee to perform at their best from the get go since they can’t rely on a protracted warning process to save their arses.

    Another point is that Labour is again finding a way to disconnect with voters. A great many voters will be parents with teenage children approaching the age when they will be looking for jobs. Those parents will be acutely concerned and aware of how difficult it is for a teenage worker fresh to the job scene to get their first break. The thought that employers will now find it much easier to give them that first chance will undoubtably be a great relief. The message from Labour is they want to take that opportunity away.

    • The Voice of Reason 3.1

      “A great many voters will be parents with teenage children approaching the age when they will be looking for jobs.”

      Dead right, TS. And that’s the worry for National. The parents of the ones who keep their jobs won’t be influenced in their voting on the issue, because it will be a moot point, but the parents of the ones who do get unfairly dismissed will be pissed off. Even more so if it happens to them as well.

      And as for your bollocks about redundancy. Bosses can lay people off as redundant now. All this pathetic change does is make it cheaper to do so. It also passes all the risk for it to the worker, who is already in a position of vulnerability. Still, in a way, I’m looking forward to the next election even more. The last idiot to blow a big parliamentary majority over issues like this was little Johnny Howard. He’s so tainted he can’t even get a job offer, let alone a trial period.

    • Kevin Welsh 3.2

      TS, if employees showed the same lazy and indifferent attitude towards their jobs as many employers show in their methods of hiring staff, then I would have no problem with them being fired.

      I have worked in printing and related industries for the last 26 years, and almost all the problems with staffing can be laid at the feet of employers.

      In the days of compulsory unionism, the Printing and Related Trades Union was very moderate and industrial action few and far between. In fact I would say the Union had a very good working realtionship with the majority of employers. After the Employments Contract Act was bought into law and union membership declined dramatically, employers still thought they had a large pool of qualified tradespeople they could pick and chose from and so decided to discontinue their financial support of the printing trade school based at ATI in Auckland. This resulted in a dramatic reduction of qualified people through retirement, people leaving to work in Australia and people leaving the industry to pursue other ventures.

      The end result was that company’s looking to replace staff trained under the old apprenticeship system have almost no chance of hiring an experienced and qualified tradesperson these days.

      Their options are to either hire a polytech graduate with a 1 year diploma or 3 year ‘degree’, or take their chances by training someone off the street.

      From my experience, the courses based around design, which is my area of expertise are practically worthless when it comes to working in industry. Tertiary institutes spend 1 or 3 years filling students head with fancy rubbish that has no practical application in industry and leaves them with only the most basic of computer skills.

      When I completed my aprenticeship and achieved Trade Certificate in the mid 1980’s, an employer could employ me knowing I had achieved an acceptable standard in both the theory and practical aspects to my trade. They did not need 90 days to decide if I was any good. Unionism and Trade Certificate was very good at weeding out the no-hopers.

      I work for an employer who is, for the most part, a good employer, but he has no idea when it comes to hiring staff. Although to be fair, his hands are somewhat tied in that he does not have a large pool of QUALIFIED and EXPERIENCED people to draw upon, so he is forced to take a punt on hiring people.

      End result is 90 Day Probation was never needed in the past because there was always a continuous of supply of qualified and experienced people available. So, why do emplyers think they need it now? Because a lot/most/some employers are too lazy to either train existing staff or spend the time and money to make sure they hire the right person.

    • Zaphod Beeblebrox 3.3

      You say it encourages employers to take a chance. In reality it just gives employers an excuse to be lazy when job hiring. When I was hired five years ago (in a very employee friendly job market) my current employer spoke to my last two employers, interveiwed me twice and I’m pretty certain went through all my previous work history closely. I’m pretty certain he knew what he was getting. Now I’m sure a lot of employers will still take care when hiring under the new rules but a lot will think, “if it takes time and costs me money to check up on applicants why bother?” I’ll take the first person to walk through the door and ditch them if they are no good.

      When signing an employment contract an employee accepts certain obligations. Seems the same does not need to apply for employers anymore.

    • “For those people who get jobs that would have otherwise been sitting on the dole queue, the prospect of a 75% chance of keeping their brand new job after 90 days has got to be pretty good. There is also powerful motivation for the employee to perform at their best from the get go since they can’t rely on a protracted warning process to save their arses.”

      Load of bollocks, and what’s more you know it.
      – Simply from a self-interest point of view, employers are generally going to hire the people that are best suited, qualified, experienced for the position. That’s a no brainer, and the 90 day bill will not change this. And this isn’t the problem.
      – Employers are unlikely to take a risk on someone who doesn’t meet these criteria, i.e. reformed prisoners, long term unemployed because they will not make it through the several rounds of applications/interviews/employment checks etc. So the whole, make it easier to get jobs spin is crap.
      – It simply makes it easier to fire people for no reason. Nothing else. And there is no other intention for it to do anything other than that. Sure a majority of employers will probably not abuse this law, but labour (and most other) laws should be made to protect those who do get screwed.
      – Those employers who hired a bad egg simply have themselves to blame, because they did not perform sufficient background checks.

      • Pete 3.4.1

        Those employers who hired a bad egg simply have themselves to blame, because they did not perform sufficient background checks.

        Yeah and there must be better ways they could think of, to make it easier to deal with the bad eggs.

        Making loops holes for the bad egg employers to then use and abuse ,and making everyone pay.

        Is not smart.It is utterly thick.

        And it will make more working class New Zealanders lose any confidence they had left in this contry ,and they will start move offshore faster and faster.

    • Alexandra 3.5

      “The thought that employers will now find it much easier to give them that first chance will undoubtably be a great relief. The message from Labour is they want to take that opportunity away.”
      I couldnt agree less. Most parents want their kids and young adults to feel secure and supported during the very important transition into the adult world. Their initial experiences in employment shapes not only how they view their own potential, but also that of employers generally. Good employers should resist this policy to preserve their reputation here and overseas.
      A dismissal without the opportunity for redress will be devasting to the confidence of young people, just when they most need encouragement and a little slack. The justifications given for this are just lies and spin for the heartless and greedy.

  4. ghostwhowalksnz 4

    Just one person kicked out of their job for no reason will have half a dozen neighbours- friends- family.
    One person who keeps there job, who will say hurrah for the national party.

    Dont you just laugh at the spin – ” a great many voters will be parents with teenage children” Yeah right. The numbers are actually tiny

  5. luva 5

    There is nothing I hate more than the use of emotive language in politics and the use of hysteria to try and make a point.

    In the 2000/2001 period when Labour introduced the Employment Relations Act, those on the far right screamed that the legislation would cause huge industrial unrest, there would be massive strikes and essentially the sky was about to fall in. The unfonded comments were absolute rubbish before during and well after the legislation was passed. And as we now know the sky is still hanging up there.

    I now see the same crap coming from the other side with emotive labels like “fire at will”. Please use case studies and evidence to prove your point. Why try to scaremonger people into accepting ones point of view.

    If the 90 day probation period was such an issue why have we not heard about it at all since it was introduced. Since the legislation was introduced can someone tell me how many protests there have been against it. Can someone tell me how many posts on the standard there have been highlighting how unjust it is.

    I find it very strange that National haters are screaming from the rafters right now, yet the internationally accepted 90 day probation period has hardly been mentioned anywhere in the past 18 months.

    I may be synical but to me this seems like politics at its worst. Scaremongering

    • comedy 5.1

      “I may be cynical but to me this seems like politics at its worst. Scaremongering”

      No need to beat yourself up it’s the level of discourse we get in NZ and why we continually have to choose between 1 pack of morons and another pack of morons in power.

      This is a pointless little piece of legislation that makes F all difference to the number of hires and fires in the greater scheme of things. All that really makes of difference to the number of jobs in the economy is if it is ‘booming” or not and the governments of the day really have little influence on that for the better but can have influence on it for the worse.

    • IrishBill 5.2

      There are certainly horror stories such as the girl who was told she was on a trial period and should spend her whole part-time wage on shoes from the shop that she worked on:

      http://www.3news.co.nz/Overland-worker-told-to-buy-shoes-worth-more-than-her-wages/tabid/817/articleID/115610/cat/221/Default.aspx#

      But the real issue with both the 90 day law and cutting the access rights of workers’ unions is that both policies will reduce aggregate bargaining power across the whole workforce which will apply downward pressure on wages.

      Similarly the (slight) shift in bargaining power back to workers in 2000 saw wages steadily increase throughout the following decade.

      • luva 5.2.1

        Bill

        Thank you for presenting a case study. It is great to argue over facts rather than silly slogans.

        Comedy, I agree it hard to choose between morons. Since 1981 I have voted for one side 6 times and the other 4 times. It is very hard to distinguish between them at times.

    • Draco T Bastard 5.3

      If the 90 day probation period was such an issue why have we not heard about it at all since it was introduced.

      You haven’t heard about the abuse because no ones looking.

      • Tigger 5.3.1

        Can someone confirm what I heard on the news last night – that the DOL report talked to (only) 18 employees…?

  6. jcuknz 6

    As usual they throw the baby out with the bathwater … it seems to me that over time we have built up an onerous system under which it is difficult to sack the unsatisfactory worker and instead of making it more reasonable they just scrap it altogether. I was taken by the lass on TV3 saying she didn’t know why she was sacked, so that she could mend her ways … that seems very unfair to me.

  7. logie97 7

    @luva “Please use case studies and evidence to prove your point. ”

    You talk about reality. In reality, how many of the 24 percent who have lost their jobs, would be so organised to report their dismissal. In reality, how many would know who they should go to? In reality, they would have been employed in non-unionised situations, and, apart from complaining to family and friends, knowledge of their cases would be left at that.

    Perhaps luva, you have some facts that you could share with the rest of New Zealand. How many work places, outside the state, employ more than 20 people? I would suggest that the majority of them will be multi nationals – and we all know where their priorities lie.

    • luva 7.1

      Don’t bother to ‘suggest’ and infer. Just tell me….

      I am quite happy to be presented with the horrible stories. If there is a strong case to oppose this based on real evidence then I will jump in the protest with you.

      It just comes as some surprise why there has been almost complete silence on this law over a considerable period of time.

      • Bill 7.1.1

        From the same bus company I believe.

        Some months back I was approached by a driver who had been fired…from what he could figure it was because he’d scraped the paintwork on a reversing manoeuvre. Couldn’t think of any other reason. No lateness. No nothing. He has two kids (there goes the wff). He’d been employed less than 90 days.

        Then, just the other week overheard a conversation between two bus drivers. One had just been told not to bother going to work on the Monday. He’d received no holiday pay and was on his way to see a lawyer. Being a nosey bugger I asked him how long he’d been driving for the company. (Less than 90 days.) And what was happening to the hours of other workers. (His ‘offsider’ was getting an increase in hours)

        But you might want to ask yourself luva, how many workers in the service industry have been churned through employment by the practice of having their shifts reduced to an unsustainable level and have just walked away because they don’t know what to do or even that what happened was unlawful? The answer is many.

        And the reasons I’ve come across for the few who were aware such tactics could be challenged ranged from the boss simply not liking them to favouritism (ie wanting to give ‘person a’ extra hours…the ones currently being being done by ‘person b’), the employee being too conscientious around health and safety issues for the bosses liking, standing up to workplace bullies ( often the boss’s ‘favourites’ who can act with impunity or the boss themselves) and then the more common than you might think reason…simply being smarter and more able than the boss.

      • Descendant Of Smith 7.1.2

        See my earlier post about my own sons experiences. Note too there are a few more I could have added.

        It’s at the end of the National’s attack on working Kiwis. My eldest son put up with bad treatment from one employer for two years before he left to find other work. That apparently is the longest any young person has lasted with that employer.

        The lack of choices and the lack of respect for these young people by employers means their work ethic is less now than it was.

        Employers to seem to forget that they are young people – they are not grown adults and are learning the way – but no employers seem to want fully functioning robots with no minds of their own, no opinions, no advice, no sense of fun and enjoyment. Employers are patently unwilling to invest time and effort and training in these young people i.e. you’re probably a pretty crap employer who relies on low cost margins to exist.

        This is simply part of the right conservative views of the working class as cannon fodder for the factories. Reducing educational opportunities goes hand in hand with this.

        The talk about these kids costing firms their business as a justification is so much errant nonsense it’s not funny. Any cursory look through the newspapers will show you that the real harm done to businesses is done by adults – the frauds, the thefts, the taking of personal grievances – most of these are done by grown adult people – not by young people.

        If the employers wanted to follow a seemingly more successful government program for young people then they would be touting the Job Opportunities package as the panacea to youth employment.

        Quote:
        Job Ops has already kept more than 4000 young people in work, learning new skills while remaining connected to the labour market. We’re determined to continue this success”, Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says.
        The programme was initiated by the National Government to help young New Zealanders stay in work through the recession by providing employers with a $5000 subsidy to employ young people.
        “Young people are among the hardest hit in a recession because they often lack skills and experience and this scheme offers them a way through,” Ms Bennett says.

        Where’s the DOL report outlining how many of these people still have a job after 6 months as a comparison of which might be a better option.

        The problem of course this change isn’t about creating employment for young people this is about supporting bad and ;lazy employers and about further casualising the workforce – an ever creeping practice.

        The last thing it is about is investing in young people and the second to last thing it is about is creating work for people to do.

        At a time when a real government should be focused on building the supply side this government is focused on shafting the supply side.

        • Descendant Of Smith 7.1.2.1

          Slight correction:
          At a time when a real government should be focused on building the demand side this government is focused on shafting the supply side.

  8. Nick C 8

    “This is a pretty half-arsed and politically convenient piece of work”

    You really are an ideologically driven half wit Marty. Have you read the report? No. But can you dismiss it as garbage because it doesnt favour your ideology. Yes! You base this on your perception that “the media coverage shows that it is written almost entirely from the employer’s perspective.” Firstly its almost impossible to tell the substance of what probably is a long report from a 2 minute story. But secondly you know perfectly well that the media often distort things or report them in odd ways.

    IrishBill: take a week off for the halfwit comment.

  9. Bill 9

    Radio NZ wuld have us believe that the survey covered 132 employers.

    TV3 would have us believe that the survey covered 1000 employers.

    The Herald would have us believe that the survey covered 527 employers.

    I go for the 132 myself as they were the only ones who completed both parts of the survey and hired somebody.

    That 20% of those hired by the 132 employers were fired is truly horrendous, especially when some admit to firing due to attitude. Think about that for a second. A person lost their livelihood because the boss (what?) didn’t think they smiled enough? Didn’t think they expressed enough gratitude?

    edit heh. You imagine the blank spaces on this blog if people were banned for attitude? And the howls of indignation that would rise up prior to the next round of bannings for bad attitude? But it’s okay in the minds of some to take away a persons job on that basis?

    • Fisiani 9.1

      20 % not up to the job and let go. Hardly horrendous. Seems very reasonable and fairminded .That’s the whole point of a work trial. A minority are found to be just not suited.
      Smiling may well be a crucial aspect of a sales job for instance. If someone lounged over a counter with a permanent droopy and insolent look on their face they are not suited for sales. Previously an employer would be saddled with such a liability and have no redress to handle someone who was destroying their business.

      In fact one third of those let go were let go inside 2 weeks. The 80% who proved themself and remain employed are grateful for the chance. This is a huge vote winner for National.

      • Zaphod Beeblebrox 9.1.1

        If it were such a winner why has it taken them so long to do it? Why was it not mentioned last election?

  10. ZombieBusiness 10

    90 Day Fired? Still looking for a job? Sure you’ll find one eventually and your
    behaviour will have changed,. Will your outlook be subservient? Sure. How
    long before an employer hires an new employee with the ‘socially engineered’
    subservience behaviour. Eventually that’s right, every employer will find
    a lot of butt lickers showing up, defensive and desperate to please.

    Its called big government social engineering!

    National argues that employers need to lower costs and so true
    to form is shifting costs and risks on to the employees and
    the unemployed. Who now have to cover increased costs, increased
    uncertainty of getting to interviews, investing time and
    money finding work. Cutting their expenditure because they don’t know
    whether they will have a job tomorrow.

    So not only does the government shift the cost on to the unemployed, the harder
    to employ, the less meek more independant minded (out the window with
    the knowledge economy, we’re a low wage country!), but the government
    says to employees everywhere your interchangable, we can throw you
    away, just give us a reason to lower your wages. Don’t like it,
    then please take a hike to OZ if you have any sellable skills!

    Yes, because that’s the effect, the depopulating of NZ by the NZ government
    of citizens with independance of mind, self-esteem. Young people, on your plane!
    National aren’t just nasty and stupid, they have a plan, and that is to turn
    NZ into a place for people more like them with a subservient serf class.
    And man aren’t you serfs gullible and taking it, National pollings are still high.
    Nasty and stupid is rewarded. Now I know where our kids learn their lesson.
    Get blind drunk and show everyone what a dork you are! National teaching our kids
    ethics.

    Thanks for playing National Socialism 101.

    Funny thing though, if you get a job in the family business, the boss (your
    relative) would never consider throwing you out after 90 days, they want you
    to succeed so they carry you. So try to be born into a ‘good’ kiwi family.
    Welcome to the class system in action.

    • just saying 10.1

      As if NZanders haven’t already been “socially engineered” enough with right wing dogma.
      Ironic really, while talkback-land and the Chris trotters of this country were frothing at the mouth about the “feminazis” and the “Maaaaris,” the capitalist engineering agenda was steadily reconfiguring our thinking with barely a whimper of protest.

      And now we have the latest step in our national metamophisis into serfdom.

      Very few people can be subserviant and hold on to their confidence and self-respect. Seems to be one of the reasons we hear so little from the many at the bottom of the heap, they feel ashamed. With the progressive slide into a police state, dissent will be able to be efficiently crushed, but humiliation, degradation and victim-blaming is such an effective prophalactic, there may not be that much call for widespread protest-busting.

      Maybe Sue Bradford’s banishment from leadership in the Greens could be an opportunity for a new left-wing movement……..?

  11. Santi 11

    Good on the Nats for having the balls (at last) of doing this.

    • Descendant Of Smith 11.1

      The problem isn’t that they have the balls to do it – it’s that they don’t have the courage and leadership not to.

    • logie97 11.2

      It’s nice to see the right are literate as well, Santi. It’s doubtful you would have passed Tolley’s standards with that comment.

    • Zaphod Beeblebrox 11.3

      Yes, I agree they are pretty piss-weak. They didn’t have the guts to mention this during the last election. I’m wondering what else they will forget to tell us next year.

  12. gingercrush 12

    Surely one needs to question the Unions strategy over all of this. They knew National would eventually make the 90 day Bill available to all employers. They disagreed with it when it was first implemented and clearly stated they’d have a name and shame record kept. Were they all that naive that they the Unions simply forgot about it all?

    Because with National indeed making the 90 day fire-at-will available to all employers You would think the Unions would actually show evidence of how troubling this will be for employees. And while I support the 90-day law I have no doubt many employers abused the system. Hence, why the fuck don’t the Unions have more evidence about such an abuse.

    This seems to be the whole problem with the left. They have no strategy. While many of them were congratulating themselves because of how many marched against Mining in Auckland or the so-called opposition to the Auckland Super-city. There is no strategy whatsoever when it comes to workers rights? You knew National would do this. You the left should have had the strategies in place for when National finally decided to act, you’d have proper arguments against the policies.

    What the left have is very few examples and a flawed argument that is not going to get traction with the wider electorate. For all the talk of National’s secret agenda you would think the left and in particular the unions could collectively have a proper strategy to combat the implementing of such policies. The fact is no matter how many times you protest or make a fuss. That isn’t a strategy. That’s just bullshit.

    What this shows is why Labour and the left will not govern in 2011. Its not because your ideas and principles are wrong neither is it the policy. Its because the left refuse to collectively act. And if I was left-wing and a member of the Greens or Labour or an Union member I’d frankly be worried at how useless your lot seems to be. The collective left is in deep trouble. That’s plain to see. It explains why when Helen Clark was in government, the left actually didn’t achieve much. And why despite nine years of a Labour-led government. New Zealand on the whole still acts in a neo-liberal and conservative area of economics and politics.

  13. Mac1 13

    Santi, there is no manhood displayed in removing rights or unduly exercising power especially on the already weak. It’s not balls the NACT government lacks- it’s compassion. It takes balls to stand up to power, though.

  14. Pete 14

    tsmithfield 3 “An employer might take the risk of taking on another employee due to the 90 day bill believing that the business environment will pick up sufficiently in that time frame to make the extra position sustainable in the long term. However, if those conditions do not eventuate the new employee may have to be made redundant.”

    Kind of like taking on another puppy from the local pound.It makes it easier to take on the risk that you can actually afford to feed and house them .But if so happens you move house, or later find out you actually couldnt really afford to feed the puppy after all. Then its not you loss. you can always simply give the puppy the quick flick !

    And if you are Exclusive Brethren employer, and find out so happens your new employee is a gay puppy or an unmarried puppy living in sin in your eyes .This 90 trial period is extremly great miracle gift supplied by the Gods, because you dont need to supply any reason at all, you can simply tell the pound puppy it isnt working out. And bingo those naughty gay and unmarried puppies wont be around to defile the other brethren puppies

    But hey we can trust National and shifty eyed Key and co, and those employers rubbing their greasy little mitts together, honestly really do only have all our best interests in mind .And pigs fly too

  15. vto 15

    marty: “middle new zealand doesn’t care about the poor”.

    Really?

    And you know this how?

    And if so how is this different from “other new zealand”.

  16. loota 16

    Want to see the Right try and run their business operations efficiently and effectively once the best working talent in this country has left.

    Might already have happened.

    • J Mex 16.1

      Except most of them went, or will go, to countries that have these exact same laws in place.

      You would therefore struggle to argue that it was the laws themselves that caused them to leave.

      When the first phase of the 90 day law came into effect, most posters on the Standard were expecting countless 90 day horror stories.

      Didn’t happen.

      Why would it happen with the extension of the law?

      • loota 16.1.1

        J Mex,

        The laws will encourage talent to leave because one of our comparative advantages as a job market – a friendlier, more respectful environment for workers – will be diminished.

    • comedy 16.2

      “Want to see the Right try and run their business operations efficiently and effectively once the best working talent in this country has left.”

      It happened a long time ago – the standard of management, graduates, builders, plumbers and politicians etc etc in NZ has become progressively worse over the last few decades.

      • loota 16.2.1

        I agree with you 100% comedy. As an example, a friend’s business down here in Dunedin sold an appliance to a client which needed to be freighted overnight from company stores in Christchurch to the Dunedin client site. No brainer, ship Tuesday overnight for Wed delivery.

        Wed arrives: nothing. Customer complains, my friend checks it out with the freight company, apparently the item is still in Christchurch with them, and was stuck behind other stock – OK to go overnight and be delivered to Dunedin on Thu.

        Thu arrives, nothing, no delivery. My friend is WTF and the client is livid. My friend rings the freight guys but has to leave messages everywhere because he can’t get through to an actual breathing human. The freight company rings back later in the day and says – Friday. Its going now and it will be in DN the next day, Friday. Client is promised a new delivery date.

        An hour later the freight company rings up – the item has somehow been damaged in their warehouse and its only been noticed now. They will have to go back to the company stores (which have now closed for the day) and pick a replacement unit up. No hope of Friday delivery to the client. Latest ETA – Monday, hopefully.

        That’s 6 days to get a frakin’ item from Christchurch to Dunedin (supposedly, it hasn’t managed to happen yet, we’ll find out tomorrow), with people needing prodding at every step just to manage the issues which were supposed to be their job. Forget about providing decent customer service levels or anything ‘fancy’ like that.

  17. KJT 17

    I can see the ineffectiveness of this and other policies on employment with my kids and their friends.
    How many examples do you want? I have dozens in one city alone.
    Including the ones who get employed by Mc off the WINZ list.
    Mc keep them employed until the 3 month subsidy runs out and then cut their shifts so they have to quit and make room for yet more subsidised employees, as the reduced hours do not even pay the cost of their travel to work. Meanwhile WINZ gloats about getting people into work. With the law change Mc are going to be spared the trouble of having to make the kids disenchanted enough to quit. They are just one of many similar large employers.

    When I had my business I found if I look after employees they look after me.

    In my supervisory position at present I have no problems with sorting inadequate employees legally and with the Unions co-operation. Most shape up after a good talk. If not you just have to use the process fairly. I do not see the need for more legislation except for those who intend to be poor employers. I get annoyed I have to compete with people who get away with this antisocial crap.

    If you cannot see what sort of employee a person will be after a week then you need a management skills upgrade. Also if you farm out employment matters to employment agencies you deserve what you get.

    Kind Regards

  18. Troll e-racer 18

    It works in every other country. Why not New Zealand?

Links to post

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 hour ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    7 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    9 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Funding hole for tax cuts growing by the day
    The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s brave climate change promise
    The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles  and that ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Celebrating 10 years of Crankworx Rotorua
    The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee.  “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government delivering on tax commitments
    Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today.  “The Amendment Paper represents ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Significant Natural Areas requirement to be suspended
    Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government classifies drought conditions in Top of the South as medium-scale adverse event
    Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem
    The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.  “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • NZ, India chart path to enhanced relationship
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level.   “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Ruapehu Alpine Lifts bailout the last, say Ministers
    Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Govt takes action to drive better cancer services
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Work begins on SH29 upgrades near Tauriko
    Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Fresh produce price drop welcome
    Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024.  “Lower fruit and vege ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Statement to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68)
    Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all.  Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government backs rural led catchment projects
    The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber
    Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction.   Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Commission’s advice on ETS settings tabled
    Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government lowering building costs
    The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Trustee tax change welcomed
    Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister’s Ramadan message
    Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness.  It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister appoints new NZTA Chair
    Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Speech to Life Sciences Summit
    Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.  It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Progress continues apace on water storage
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government agrees to restore interest deductions
    Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to attend World Anti-Doping Agency Symposium
    Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity
    This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti.  Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-03-19T02:07:40+00:00