Jacinda’s address to the Labour Congress
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1:57 pm, July 5th, 2020 - 40 comments
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Tena koutou katoa
Nga tangata whenua o tenei rohe o Pōneke, tena koutou
Nau mai, haere mai ki te hui a tau mo te roopu reipa
Ko tatou!
Ko to tatou mana!
Ko to tatou kaupapa kei te kokiri whakamua
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa
Welcome. I consider it an honour and a privilege to be with you all here today.
This will sound perhaps a little bit dramatic, but no one could have predicted a few months ago that we would be here, all together, in what we used to call a Labour Congress but we now all know as a ‘mass gathering.’
And I know we have all been around the Labour Party long enough to know that not all of our gatherings would deserve that metric.
But here we are. And I am very grateful for that.
And I am very grateful for all of you.
What has been happening over the last few months in New Zealand, it’s not over.
But I don’t want to wait till it is before I say thank you.
You, our Labour members, you were amongst our team of 5 million.
But more than that, you were worried for the rest of the team. Like many kiwis, you wanted to know that everyone had what they needed during lock down, that they were well looked after.
So hundreds of you joined our teams of volunteers, and you called people for no other reason than to ask if they were ok. Over 81,000 calls. It’s that kind of thing that makes me proud to be a New Zealander, and proud to be Labour.
I’m also very proud to be part of our parliamentary team.
Each and every one of them work so hard, and while I am loathe to single any one person out, I feel safe in doing so for Kelvin Davis.
I saw who Kelvin is captured perfectly recently by one of our amazing new candidates, Ibrahim Omer who wrote recently on Facebook “Hon Kelvin Davis was kind enough to invite me to his office today. As well as warmly hosting me and giving me good advice, he told me that when he first became a Labour candidate he didn’t have a suit and had to borrow one from his mate. He then reached into his wardrobe, pulled out this collection of his suits and handed them to me. What a bro.”
And that is the Kelvin I know, a person who helps makes our team, a team.
I’ve thought a lot about this idea of a team lately.
Mainly because our team, and by that I mean our entire team of 5 million, have been through a lot in the last fifteen months.
I can’t think of a time in our recent history when we have been collectively challenged by such a cruel combination of events – a terrorist attack, a volcanic eruption, a global pandemic and now its ensuing financial crisis.
Our national character has been repeatedly put to the test and yet, somehow we have come back with an almost stronger sense of ourselves, and of what matters most to us.
Gamal Fouda, the Imam of Al Noor mosque, perhaps said it best when in the wake of March 15 he said, we are broken-hearted but we are not broken. We are unbreakable. We are alive. We are together.
And a year on, in the midst of such uncertain and tough times, together we remain.
Being a team, and being unified, does not mean though that we are uniform.
We are still a country of diverse belief systems, a place with strongly held opinions and views on issues and politics – in fact we frequently try to model that even around the Cabinet table.
But that is what makes us, us. That’s what has always given us the confidence to do things our way.
When a terrorist tried to divide us we came together and we said they are us.
When a volcano erupted we threw our arms around those affected whether they were from near or far.
And when COVID arrived we didn’t hesitate to act, knowing it was the only way to protect those around us.
We stayed home.
We stayed home, sometimes juggling care and work and kids and schooling.
We stayed home despite not knowing if there would be a job to return to at the end of it or a business to re-open.
We stayed home even when it meant we were separated from loved ones, sometimes in amongst grief and hardship.
We stayed home, and that made all the difference.
As I stand before you today we are 65 days since we last had a case of community transmission in New Zealand. That has meant we have been able to open up our economy sooner and more fully than most other places. It has given us opportunities that many others do not have.
I know that none of us take that for granted.
There is no playbook for what the world is going through, no rules on what we should or shouldn’t be doing. That means we won’t always get it right, but it also means we can make our own choices, and have our own plan.
And that is exactly what we have done.
Through our health response, our plan was simple. Go hard, go early. That gave us the best position to save lives and livelihoods by opening up our economy sooner.
Had we chosen another path, if we’d chosen to have an ongoing tolerance of COVID and cases all around us in the community, I have no doubt we would still have restrictions in place that would be costing us in many, many ways.
The health response has not ended. It will need to be ongoing as the pandemic surges around us.
And it is surging. When we closed our borders on the 19th of March there were 240,000 cases in the world. Today there are more than 10 million.
So while we in New Zealand experience huge freedoms the rest of the world is still battling to keep the virus under control.
Our strong health response now gives us an economic head start, the ability to move from responding to COVID-19, to recovering and rebuilding.
Today I am announcing our 5-point-plan for our economic recovery.
It’s about investing in our people, it’s about jobs, preparing for our future, supporting our small businesses, entrepreneurs and job creators and positioning ourselves globally.
I’ve seen economic downturns before and what they can do to those left behind.
And yes we must be mindful of the debt that future generations may carry because of what we need to do now.
But we would be wrong to characterise debt as solely being financial.
If we choose not to invest now, during the rainy day we have been preparing for, we burden the future with debt of another kind.
Some call it economic scarring – the long lasting damage to individuals of an economic down turn. I call it the loss of potential, and the greatest of wastes.
I am a child of the 80s and 90s. I have seen responses to troubled times that have failed to take this into account, and have left people behind. We see the impacts of that still. Poverty, inequality, persistent unemployment.
It does not have to be this way, and under Labour, it won’t.
We are the Party that puts people first. It is in our DNA.
The First Labour Government delivered New Zealand from the Great Depression and created the platform for the longest period of economic prosperity we’d ever seen off the back of investments in health and education, social security and public housing, employment and decent wages.
Michael Joseph Savage called it applied Christianity, I call it kindness. But no matter what we call it the principle is the same. If we put people at the heart of what we do, and at the heart of our recovery, we will prevail, and we will prosper.
Which brings me to Point One of our plan – investing in our people.
With economies around the world shutting down, health systems being overrun by the virus, and borders closing the IMF is describing this as an economic crisis like no other and is projecting the global economy to decline by 4.9 percent in 2020. US unemployment was estimated to have reached as high as 16%.
New Zealand is not immune to what is happening in the rest of the world, but we can buffer our people from it. And we can do that, because we were prepared.
New Zealand is a place where the unexpected can happen. That’s why, when we were criticised for being focused on getting debt down to under 20% of GDP, we steadfastly argued that it was necessary – it was for a rainy day.
Thank you for your foresight Grant Robertson. You have been the Finance Minister New Zealand needed at this time, because that rainy day has arrived.
Now is the time to put the umbrella up, to provide support to those who need it. You were smart and tough enough to put us in the position to do that, but kind enough to know when it needed to be called on.
We have doubled the winter energy payment, increased main benefit rates by $25 a week, made changes to the In Work Tax Credit so we can reach more families, and introduced the Covid income relief payment.
We have supported Whānau Ora agencies who played an absolutely critical role in supporting whanau on the ground and will continue to do so.
We have brought back PACE, a scheme that supports our artists and our creatives in a time that has been devastating to their sector and made sure in the meantime that they were eligible for the wage subsidy.
But truly investing in our people, means much more than just an income.
Long before COVID, as we faced the challenges of digital transformation, the changing the nature of work, the need to move to a low carbon economy, and issues of low productivity. There was already a pressing need to prepare our people for a very different future through training and retraining.
Now we have the opportunity to make sure our COVID response does just that, and to do what I have heard Joseph Stiglitz calls “double duty” – solutions that solve multiple problems, and get us ready for what the future holds.
That’s why we made a $1.6 billion investment in trades and apprenticeships training, which includes making all apprenticeships free.
We’ve also made those areas of vocational training where we need people the most like building and construction and mental health support workers – all free. The potential impact of these policies is huge.
I was talking to someone from one of our industry training organisations recently who reminded me that this is not just a policy for those exiting school.
He had received a call recently from a mum, whose son had seen an ad for the trades. He was already in the work force, but was deeply unhappy. He decided to retrain, and in her words, it had saved his life.
But retraining isn’t enough if there aren’t jobs to go into at the end of it.
And this is where the second part of our plan kicks in, what I like to simply call, jobs, jobs, jobs.
Again this is where we are marshalling our resources to ensure there are not only jobs available but that they are in areas that address long term challenges – the under investment in infrastructure, housing and protecting our environment.
Now stay with me as our run through this, because these initiatives are substantial.
First is the Big New Zealand Upgrade Programme designed to tackle our core infrastructure deficit. We announced it at the beginning of the year, and it amounts to $12 billion of road, rail, public transport, school and health capital funding. It could not have come at a better time.
It’s expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs in every community in New Zealand – already more than 1200 schools have had projects totalling over $200 million approved or completed; delivering new teaching spaces, laboratory upgrades and much needed renovations, opening up job opportunities the length and breadth of the country.
Next up is our investment in housing. During COVID-19 something many of us thought wouldn’t be possible in such a short space of time happened – we housed our chronically homeless.
Now we need to keep it that way.
As part of our COVID response we have committed funding to providing an additional 8000 public houses, bring the total number of state and transitional houses to be built by this Government to over 18,000 by 2024 – thank you Megan Woods and Kainga Ora.
It is the largest house building programme of any Government in decades, and I’m proud of it.
But when we’re talking about infrastructure, it’s not just about the projects we in the government are responsible for, we also have the opportunity to partner with communities, with iwi and local government.
That’s what the $2.6 billion worth of shovel ready projects we announced earlier this week were all about.
Things like Home Ground, a project by the Auckland City Mission that will provide 80 apartments with wrap around support and care, or the Poverty Bay Rugby Park Grandstand, least Kiri Allen stage a sit in, right through to the Invercargill inner city development.
Collectively these projects are estimated to create over 20,000 jobs in the next 5 years.
But there is one more area where double duty can be truly brought to life. And that is our environment.
We campaigned on cleaning up our waterways.
David Parker, alongside ministers like Damien O’Connor, has worked tirelessly on delivering on that promise, and we have.
The essential freshwater programme aims to make our rivers swimmable again. But we know there is much we can do to support this work. And now is the time.
In the Budget we allocated $1.1 billion for nature-based jobs.
DOC already has a number of conservation projects already underway, such as clearing wilding pine, but we are now stepping up the pace.
Today I am announcing a package of 23 projects across the country that will clean up our waterways and deliver over 2,000 jobs.
These projects will help restore our wetlands, rivers and streams, regenerate native bush and control pests while creating much needed meaningful work in the regions.
Whether it’s Environment Southlands’ plans to actively manage 1000 of their top biodiversity sites across 300,000 hectares with pest control, wetland creation and fencing.
Or Tairawhiti Environment Centre who plan to create hapu employment opportunities through hill country restoration and erosion mitigation.
Or Bay of Plenty regional council who will create 170 jobs through a conservation cadets programme.
These are projects that are ready to go and have the support of local councils and iwi.
They’re projects that are not just part of our recovery, they are part of our rebuild.
They will help restore our environmental reputation to what we know it should be, a reputation that underpins so much of our tourism, our trade, our brand.
These initiatives aren’t just double duty, they’re triple, and they’re helping pay down the environmental debt that would otherwise be paid by the next generation.
That brings me to the third plank of our plan – preparing for the future.
Restoring our environment is one thing, decarbonising it is another.
Investments in waste management and improving energy generation will be key- and this is where I am signally there is more to come.
Preparing for the future also means supporting our businesses to innovate, especially as we go through a period of digital transformation.
There will be few among us who haven’t changed our routines and habits as a result of COVID-19. By the end of lockdown I can confirm that Damien O’Connor did indeed discover the unmute button on zoom.
We want to support our small businesses through this digital transition, which is why we established a $10 million fund to incentivise e-commerce and train more digital advisors.
It’s also why we will keep encouraging innovation in all forms. So we’ve created a $150 million fund to provide loans to R&D-intensive businesses.
All of this builds to the fourth part of our plan, supporting our small businesses, our entrepreneurs and our job creators, work that is being ably led by Stuart Nash, and on this occasion I don’t mind you recording what I say next.
One of the first thing we did when the virus arrived in New Zealand was to introduce the Wage Subsidy programme.
Over 1.6 million New Zealanders have benefitted from the scheme – keeping them in work, and providing them with an income during the most difficult months of lockdown.
It has meant our unemployment rate hasn’t spiked as it has in other countries where there has been little or no support to keep businesses and their staff afloat.
I know this part of our plan has made a huge difference to business owners, because they have told me that. In fact, over the course of our Covid response, during lock down and beyond, Grant Robertson and I would frequently discuss some of the mail we were getting from employers. I remember at the end of a particularly hard day, Grant sent me a message.
It was headed “Kia ora from a small business in Blenheim.”
It read “12 weeks ago today we received the wage subsidy to help maintain us during the tough times. I have to admit I had a lump in my throat when I explained the prospects to our staff at the end of March. Many scenarios played out in my head, but I promised that we would all hold tight for the 12 weeks of the subsidy and do our best.
You all know how the last 12 weeks has played out so I thought it prudent to offer my sincere thanks. We are now back on our feet and even taken on a staff member laid off from another related business.
The email was signed off with a simple, “No grizzles here. Nga mihi maioha.”
But I want to say thank you back. To all those businesses who passed on that wage subsidy and provided that shelter to others, who worked so hard and gave so much to help over 1.6 million New Zealanders people put food on the table – nga mihi maioha to you.
And now, our support for you must continue.
Alongside the wage subsidy sits the Small Business Loan Scheme. This scheme provided access to zero interest loans, administered by IRD and underwritten by the Government.
It filled a much needed gap not being filled by the banks and helped business meet their cashflow needs.
Not so long ago I met a business owner in the Hawkes Bay – they shared their story, and that the loan scheme had provided them with a buffer as they faced the uncertainty of rebuilding their business in such unchartered territory.
A building services business told us the loan gave them breathing space after lockdown. They had a lot of outgoings but nothing coming in so the loan bridged the gap as work came back on stream.
These businesses are not alone in facing cashflow issues – we’ve received more than 90,000 applications from small businesses so far, and paid out over $1.5 billion in loans. Around 80 per cent of firms who applied have between one and five staff.
Currently this much needed lifeline is due to close for applications on 24 July.
Today I am announcing that will be extending the scheme through to the end of the year.
This means those businesses who are doing ok now, but who may experience cash flow difficulties further down the track will still have access to it.
And the final plank of our five point plan is to continue to position New Zealand globally as a place to trade with, to invest in, and eventually to visit again.
This has been an export led lockdown, and so too will it be an export led recovery.
Since February 1, our merchandise exports to the rest of the world have kept pace with last year’s, which is incredible during one of the biggest global recessions the world economy has seen.
Exports of Gold Kiwifruit in March were double the same month last year. The rest of the world wants not only our protein, but our furry fruit as well.
It’s no surprise. We market ourselves based on our clean, green and safe production. But we cannot take that for granted.
That’s why a few months ago we provided $200m to help exporters re-engage with international markets, and support firms looking to export for the first time.
It’s also why we continue to expand our trade relationships. The limitations of the last few months didn’t stop us launching our free trade agreement talks with the UK – apparently Boris is interested in importing Orcs. And before that gets written up as a metaphor I’m pretty sure he meant it quite literally. I’m yet to break it to him that they are fictional – at least they are outside of politics anyway.
But our position on the world stage will continue to be linked to the ability to come here. To be part of the culture of Aotearoa, to experience this place, our environment and our manaakitanga.
We are investing $400 million in tourism because we know it is part of our future, and because open borders will be again too. It is not a matter of if, but when it is safe
And on that, we already have work underway.
We are progressing with all the checks and balances needed for a trans-Tasman bubble, and also on reconnecting with our Pacific neighbours. We have a framework in place will help Cabinet made a decision on when quarantine free travel with these parts of the world should resume – and more broadly – but only when it is safe to do so.
COVID is hitting everyone hard, and it’s hit every aspect of our lives.
So that’s what our response has had to do. That’s why our immediate response has been to be support our people, and invest in them. But as we move to recover and rebuild, we must also grow and create jobs, but not just any jobs, but the kind that supports the investment we are making in infrastructure, the environment, and our future.
There wasn’t a playbook for COVID. There wasn’t a play book for the recovery. And speaking frankly, there hasn’t been one for much of what has happened this term.
But as a team of 5 million we have achieved so much anyway.
We have shown grit and determination.
We have shown unity.
We have shown a commitment to supporting one another.
And Labour has been there every step of the way.
So today my ask of you is simple.
Don’t put on the breaks when now more than ever is the time that we need to speed up.
When we need to put people at the centre of our recovery.
When we need to do what Labour has always done.
So let’s keep up the momentum.
Let’s keep rolling out our plan.
Let’s keep rebuilding.
Let’s keep moving.
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Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...4 days ago - Let's Win This
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...4 days ago - Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...4 days ago
- A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...4 days ago
- The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...4 days ago - The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...4 days ago - HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...4 days ago
- 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...4 days ago - Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...5 days ago - Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...5 days ago
- Reported back
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...5 days ago
- Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...5 days ago - Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...5 days ago
- Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...5 days ago - Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...5 days ago - Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...5 days ago - A speed limit is not a target, and yet…
This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...5 days ago
- The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...5 days ago - The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...5 days ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...6 days ago
- I'd like to share what I did this weekend
6 days ago - For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...6 days ago - A friend in uncertain times
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...6 days ago - The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers
Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...6 days ago - It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...1 week ago - Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...1 week ago - Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...1 week ago - Flooding Housing Policy
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...1 week ago - A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...1 week ago - The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...1 week ago - The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...1 week ago - Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...1 week ago
- Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...1 week ago
- Tobacco First
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...1 week ago - Trump’s Adopted Son.
Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...1 week ago - The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...1 week ago
- Speech: Chris Hipkins’ Auckland hui address
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...3 hours ago - Release: Charter schools to remove the rights of teachers
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...1 day ago
- Te iwi Māori will not stand for another Foreshore and Seabed
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...2 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori Acknowledge the Need for Fundamental Change in State Care
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...2 days ago
- Release: National disgrace for children in poverty
Shifting the goalposts on child poverty is a new low for the National-led government. ...2 days ago
- National disgrace for children in poverty
Shifting the goalposts on child poverty is a new low for the National-led government. ...2 days ago
- Government quietly waters down child poverty targets
The Government’s move to dilute child poverty targets is a reminder that it is actively choosing to preserve hardship for thousands of households. ...2 days ago - Release: National jumps on Labour’s trains
National is so short on ideas it is now announcing Labour’s rail announcement from a year ago, Labour transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...2 days ago
- Release: Opposition parties unite to protect ECE
Labour, the Green Party and Te Pāti Māori are uniting to stop the Government’s dangerous changes to the Early Childhood Education sector. ...2 days ago
- Release: Another step forward for survivors of abuse in care
Labour welcomes the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care’s final report and the government committing to a formal apology in November. ...3 days ago
- Govt must listen to experiences of abuse survivors
The Government must do all it can to bring abuse in care to an end following the release of the independent inquiry. ...3 days ago
- Release: Health New Zealand exposes Minister spinning in freefall
Health New Zealand contradicted the Government’s spin that back-office bureaucracy is the cause of overspend in the public health system. ...4 days ago
- Govt must act on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...4 days ago
- NZ Government Must Enforce ICJ Ruling
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...5 days ago
- Release: Listen PM, boot camps don’t work
Refusing to listen to evidence, experts or experience the Government is stubbornly marching ahead with its boot camps. ...7 days ago
- Release: Govt must act on ICJ ruling on illegal Israeli occupation
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...7 days ago
- Release: Rents up under National, promises fall flat
National Party policies which promised to put “downward pressure” on rents are having the opposite effect. ...1 week ago
- MSD figures show Govt determined to punish beneficiaries
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...1 week ago
- We need real solutions, not more failed boot camps – Willow-Jean Prime
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...1 week ago
- David Seymour is Unfit to Serve as Minister
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...1 week ago
- Renters suffer as soaring rents feed rising inflation
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...1 week ago
- National’s climate strategy undoes good progress
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...1 week ago
- Green Party releases executive summary of independent investigation
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...1 week ago
- Government back off track on climate action
Today’s Draft Emissions Reduction Plan shows the Government couldn’t care less about a liveable climate for all. ...1 week ago
- PM needs to step in over Shane Jones’ undeclared meeting
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori Opposes Three Strikes Amendment Bill
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...2 weeks ago
- Govt Determined to Make Aotearoa a Country of Disposable Renters
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...2 weeks ago
- Statement on retail crime Ministerial Advisory Group
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...2 weeks ago
- Statement from Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt Continues to Destructively Withhold Information
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...2 weeks ago
- Statement from Labour climate change spokesperson Megan Woods
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...2 weeks ago
- Eight ways National is making life harder for workers
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...3 weeks ago
- Waitlists up and workforce down under National
Health New Zealand’s recent quarterly performance report shows the public health system is going backwards under the National government. ...3 weeks ago
- Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...18 hours ago - AG reminds institutions of legal obligations
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...21 hours ago
- More young people learning about digital safety
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...22 hours ago
- Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...24 hours ago
- Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...1 day ago
- Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...1 day ago
- Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...1 day ago
- Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...1 day ago
- Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...2 days ago
- Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...2 days ago
- Test for Customary Marine Title being restored
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...2 days ago
- Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...2 days ago
- Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...2 days ago
- Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...2 days ago
- Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...3 days ago
- PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...3 days ago
- Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...3 days ago
- Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...3 days ago
- Half a million people use tax calculator
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...3 days ago
- Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...3 days ago
- Rebuilding the economy through better regulation
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...3 days ago
- ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...3 days ago
- Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...4 days ago
- Accelerating Northland Expressway
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...4 days ago
- Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...4 days ago
- Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...4 days ago
- NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...4 days ago
- Backing mental health services on the West Coast
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...4 days ago
- NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...4 days ago
- Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...4 days ago
- Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...5 days ago
- Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...5 days ago
- Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...5 days ago
- Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...7 days ago
- Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...7 days ago
- Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...1 week ago
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I want to know what Labour is going to do about gender self-identification and the threats to women's hard-fought-for safe spaces, like refuges, prisons, hospitals, toilets. What is Labour policy about male-bodied athletes unfairly competing in women's sports, and the medical transitioning of children? And surely Parliament would not be harmed if the men didn't feel obliged to wear suits. Perpetuating the legacy of long-dead white men
I'm sure this is the first thing on voters' minds…..
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With regard to your comment, never presume you can speak on behalf of or for all voters. Felicity’s comment was in the first person and perfectly valid. She’s only one voter, most likely, but this is no reason to marginalise her concern.
Whilst i do not want to invalidate Felicity's concern I do not think it is high on the concerns of people newly out of work and i do have an issue with the invalidating of trans people. They shu\ould not be shut out of safe spaces when they badly need our help.
I want to know what is going to happen about the absolute bottom line for poverty and well being – housing and rents.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that Tracey Martin had said that the matter of Self Id would be left until after the election. If a Labour led government is re-elected they will have to tackle this issue no doubt, but I hope without acrimony.
I agree with your concerns Felicity, and may I say that I very much resent the automatic flinging of 'TERF'at any woman who dares to raise her voice in defence of her sex. And do you know I can think about the issues of poverty, homelessness, the environment and when to open the borders which the PM raised in her speech today, as well as wondering what this country has come to when women are routinely abused for daring to raise legimate concerns about legislation which may adversely affect them.
+100
Also note that Stats NZ is inviting submission on their proposed change to either no longer collecting data on sex or they are conflating or replacing data on sex with data on gender identity.
Which will make it even harder to compare the collection and analysis of sex-based data and the development of any services, policies or actions which address women’s needs or which challenge sex discrimination and inequality.
I thought it was a fine speech, with enough substance for people to consider, without any "big bang" announcement.
For the first time in 18 years, Labour are fighting an election as strong favourites, and it's an unfamiliar challenge. It's tempting to run down the clock ("steady as she goes") but important that they don't. Keep providing details of what is being done, and why.
She completely ignored the opposition, not even worth a single mention, no names, no relevance. Good. "Never interrupt an opponent when they are self-destructing".
I'm a bit disappointed there wasn't anything on FPA's.
Great speech.
breaks. brakesI listened to Jacinda recap our situation, and outline the way forward.
Labour is putting people at the centre of all they do, makes a change from GDP!!
Her whole speech was positive and affirming. She said there is more to come, and I anticipate that.
Looked at news reports "2000 jobs" was one heading, ignoring the 20 000 in the paragraph before of her speech.. … faint praise?
And… "Woman escapes isolation Hotel" Shouldn't that be "absconds" from an agreed rule for entry of our country?
Language chosen can send subtle messages.
At least 500 at the venue TePapa, and 400 000 plus online.
Media have to use language that suits the lowest common denominator. A lot of people simply won't know what "absconds" means.
And the first achievement is that this is happening at all.
Only a couple of months ago there were many voices saying the election should be delayed until November (Paula Bennett, Winston Peters, commentators in media), because people wouldn't be able to gather and campaign as normal.
How quickly things change, and how quickly some forget.
Nice speech to the party faithful, yet one thing COVID, has done, is force government intervention in the long decades ignored countries infrastructure by way of market dominated philosophy that the market will determine what the countries outcome financial and construct shall be.
In all fairness, only a social caring Government, or in this present, governing, structure, a triangle of varying political party views, has bartered and battled to keep to their parties philosophies and come out not always in agreement but compromise for the best way forward for the benefit of their party country people and supporters, and in my opinion, if the opposition had the treasury benches the present situation would have had a detrimental effect not only on the country but also its people who in hardship would have suffered under a full, blown market economy were profits not people matter more.
Muller: Jacinda Ardern's COVID-19 recovery plan lashed as undeliverable, visionless
https://twitter.com/PublicationsPro/status/1279649638610399232
He's got the pip because she never mentioned his name once.
Totally has the hump Anne, no idea how to compete so just negative snide quips. That will win Not!! Sad.
Sadly, Mullers not known for his honesty or accuracy
Not really, because a deficit is not a debt unless the government (which can create all the money that it needs) borrows it from banks that will just create it anyway.
It is important that people, especially the government, realise that a government does not need an income to spend money. It is not a household and it shouldn't be confused for one. It is a government and it has all the resources of a nation at its command.
Ensuring that we remain dependent upon other nations rather than building up the resilience that the virus showed that we need.
Must be why China has a debt to GDP ratio of 283%.
Just print more juan
And that explains why we have so much private debt – the private banks creating so much money to fuel the house price bubbles.
Lets keep moving. Sponsored by the helpful folks who supply my daily sprinkling of Metamucil over my prunes and weetbix every morning. For those that have difficulty doing it.
Why do the arrows on "Lets Keep Moving ⇨⇨⇨" point to the right!! Subliminal signal that Labour is going back to ACT policies??
Good spotting there!! Subliminal signalling has long been a crucial component in both advertising and propaganda – though limited by the practical necessity of having to focus on sending an obvious signal as well.
Labour adding the arrows to the right combines a subliminal signal that they intend to outflank the Nats on the right – just as Helen Clark did successfully – so it's an effective pitch to Labour conservatives. And the overt message, though vacuous, does at least give people confidence that Labour aren't wondering what to do.
In most of NZ's cultures, the right means the future. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
Sometimes it's a totem, sometimes an iconic adornment of Fidel Castro's revolutionary image, and sometimes a package of toxic waste used to facilitate self-harm…
Yes think you are likely more than a bit constipated Ian
Jacinda Ardern was wearing two hats at the Labour Party Congress.
Not much on kindness
I liked the speech by Kelvin Davis.
National claims they are the strong party of rebuilding and will do better than Labour but their history tells a very different story. Under National Governments only bigger business and the over seas owned banks tend to do well. Small to medium size business struggle as the money flowing through the economy tends to dry up as it flows out of the country into over seas banks coffers and tax havens. They under fund our essential services and still fail to have budget surpluses. Labour Governments get a better sustained economy going by getting the money flowing through the local economy. National keep telling us trickle down economics work when it has never worked but it is a proven fact that trickle up economics does work well.
Trickle down economics – aka – Piss on the poor !
Audrey Young's take in Granny Herald was interesting. "No ordinary Labour speech by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern".
And she is right, and not in a bad way. The intent of the Labour party is unchanged. It is a center-left party dedicated to making sure that the benefits of our economy are shared far more widely than National would normally prefer.
However these are not normal times. National if it was capable of getting into the treasury benches would have to do virtually the same basic economic policies because at present if any significiant number of us fall badly in the covid-19 world economy, then we will all fall into a deep recession and fall together.
This leaves very little room for the politics of envy and moralistic blame and spite that are the fundamental bedrock of every National campaigns .
Thanks for that. Your appraisal of hers makes a combination that resonates well. I liked that she did at least come out with a 5-point plan, thus beating the Nats to the draw, even if reaction seems lukewarm so far…
I wrote a post after this comment decided to go off half-cocked and publish itself.. *.
Personally I can't see any way for Labour to come out with more than immediate and general policy. There are far too many uncertainties with the international progress of covid-19 and how to adjust our economy and priorities to do more than point to immediate intent.
So Audrey is right – it looks like a National Party wrote it…
It is one of the painful issues with crises that you have to govern within the current crisis and put some long term issues on hold while things settle down. Conversely when you have the capacity and resources to deal with them, we'll be getting the ineffectual dithering of another John Key. The problem for National is that the time between crises is diminishing and crises are starting to look like they're overlapping.
What I do like with the current Labour policies is that they're designed to sustain viable businesses, while allowing the unsustainable and outright risky ones like cheap international tourism to exit reasonably gracefully. It is going to be painful. But it will actually help in that we'll start the redistribution of people and skills to more sustainable (in several senses) parts of the economy.
Plus at least it stops Labour making commitments that are too easily overblown by the media (who was the fuckwit that came up with straight-line projections on housing) and make it too easy to look at what has worked (like housing corp builds).
Basically what JackalMan was pointing out..
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2020/07/bullied-out-of-parliament.html
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* It also allowed to to check if I could work today – optician gave me occupational glasses with a focal length for laptops and tablets. It will be next week before I see the desktop focal length ones. While I can work without glasses, it takes a few painful days (4 in this case) before the eye muscles adapt.
Good luck with the eyes Iprent, I have a stigmatism and new glasses are awful.
Pretty tame stuff from Labour. I was hoping for more of a bold vision of what their campaign will look like, in the vein of what the Greens announced the week before. A big campaign piece that pays homage to their labour movement roots
Covid aside the circumstances are very different from the last election campaign. Then Labour needed to inspire and energise potential voters. This campaign is all about preserving the big lead that the government’s covid response has (somewhat unexpectedly) given them and capitalising on National’s recent travails. So it makes sense for Ardern and Labour to shamelessly steal the opposition’s usual tactics, don’t change the horses in midstream, steady as she goes etc.
Devo, Parties who are unlikely to lead a Government promise the Moon.
The reality for Jacinda and the current Government, Covid-19 is raging in the rest of the world, and keeping our NZ systems up and running while helping across the board is the current way forward.
11000 000 cases, and by the time you read this, that figure could be much greater.
This is a fast moving tragedy and it will not be over any time soon, with after effects for many which may come and go for years.
This is still a pandemic, a 1/100 year event, and our country is so lucky in our Leadership, with where we are and having some choices. There is no "Playbook."
Therefore Jacinda and Labour have promised to do all they can to see us through and to assist people and businesses to find a way forward. They won't be able to solve every problem caused by the virus.
This may not seem attractive at first glance, but a check on how other countries are doing confirms the choices made so far. The intentions have been outlined at this stage. Help as many as possible, rely on the science, and keep moving forward when it is safe.
I liked it that the PM raised the need for subsidised dental care for people over 18 and raised needing to look at the barriers to accessing free dental care for age under 18 in an interview on the Nation last Saturday. No detail was given about a subsidy or better access.
Covid-19 has certainly derailed many areas of government spending and is ongoing. What a challenging time it is to be the PM and the government.
The opposition can say what they like as they do not have the responsibility of being in government.
I felt inwardly proud , well satisfied and secure with the content of Jacinda’s speech and I am aligned to no particular party !
She stated re exporting our food.
“We market ourselves based on our clean, green and safe production. But we cannot take that for granted.”
And about new work schemes
“They will help restore our environmental reputation to what we know it should be, a reputation that underpins so much of our tourism, our trade, our brand.”
I am concerned that the aerial pest control aspect of our conservation efforts has been greatly expanded and is taking over pest control operations in NZ. It is in fact in direct conflict with our product marketing of “clean, green, safe.”
It is great that “In the Budget we allocated $1.1 billion for nature-based jobs.” but since 2017 experienced ground based pest control operators have been manoeuvred out of their work through an added requirement to have the ability to supply aerial pest control as well as ground control in all tenders placed on GETS. It is now very disquieting to see inexperienced troops about to be trained to do the back-up work that follows aerial pest control these days – none of it sustainable and all very expensive – when in fact there actually is a very effective, economic and sustainable alternative to aerial pest control in all areas that man can walk, the enviroMate100TM. It would be good to see this recognised and used in the work our troops are about to undertake to help the move to really clean and green.