one must not do that for the (mostly undeserving) poor will merely fritter it away on non productive items…..we must give it to the rich so they can further increase their (frequently non productive) capital holdings…..the poor are poor for a purpose.
Yeah, didn’t they use to do that, give money to the unemployed, to the invalids, the solo parents, I’m sure they used to do that.
Beneficiaries spend all their income in the local economy, which in turn helps to support employment.
If there were an equal number of available jobs as there are people looking for work, unemployment would be almost non existent.
Having a job provides dignity, hope, direction and most importantly, the ability to determine their own future and the future of their children.
“Beneficiaries spend all their income in the local economy”
That would depend on whether you define National Superannuation as a benefit or not. I suggest you take a flight to Europe during the May – August period. At least half the passengers, at least in economy, are clearly in the over 65 bracket, myself and my wife among them.
“If there were an equal number of available jobs ….”.
There probably are. The problem is that the skills employers are looking for and the skills of the unemployed don’t align. Whatever you may think of Stephen Joyce his attempts to make tertiary training organisations tell their prospective students what happens to graduates in terms of getting well paid jobs must help try and align the demand and supply of particular skills. Sure it only the first job but that is the most important. What does happen to the plethora of graduates in “media studies”? They can’t all become Baristas can they?
“If there were an equal number of available jobs ….”.
There probably are. The problem is that the skills employers are looking for and the skills of the unemployed don’t align.
What a load of codswallop. Just after the Christchurch Earthquake there were enough unemployed builders in the country to get in and clean the place up and start the rebuild due to the GFC and general decline in building that that had caused. The problem was that the employers and the insurance companies didn’t want to pay an adequate amount to get them into Christchurch to do it.
Instead they whinged to the government who then passed legislation allowing even more foreign workers in who weren’t as skilled as the NZ builders that were available. And when those workers got here they got abused by the employers.
Minor correction – legislation normally isn’t changed for most immigration purposes, particularly for categories of visas. The Immigration Act provides for Permanent Resident, Resident, Temporary and Interim visas, and Immigration Instructions then govern the actual categories of visas. Immigration Instructions are set by the Minister of Immigration, although major changes are normally agreed at cabinet level.
This doesn’t undermine the basic point, though – the government changed the Immigration Instructions to make it easier to get work visas in the Canterbury region.
alwyn, I don’t consider Super recipients beneficiaries (even though they represent a large proportion of the welfare payout) , they have worked all their lives, mostly, and deserve retirement with dignity, how ever it should be means tested, after all isn’t it the user pays system, those who don’t need it shouldn’t get it, were talking about poverty, not trips to Europe on the pension.
“If there were an equal number of available jobs ….”.
There probably are.
If there were, and there isn’t, then you wouldn’t have child poverty as described or 400k people looking for work, you know, headlining in the news.
Education starts at school, not at tertiary, put the dollars in at the beginning of the process and make sure every child gets the opportunity to reach their potential, since before 2004, NZ was matching the needs of industry with the skills required, uni’s worked with industries to provide the skills industries were looking for, I know this for a fact, having been at uni then. Having worked in Aus, the uni skills in NZ match the needs of employers much more closely than those provided by most Aus uni’s do today. It’s also difficult in terms of changing demand, what’s required today and there is a short fall of, may have changed 5 years later, when all the students are qualifying, not uncommon.
You probably don’t realise that not every one in the world is only interested in a well paid job, some people actually have things that they stand for and believe in, monetary reward is not the driving factor.
I used to think Joyce was reasonable sort, but like every thing the Nats have done, he’s as full of shit as the rest of them, full of spin and no substance, just looking for another term, he screwed up in my local electorate in the by election, you know the one “send them a message”.
When NZ returns to unemployment levels of below 3%, then we will see real prosperity, prosperity for all, that’s when we’ll see real growth in the economy, not growth from external sources like the Asian investment in real estate (globally), a smart economy is one that recognises every one has a part to play.
When your embedded in philosophical stupidity, it can be hard to see common sense.
“how ever it should be means tested’
On this I would disagree with you. The effect of means testing National Super can be seen in Australia. There a couple lose any entitlement to the Government provided super if you have assets, excluding a family home, of about $0.823 million. If they have less than $0.3 million they get about $35,000/year
For most people to actually save up $800,000 requires a massive sacrifice during their working life. If you do so you then find that you can’t even get enough of a return from your savings to even match the level of the super. You can’t really get a return of $35,000 from your extra half million of savings can you?
Most people seem to take the view that they are not even going to try. The also tend to buy McMansions, homes that are far larger than their real needs but which don’t have to be counted in the asset test. Do we really want that here?
“400k people looking for work, you know, headlining in the news. ”
Where do you get this figure from? I’ve never seen numbers at anything like that level. It would be an unemployment rate of about 14%.
“since before 2004, NZ was matching the needs of industry with the skills required”.
I am not sure we were doing it as late as that that we were doing so. What I find so difficult to accept is that there is very little push for people to go into trades. You can have a very satisfying and successful life as an electrician, a carpenter, a panel beater or a plumber (excluding clearing a blocked sewer of course). We have just about lost the apprenticeship system apparently with the continued expansion of the full time education system. That seems to be more in providing jobs for the educators than the young students.
“may have changed 5 years later, when all the students are qualifying”
As I have said above. Why do so many occupations seem to need such enormous training times? When I was at varsity a degree typically took three years and that was the peak of the education system.
“not every one in the world is only interested in a well paid job”.
Quite true but an awful lot who say they are interested in going where their muse leads them expect to get paid a very large income anyway. If they can’t get anyone to pay them for work they do they demand the income anyway. Let the taxpayer provide is the motto. I would like to be an artist, and sell pictures for the sort of sum a McCahon fetches but I am willing to accept that I’m not very good and it isn’t going to happen
alwyn, You didn’t consider what I wrote,” those who don’t need it shouldn’t get it” that’s fair isn’t it.
Regarding Aus pensioner entitlements, Australia has had an employer funded super scheme since the mid 80s, pensioners now retiring have accumulated more than $1.5m on average, some considerably more, and yes their family home is excluded from means testing (if they live in a major city it is probably worth more than $1.5m) the govt is in the process of redefining the means testing where around 300k pensioners will either lose it completely or it will be reduced, don’t forget, in Aus the wages and salaries are much higher, and the employers, out of their own pocket pay 9.5% of the emploees gross wage into a super fund for all employees, most super investments are returning between 8 & 12%, the govt is not taking any money from pensioners that have assets of less than $2m.
In NZ, where is the super scheme that will provide for the retirement of the aging population, Cullen put a lot of money into the future retirement scheme, but this dick govt doesn’t seem to understand the huge long term economic benefits of having the employer contribute a reasonable amount, in fact the govt hasn’t contributed at all in 6 years, and I believe whittled the fund down. They have a very short sighted economic ideology.
There is a great difference between Aus and NZ in the Tax system as well which hugely benefits low income earners, for instance, the first $18,200 is tax free for every one, no matter what you earn, this policy tends to be good for both workers and the economy, GST is only 10% and is only collected on 47% of all goods and services, unlike the wrought in NZ where you pay 15% on 97% of all goods and services, only country in the world.
that does that, some countries have a much higher rate but much lower % of Goods and services. Even petrol tax is vastly less than in NZ, currently 91 fuel is selling at around $1.02 p/litre. The bad side of tax is the stamp duty on real estate sales avg $45,00, payroll tax of 5% and tax on insurance policies.
The number of people looking for work was referred from a post on TDB form Martyn Bradbury recently where of number of graphs were displayed showing the current number of people on benefits (50k), official unemployed (239k) and people looking for work over 350k. These graphs covered a period of around 12 years, clearly showing the govt is now paying a benefit of the lowest ratio ever, around 20%, disgusting.
Over the last 20 years I have seen skill shortages in all sorts of vocations and have even benefited my self from those shortages, from lawyers to sparkies to health workers, they generally only last a few years, by which time the new trainees are then in a surplus.
The younger generation does tend to think society owes them a large salary for doing next to nothing, how ever reality soon catches up with them.
I based my comments on the Australian Government pension on this. http://www.superguide.com.au/smsfs/300000-retired-australians-to-lose-some-or-all-age-pension-entitlements
That was where I got the bit about losing it all if you have more than $823,000.
“Australians currently receiving a PART Age Pension and holding more than $823,000 in assets (excluding the family home) can expect to lose all PART Age pension entitlements.”
And from here, and from talking to some of my Australian friends (I used to live there and still visit) the thing about buying McMansions.
” For many Australians there will be an incentive to restructure or sell down assets to ensure they don’t end up on a lower income than those receiving a FULL or PART Age Pension.”
As far as not getting it if you don’t need it, it sounds very nice but isn’t terribly realistic in the current environment of very low interest rates we have. You need about a million dollars in term deposits to match the current married couple super rates.
I read recently that you are in the top 1% of net wealth households in New Zealand if you have a net wealth of about $1.5 million. That includes the equity you have in your house. That is all households of course, not just pensioners. How many people are likely to be excluded on the grounds they don’t need it?
As an aside the quickest way to get a letter from Bob Jones in the paper is to suggest in a newspaper article or letter that he gets National Super. There will be a response the next day that he never has and never will ask for it.
You also propose that “most super investments are returning between 8 & 12%”. That I find, in today’ environment impossible to believe. I can’t do anything like that consistently and I am both very good at it and don’t have to worry about fees or taxes. If you can tell me anyone who produced, over the last 8 years say, better than 8% after fees and taxes I will happily pass over my investments.
I’m not sure what the statement ” the govt is not taking any money from pensioners that have assets of less than $2m.” means. It is certainly taking away their Government Super.
The Aus govt is cracking down on wealthy pensioners, the 300k are only 1% of the total pensioners receiving a pension, there are also other loopholes that are being abused by these wealthy pensioners which will probably get closed.
Moving on, do you think it is fair to pay the pension to people who have an income stream of more than $100k p/a? , I don’t, but that’s only my opinion.
My Super is with Australian Super, and returned 10% last year and 2 years ago, it was 12%, in their prospectus they state that over the last 20yrs the avg return has been 9.8%, Australian Super is an industry super with very low fees, it is a non profit organisation.
You’re right about the low interest rates currently affecting retirees incomes, especially if the investments are with a savings type scheme, but it’s the same for every one out there with investments, you have to take the good with the bad.
A few minor comments and then I think I have run out of ideas.
I think you have got a decimal point wrong in ” 300k are only 1% of the total pensioners receiving a pension”. That implies there are 30 million pensioners in a population of about 22 million.
“income stream of more than $100k p/a?” Emotionally I say no it isn’t. However I suspect that there are very few of them. When you consider your super decisions you have to look very long term, at least 20 years before retirement and the only essential thing is certainty. The New Zealand approach does guarantee certainty and people are able to plan what they will do. They don’t have the Australian situation where the rules get changed on you when it is to late to do anything much about it. Where you get uncertainty people tend do say “bugger it” and do only what the law requires.
“returned 10% last year” They are doing well. I wonder how much is invested in the US, and they are riding on the back of the massive rise in the US dollar from buying about $A0.98 in 2013 to about $A1.37 today. That can really make returns look good, although you don’t want the fall to continue.
Incidentally it is very nice to be able to have a discussion where opinions and ideas can be debated in a civilized manner without comments like “you’re a psychopath” or “you are just a dickhead”.
”Incidentally it is very nice to be able to have a discussion where opinions and ideas can be debated in a civilized manner without comments like “you’re a psychopath” or “you are just a dickhead”.”
1) Phil Goff will win the Auckland Mayoralty, but the centre right will gain a majority on the council. However several radical young progressive will end with council seats on the ‘left’ side
2) Labour will hold Mt Roskill, but with a lessened majority
3) National/John Key will hold steady in the polls for most of the year, but will start declining in the last half of 2016, Labour will steadily crawl up.
4) A prominent business leader will announce that they will stand for Parliament in 2017, but it would be for a party we didnt quite expect…
5) Free healthcare will be extended to under 18’s but will be paid for by cutting subsidies for doctors visits for the rest of us.
6) The government will announce plans for a Royal Commission on the future of National Superannuation.
7) The RBNZ will increase the OCR in the December quarter.
8) An incident will occur that will sow the seeds for a 1951/1981 style confrontation in 2017.
9) John Key will announce he will be standing for a 4th term, but will not be standing in 2020.
10) John Tamihere will become new leader of the Conservative Party.
Heard Jokey hen on RADIONZ this morning but didn’t know it. Some political hack was giving his opinion on the Northland by election. It was Key. Sounded thoroughly versed in all the political moves involved in the electorate choosing the MP.
But there was no indication of giving a Speech from the throne (or should I say the comfy chair) about bright new policies for lifting the lives of those allocated space in the dinghy being towed behind The Luxury Yacht. There is always that dark thought – ‘Will they cut the connecting rope’ and then turn to their companions with the Goon quote in a high-pitched voice ‘They’ve fallen in the water”. The Australians did that to people they didn’t want who came from far away, now they are doing similar to neighbour NZrs they have decided they don’t want, and we are great adopters and adapters.
I think if a post or news article gets edited after it’s published (eg by Greenpeace) it will reappear in everyone’s RSS feeds again. It’s not unusual to see posts twice in the standard’s feed list.
New Zealanders, especially the bottom 40-50% will continue to drown in a sea of low wages, high rents and high power prices, while the government, media and industry leaders continue to deny that there is a problem.
A penetrating insight into how U$ neoliberalism and the market rules have destroyed a once prosperous optimistic society. Applies to us as well.
America Is Being Destroyed By Problems That Are Unaddressed — Paul Craig Roberts
” Among the capitalist themselves and their shills among the libertarian ideologues, who are correct about the abuse of government power but less concerned with the abuse of private power, the capitalist greed that is destroying families and the economy is regarded as the road to progress. By distrusting government regulators of private misbehavior, libertarians provided the cover for the repeal of the financial regulation that made American capitalism functional. Today dysfunctional capitalism rules, thanks to greed and libertarian ideology. ”
Historically, capitalism was justified on the grounds that it guaranteed the efficient use of society’s resources. Profits were a sign that resources were being used to maximize social welfare, and losses were a sign of inefficient resource use, which was corrected by the firm going out of business. This is no longer the case when the economic policy of a country serves to protect financial institutions that are “too big to fail” and when profits reflect the relocation abroad of US GDP as a result of jobs offshoring. Clearly, American capitalism no longer serves society, and the worsening distribution of income and wealth prove it.
None of these serious problems will be addressed by the presidential candidates, and no party’s platform will consist of a rescue plan for America. Unbridled greed, short-term in nature, will continue to drive America into the ground.
And yet the fuckwit deniers in the comments still trot out their delusions.
…18 years…
…sunspots…
…conspiracy to get funding…
…
Every single one of them.
Yep! I noted that too and shook my head. Such is the state of the country that sees itself as the leader of the free world. I really wonder if we are heading not only into a new feudal age but also a new dark age – such is the ignorance of so many noisemakers.
2016 has started. At least here in New Zealand but it will be only 45 minutes to reach Europe.
2015 has been an annus horribilus for me and mine. Loss of health, job, career for my husband, the death of my mother in law and 5 people I knew in varying degrees, who died of cancer or suicide. These years happen to all of us and how we get over them is what defines us.
I woke up in this new year feeling hopeful for myself and my husband of 28 years. We will get through this somehow. We have much to look forward too. We have tools and skills and a safe income for now.
But many have not. If you are born in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Ukraine, your country has been destroyed, you may have loved ones who were killed in the mayhem the West foisted upon your country. You may have decided to got to countries who were not at war only to find that the people there did not want to know.
If you are one of the people who lost their jobs, ended up on a no hour contract in a city with a housing bubble you may have found yourself living in a car with your family while the prime minister flew out to celebrate a gluttonous Christmas with his family in Hawaii. You may have been one of the people who were shunned by a healthcare system under pressure to make profit or is underfunded and you are on a waiting list for a lifesaving operation.
To be quite honest, I don’t know how people in those situations cope. I can barely cope in the situation we are in so to have no help and be exposed to the brutality of war, famine, poverty is a hell I can only envision in my blackest dreams of fear and despair.
I realize it could and still can so very easily be me. As the saying goes: There for the grace of God go I.
Whether you believe in a divine being or not, chance or a bit of luck is a very real occurrence. For people like John Key to claim that poor, sick, young, old people only have themselves to blame for making bad lifestyle choices is barbaric, cruel and callous and my hope for this year is that while one of the blackest economic, spiritual, financial, military storms to ever hit humanity is upon us we will find our common humanity and resist the utter depravity we are being confronted with and that we will be able to share the abundance in our lives with the people around us who do not.
May you all have peace. love and comfort in this new year.
“my hope for this year is that while one of the blackest economic, spiritual, financial, military storms to ever hit humanity is upon us we will find our common humanity and resist the utter depravity we are being confronted with and that we will be able to share the abundance in our lives with the people around us who do not.”
Good wishes to you also travellerev. Had a bad news, good news book once. Seeing so much bad has happened I bet that the next page will produce something sweet that can be enjoyed for a time before the next hopefully, smaller problem arises. A wee boost can be amazing in helping over the rough bits. I wish you lots of little good bits this year.
“For people like John Key to claim that poor, sick, young, old people only have themselves to blame for making bad lifestyle choices is barbaric, cruel and callous and my hope for this year is that while one of the blackest economic, spiritual, financial, military storms to ever hit humanity is upon us we will find our common humanity and resist the utter depravity we are being confronted with and that we will be able to share the abundance in our lives with the people around us who do not.”
I hope that for this year too, and that it leads to the ousting of this bunch of usurpers.
These comments don’t really square with today’s Herald editorial, which I suggest more accurately reflects the mood of the majority of New Zealanders than many of the typical comments on The Standard.
Some commenters seem to view New Zealand as some terrible place that is so bad that it is amazing it actually is seen by anyone as a first world nation. But at least as I see it New Zealand is actually doing pretty well. But it could obviously be better.
It should be easier for young New Zealanders, especially in Auckland, to buy their first home.
However, employment prospects are very good when compared to most other first world nations, even with annual immigration adding many tens of thousands of people looking for work. When it come to our health system and education system we stack up really well. I have had enough experience of both to know the truth of that.
So Standardnista’s are going to have to do a better job than they have if they want to persuade New Zealanders to change their votes in 2017. Trying to paint a picture that New Zealand is a South Pacific hellhole that only a change of government can fix will not work – it simply lacks credibility with most New Zealanders.
Perhaps being more optimistic, with an appealing modern alternative would be a better approach. It worked for Trudeau this last year, and in 2008 it worked for Obama.
Some commenters seem to view New Zealand as some terrible place that is so bad that it is amazing it actually is seen by anyone as a first world nation.
Trying to paint a picture that New Zealand is a South Pacific hellhole that only a change of government can fix…
That’s bullshit Wayne and you know it. What you have done is transpose the comments coming from a minority of commenters onto the shoulders of the majority. It won’t work – not for those who regularly read TS and according to the figures there are many thousands who do. Add to that your amnesiac condition… because I recall the daily screams of anguish and horror coming from Her Majesty’s NZ Opposition between 1999 and 2008 over ‘imagined’ government conduct that was subsequently proven to be false – something that isn’t going to happen when the clandestine conduct of Her Majesty’s current NZ government is finally revealed.
“when the clandestine conduct of Her Majesty’s current NZ government is finally revealed.”
Indeed. Just for starters, this from Bryce Edwards:
“The integrity of governance of any society is dependent on numerous pillars that hold up democracy. Akin to an old roman temple, important institutions such as the Official Information Act, public servants and watchdogs act as the foundations of a corruption-free society.
“But in 2015 it became apparent that some of the pillars of New Zealand’s governing arrangements have eroded, making democracy less stable. There have been apparent failings in the OIA regime, transparency of Government ministers and departments, murky deals struck and clampdowns on attempts to get accountability.” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11561446
This from Wayne – So Standardnista’s are going to have to do a better job than they have if they want to persuade New Zealanders to change their votes in 2017. Trying to paint a picture that New Zealand is a South Pacific hellhole that only a change of government can fix will not work – it simply lacks credibility with most New Zealanders.
Perhaps being more optimistic, with an appealing modern alternative would be a better approach.
Your Nasty PR machine already turns out plenty of soft soapy bubbles Wayne. If nobody speaks up for the impoverished who definitely are not getting a fair deal from the government, then they will be further left to rot. Certainly if Dr Wayne Mapp has his choice. Probably sticks transfers of his favourite places on his spectacle lenses to avoid seeing the hoi polloi and gets an exciting frisson from the rough TS types with their loud uncouth claims that everything in NZ isn’t rosy.
By the way has that been invented yet – lenses that can be fed vistas chosen by the wearer? They would have to form a soft frame round the central viewing area, but they will definitely be invented soon as an aid to the wealthy. All those very plain, ugly, not cool people will fade out of sight man!
Here is a ditty of the happy working man of yore hic! for Sir Wayne (to be). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oww8HXLsxDw
Listen to Will Fyffe telling it like it is after a couple of drinks on a Shaterday in Glasgow. That was in the good old days (when there was regular, well paid work) – they ain’t good old days in NZ now.
Gosh, Wayne. You appear to be giving a bunch of lefties advice on how to win the next election. And for free, even! Why on earth would you want to do that?
The Herald is a tabloid rag representing the interests of the 1%.
John Roughan, who writes the Herald’s editorials, also wrote the hagiography of Key.
Your spinning is just a bit too obvious.
Obama lied and deceived so well they gave him a Nobel Peace prize like some ‘free pass’ to continue and expand the wars. Which he did and will continue to do
That you’re an advocate for liars fits well with your comnents here, and your performance in government…
OK Wayne, I agree there are a lot of people out there that are doing OK. But there are also a lot of people out there who are just hanging in there, and a lot of New Zealanders doing it rough.
Incomes are bugger all for a lot of people, and things like accomodation and utilities are very expensive. Education and health have huge amounts of user pays built into them, such as ‘donations’ and subject fees, while doctors visits and prescriptions are getting expensive.
Perhaps if you ventured out of your ivory tower for once, and had a bit of a tour round the boarding houses and motor camps of Auckland, you will get a different story.
He is in complete denial about what is happening in this country. I guess that is what having heaps of money and not wondering whether to pay the power bill or buy groceries does to you. He probably probably has about $100,000 in the bank at any one time, so its probably the equivalent of losing a 20c piece down the back of the couch.
Hey Wayne, you’r a wanker, stop believing the bullshit presented to you by the MSM, the herald has absolutely no credibility at all, none what so ever, the editor of the herald has to be the dumbest bastard that I’ve come across for a long time, and it’s people like you willing to believe the total bullshit that this guy spews, that it’s disappointing to see how ignorant some Kiwi’s really are.
Unfortunately, Trudeau wasn’t voted in, the other idiot was voted out, hopefully this will occur in 2017.
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“This might surprise you, Laurie, but I reckon Trump’s putting on a bloody impressive performance.”“GOODNESS ME, HANNAH, just look at all those Valentine’s Day cards!”“Occupational hazard, Laurie, the more beer I serve, the more my customers declare their undying love!”“Crikey! I had no idea business was so good.” Laurie squinted ...
In 2005, Labour repealed the long-standing principle of birthright citizenship in Aotearoa. Why? As with everything else Labour does, it all came down to austerity: "foreign mothers" were supposedly "coming to this country to give birth", and this was "put[ting] pressure on hospitals". Then-Immigration Minister George Hawkins explicitly gave this ...
And I just hope that you can forgive usBut everything must goAnd if you need an explanation, nationThen everything must goSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Today, I’d like to talk about a couple of things that happened over the weekend:Brian Tamaki’s Library Invasion and ...
New reporting highlights how Brooke van Velden refuses to meet with the CTU but is happy to meet with fringe Australian-based unions. Van Velden is pursuing reckless changes to undermine the personal grievance system against the advice of her own officials. Engineering New Zealand are saying that hundreds of engineers ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill. This Bill represents a positive step towards addressing serious issues around unlawful disparities in pay by protecting workers’ rights to discuss their pay and conditions. This Bill also provides welcome support for helping tackle the prevalent gender and ...
Years of hard work finally paid off last week as the country’s biggest and most important transport project, the City Rail Link reached a major milestone with the first test train making its way slowly though the tunnels for the first time. This is a fantastic achievement and it is ...
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It’s one of New Zealand’s great sustaining myths: the spirit of ANZAC, our mates across the ditch, the spirit of Earl’s Court, Antipodeans united against the world. It is also a myth; it is not reality. That much was clear from a series of speakers, including a former Australian Prime ...
Many people have been unsatisfied for years that things have not improved for them, some as individuals, many more however because their families are clearly putting in more work, for less money – and certainly far less purchase on society. This general discontent has grown exponentially since the GFC. ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
You're just too too obscure for meOh you don't really get through to meAnd there's no need for you to talk that wayIs there any less pessimistic things to say?Songwriters: Graeme DownesToday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most cringe-inducing moments from last week, but don’t ...
Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is sea level rise exaggerated? Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. Warming global temperatures cause land ice ...
Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
“The ACT Party can’t be bothered putting an MP on one of the Justice subcommittees hearing submissions on their own Treaty Principles Bill,” Labour Justice Spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
There is certainly plenty of room for better police training for dealing with protest activity that starts with a rights-based approach to ensuring people can fully exercise their human rights. ...
“We are thrilled that this Bill is making its way through the House and looks set to become law,” said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isaac Gross, Lecturer in Economics, Monash University Gumbariya/Shutterstock The Reserve Bank’s decision to cut interest rates for the first time in four years has triggered a round of celebration. Mortgage holders are cheering the fact their monthly repayments are now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Housing supply in Australia will be a key battleground in the election campaign. With home ownership more and more out of reach for young and not so young Australians, red tape and low productivity are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Korolev, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, UNSW Sydney The United States and Russia agreed to work on a plan to end the war in Ukraine at high-level talks in Saudi Arabia this week. Ukrainian and European representatives were pointedly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University BaLL LunLa/Shutterstock Sleep is the holy grail for new parents. So no wonder many tired parents are looking for something to help their babies sleep. A TikTok trend claims ...
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What’s up with the man from Epsom? The leader of the Act Party has been in plenty of headlines in the last two weeks, ranging from a controversial letter to police on behalf of constituent Philip Polkinghorne (written before David Seymour was a minister) to an attempt to drive ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Stephenson, Deputy Director, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, Australian National University Newly published research has found clear evidence that openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and queer+ (LGBTIQ+) Australian politicians were disproportionately targeted with personal abuse on social media at the ...
Gilmore Girls, Schitt’s Creek, even The Vampire Diaries – they’re all set in tight-knit neighbourhoods where everyone knows everyone. So what is it like to actually know your neighbours? My favourite television shows are set in tight-knit neighbourhoods where everyone knows everyone. Characters attend town meetings where they debate local ...
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Wellington travellers say their buses are so hot they’re often forced to get off early and walk. Shanti Mathias explores the impact of non-functioning air conditioning on public transport. When Bella, a young professional living in Wellington, thinks about taking the bus, her first thought is “Ugh”. The bus might ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annette Kroen, Research Fellow Planning and Transport, RMIT University The cleanup is underway in northern Queensland following the latest flooding catastrophe to hit the state. More than 7,000 insurance claims have already been lodged, most of them for inundated homes and other ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Tasmania has been burning for more than two weeks, with no end in sight. Almost 100,000 hectares of bushland in the northwest has burned to date. This includes the Tarkine rainforest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Loosemore, Professor of Construction Management, University of Technology Sydney This week, the Productivity Commission released its much-awaited report into productivity growth in Australia’s housing construction sector. It wasn’t a glowing appraisal. The commission found physical productivity – the total number ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pascale Lubbe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Molecular Ecology, University of Otago Royal spoonbills are among several new species that have crossed the Tasman and naturalised in New Zealand. JJ Harrison/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA When people arrived on the shores of Aotearoa ...
Stats NZ’s head is stepping down over the agency’s failure to safeguard census data, and more officials may soon be in the firing line, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. An ‘absolutely unacceptable’ failure Stats NZ chief ...
Health NZ is under greater government scrutiny, with the new health minister setting up a unit he says will "drive greater accountability and performance". ...
Manurewa Marae acknowledges should have done better at handling completed census forms, following an inquiry into steps government agencies took to protect data. ...
Police failed to protect people from protesters at a high-profile rally and made unlawful arrests at another, the Independent Police Conduct Authority says. ...
Comment: Crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are making it easier for people to invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum without having to handle digital wallets or private keys. These allow investors to buy and sell cryptocurrency through their regular brokerage accounts.This has opened the door for billions of dollars ...
http://i.stuff.co.nz/good-reads/75523420/Giving-cash-to-the-poor-is-the-best-way-to-fix-poverty
Surprise surprise – the best way to alleviate poverty is to give cash to the impoverished…
Even John Key admits that this is true. (saying the fastest way out of poverty was an income related rent – effectively giving the poor more money).
Interestingly enough, the best way to get the economy moving is also by giving cash to the poor.
The opposite is also true.
one must not do that for the (mostly undeserving) poor will merely fritter it away on non productive items…..we must give it to the rich so they can further increase their (frequently non productive) capital holdings…..the poor are poor for a purpose.
Yeah, didn’t they use to do that, give money to the unemployed, to the invalids, the solo parents, I’m sure they used to do that.
Beneficiaries spend all their income in the local economy, which in turn helps to support employment.
If there were an equal number of available jobs as there are people looking for work, unemployment would be almost non existent.
Having a job provides dignity, hope, direction and most importantly, the ability to determine their own future and the future of their children.
“Beneficiaries spend all their income in the local economy”
That would depend on whether you define National Superannuation as a benefit or not. I suggest you take a flight to Europe during the May – August period. At least half the passengers, at least in economy, are clearly in the over 65 bracket, myself and my wife among them.
“If there were an equal number of available jobs ….”.
There probably are. The problem is that the skills employers are looking for and the skills of the unemployed don’t align. Whatever you may think of Stephen Joyce his attempts to make tertiary training organisations tell their prospective students what happens to graduates in terms of getting well paid jobs must help try and align the demand and supply of particular skills. Sure it only the first job but that is the most important. What does happen to the plethora of graduates in “media studies”? They can’t all become Baristas can they?
What a load of codswallop. Just after the Christchurch Earthquake there were enough unemployed builders in the country to get in and clean the place up and start the rebuild due to the GFC and general decline in building that that had caused. The problem was that the employers and the insurance companies didn’t want to pay an adequate amount to get them into Christchurch to do it.
Instead they whinged to the government who then passed legislation allowing even more foreign workers in who weren’t as skilled as the NZ builders that were available. And when those workers got here they got abused by the employers.
Minor correction – legislation normally isn’t changed for most immigration purposes, particularly for categories of visas. The Immigration Act provides for Permanent Resident, Resident, Temporary and Interim visas, and Immigration Instructions then govern the actual categories of visas. Immigration Instructions are set by the Minister of Immigration, although major changes are normally agreed at cabinet level.
This doesn’t undermine the basic point, though – the government changed the Immigration Instructions to make it easier to get work visas in the Canterbury region.
Yes, hence, I use the term “Expat”, in 2011 fewer homes were built in NZ than in 1965, this saw a lot Kiwi’s abandon NZ for a “brighter future”.
alwyn, I don’t consider Super recipients beneficiaries (even though they represent a large proportion of the welfare payout) , they have worked all their lives, mostly, and deserve retirement with dignity, how ever it should be means tested, after all isn’t it the user pays system, those who don’t need it shouldn’t get it, were talking about poverty, not trips to Europe on the pension.
“If there were an equal number of available jobs ….”.
There probably are.
If there were, and there isn’t, then you wouldn’t have child poverty as described or 400k people looking for work, you know, headlining in the news.
Education starts at school, not at tertiary, put the dollars in at the beginning of the process and make sure every child gets the opportunity to reach their potential, since before 2004, NZ was matching the needs of industry with the skills required, uni’s worked with industries to provide the skills industries were looking for, I know this for a fact, having been at uni then. Having worked in Aus, the uni skills in NZ match the needs of employers much more closely than those provided by most Aus uni’s do today. It’s also difficult in terms of changing demand, what’s required today and there is a short fall of, may have changed 5 years later, when all the students are qualifying, not uncommon.
You probably don’t realise that not every one in the world is only interested in a well paid job, some people actually have things that they stand for and believe in, monetary reward is not the driving factor.
I used to think Joyce was reasonable sort, but like every thing the Nats have done, he’s as full of shit as the rest of them, full of spin and no substance, just looking for another term, he screwed up in my local electorate in the by election, you know the one “send them a message”.
When NZ returns to unemployment levels of below 3%, then we will see real prosperity, prosperity for all, that’s when we’ll see real growth in the economy, not growth from external sources like the Asian investment in real estate (globally), a smart economy is one that recognises every one has a part to play.
When your embedded in philosophical stupidity, it can be hard to see common sense.
“how ever it should be means tested’
On this I would disagree with you. The effect of means testing National Super can be seen in Australia. There a couple lose any entitlement to the Government provided super if you have assets, excluding a family home, of about $0.823 million. If they have less than $0.3 million they get about $35,000/year
For most people to actually save up $800,000 requires a massive sacrifice during their working life. If you do so you then find that you can’t even get enough of a return from your savings to even match the level of the super. You can’t really get a return of $35,000 from your extra half million of savings can you?
Most people seem to take the view that they are not even going to try. The also tend to buy McMansions, homes that are far larger than their real needs but which don’t have to be counted in the asset test. Do we really want that here?
“400k people looking for work, you know, headlining in the news. ”
Where do you get this figure from? I’ve never seen numbers at anything like that level. It would be an unemployment rate of about 14%.
“since before 2004, NZ was matching the needs of industry with the skills required”.
I am not sure we were doing it as late as that that we were doing so. What I find so difficult to accept is that there is very little push for people to go into trades. You can have a very satisfying and successful life as an electrician, a carpenter, a panel beater or a plumber (excluding clearing a blocked sewer of course). We have just about lost the apprenticeship system apparently with the continued expansion of the full time education system. That seems to be more in providing jobs for the educators than the young students.
“may have changed 5 years later, when all the students are qualifying”
As I have said above. Why do so many occupations seem to need such enormous training times? When I was at varsity a degree typically took three years and that was the peak of the education system.
“not every one in the world is only interested in a well paid job”.
Quite true but an awful lot who say they are interested in going where their muse leads them expect to get paid a very large income anyway. If they can’t get anyone to pay them for work they do they demand the income anyway. Let the taxpayer provide is the motto. I would like to be an artist, and sell pictures for the sort of sum a McCahon fetches but I am willing to accept that I’m not very good and it isn’t going to happen
alwyn, You didn’t consider what I wrote,” those who don’t need it shouldn’t get it” that’s fair isn’t it.
Regarding Aus pensioner entitlements, Australia has had an employer funded super scheme since the mid 80s, pensioners now retiring have accumulated more than $1.5m on average, some considerably more, and yes their family home is excluded from means testing (if they live in a major city it is probably worth more than $1.5m) the govt is in the process of redefining the means testing where around 300k pensioners will either lose it completely or it will be reduced, don’t forget, in Aus the wages and salaries are much higher, and the employers, out of their own pocket pay 9.5% of the emploees gross wage into a super fund for all employees, most super investments are returning between 8 & 12%, the govt is not taking any money from pensioners that have assets of less than $2m.
In NZ, where is the super scheme that will provide for the retirement of the aging population, Cullen put a lot of money into the future retirement scheme, but this dick govt doesn’t seem to understand the huge long term economic benefits of having the employer contribute a reasonable amount, in fact the govt hasn’t contributed at all in 6 years, and I believe whittled the fund down. They have a very short sighted economic ideology.
There is a great difference between Aus and NZ in the Tax system as well which hugely benefits low income earners, for instance, the first $18,200 is tax free for every one, no matter what you earn, this policy tends to be good for both workers and the economy, GST is only 10% and is only collected on 47% of all goods and services, unlike the wrought in NZ where you pay 15% on 97% of all goods and services, only country in the world.
that does that, some countries have a much higher rate but much lower % of Goods and services. Even petrol tax is vastly less than in NZ, currently 91 fuel is selling at around $1.02 p/litre. The bad side of tax is the stamp duty on real estate sales avg $45,00, payroll tax of 5% and tax on insurance policies.
The number of people looking for work was referred from a post on TDB form Martyn Bradbury recently where of number of graphs were displayed showing the current number of people on benefits (50k), official unemployed (239k) and people looking for work over 350k. These graphs covered a period of around 12 years, clearly showing the govt is now paying a benefit of the lowest ratio ever, around 20%, disgusting.
Over the last 20 years I have seen skill shortages in all sorts of vocations and have even benefited my self from those shortages, from lawyers to sparkies to health workers, they generally only last a few years, by which time the new trainees are then in a surplus.
The younger generation does tend to think society owes them a large salary for doing next to nothing, how ever reality soon catches up with them.
I based my comments on the Australian Government pension on this.
http://www.superguide.com.au/smsfs/300000-retired-australians-to-lose-some-or-all-age-pension-entitlements
That was where I got the bit about losing it all if you have more than $823,000.
“Australians currently receiving a PART Age Pension and holding more than $823,000 in assets (excluding the family home) can expect to lose all PART Age pension entitlements.”
And from here, and from talking to some of my Australian friends (I used to live there and still visit) the thing about buying McMansions.
” For many Australians there will be an incentive to restructure or sell down assets to ensure they don’t end up on a lower income than those receiving a FULL or PART Age Pension.”
As far as not getting it if you don’t need it, it sounds very nice but isn’t terribly realistic in the current environment of very low interest rates we have. You need about a million dollars in term deposits to match the current married couple super rates.
I read recently that you are in the top 1% of net wealth households in New Zealand if you have a net wealth of about $1.5 million. That includes the equity you have in your house. That is all households of course, not just pensioners. How many people are likely to be excluded on the grounds they don’t need it?
As an aside the quickest way to get a letter from Bob Jones in the paper is to suggest in a newspaper article or letter that he gets National Super. There will be a response the next day that he never has and never will ask for it.
You also propose that “most super investments are returning between 8 & 12%”. That I find, in today’ environment impossible to believe. I can’t do anything like that consistently and I am both very good at it and don’t have to worry about fees or taxes. If you can tell me anyone who produced, over the last 8 years say, better than 8% after fees and taxes I will happily pass over my investments.
I’m not sure what the statement ” the govt is not taking any money from pensioners that have assets of less than $2m.” means. It is certainly taking away their Government Super.
The Aus govt is cracking down on wealthy pensioners, the 300k are only 1% of the total pensioners receiving a pension, there are also other loopholes that are being abused by these wealthy pensioners which will probably get closed.
Moving on, do you think it is fair to pay the pension to people who have an income stream of more than $100k p/a? , I don’t, but that’s only my opinion.
My Super is with Australian Super, and returned 10% last year and 2 years ago, it was 12%, in their prospectus they state that over the last 20yrs the avg return has been 9.8%, Australian Super is an industry super with very low fees, it is a non profit organisation.
You’re right about the low interest rates currently affecting retirees incomes, especially if the investments are with a savings type scheme, but it’s the same for every one out there with investments, you have to take the good with the bad.
A few minor comments and then I think I have run out of ideas.
I think you have got a decimal point wrong in ” 300k are only 1% of the total pensioners receiving a pension”. That implies there are 30 million pensioners in a population of about 22 million.
“income stream of more than $100k p/a?” Emotionally I say no it isn’t. However I suspect that there are very few of them. When you consider your super decisions you have to look very long term, at least 20 years before retirement and the only essential thing is certainty. The New Zealand approach does guarantee certainty and people are able to plan what they will do. They don’t have the Australian situation where the rules get changed on you when it is to late to do anything much about it. Where you get uncertainty people tend do say “bugger it” and do only what the law requires.
“returned 10% last year” They are doing well. I wonder how much is invested in the US, and they are riding on the back of the massive rise in the US dollar from buying about $A0.98 in 2013 to about $A1.37 today. That can really make returns look good, although you don’t want the fall to continue.
Incidentally it is very nice to be able to have a discussion where opinions and ideas can be debated in a civilized manner without comments like “you’re a psychopath” or “you are just a dickhead”.
”Incidentally it is very nice to be able to have a discussion where opinions and ideas can be debated in a civilized manner without comments like “you’re a psychopath” or “you are just a dickhead”.”
QFT
Happy new year all.
Some predictions…(reposed from last night)
1) Phil Goff will win the Auckland Mayoralty, but the centre right will gain a majority on the council. However several radical young progressive will end with council seats on the ‘left’ side
2) Labour will hold Mt Roskill, but with a lessened majority
3) National/John Key will hold steady in the polls for most of the year, but will start declining in the last half of 2016, Labour will steadily crawl up.
4) A prominent business leader will announce that they will stand for Parliament in 2017, but it would be for a party we didnt quite expect…
5) Free healthcare will be extended to under 18’s but will be paid for by cutting subsidies for doctors visits for the rest of us.
6) The government will announce plans for a Royal Commission on the future of National Superannuation.
7) The RBNZ will increase the OCR in the December quarter.
8) An incident will occur that will sow the seeds for a 1951/1981 style confrontation in 2017.
9) John Key will announce he will be standing for a 4th term, but will not be standing in 2020.
10) John Tamihere will become new leader of the Conservative Party.
Happy New Year to you too millsy.
Interesting list.
4) A prominent business leader will announce that they will stand for Parliament in 2017, but it would be for a party we didnt quite expect…
8) An incident will occur that will sow the seeds for a 1951/1981 style confrontation in 2017.
Are those generalised predictions or do you have something more specific in mind?
Yeah, they are kinda generalised, I dont have any one or anything in mind at the moment, but I see a range of possibles and probables.
I like one of Toby Manhire’s predictions in the Herald
“14 A newsreader will accidentally describe the Super City mayoral election as “Auckland’s choice – Cough or Groan”.”
Sounds most appropriate to me.
Heard Jokey hen on RADIONZ this morning but didn’t know it. Some political hack was giving his opinion on the Northland by election. It was Key. Sounded thoroughly versed in all the political moves involved in the electorate choosing the MP.
But there was no indication of giving a Speech from the throne (or should I say the comfy chair) about bright new policies for lifting the lives of those allocated space in the dinghy being towed behind The Luxury Yacht. There is always that dark thought – ‘Will they cut the connecting rope’ and then turn to their companions with the Goon quote in a high-pitched voice ‘They’ve fallen in the water”. The Australians did that to people they didn’t want who came from far away, now they are doing similar to neighbour NZrs they have decided they don’t want, and we are great adopters and adapters.
One day those in the dinghy will sneak over to the luxury yacht and (this will probably get me banned) those on it.
Why are Greenpeace news summaries on the right being repeated. Two different posts showing as four takes up space in that column.
I think if a post or news article gets edited after it’s published (eg by Greenpeace) it will reappear in everyone’s RSS feeds again. It’s not unusual to see posts twice in the standard’s feed list.
ta weka
Oh…and I forgot one more prediction..
New Zealanders, especially the bottom 40-50% will continue to drown in a sea of low wages, high rents and high power prices, while the government, media and industry leaders continue to deny that there is a problem.
Dubai sets off spectacular fireworks as the Address Hotel burns right next to it.
What a metaphor for the world in 2016.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CXlOsw6UoAAiu42.jpg
#DubaiFire
A real-life “Towering Inferno”.
Doesnt look like anyone got killed through thankfully. Hopefully fire services from around the world will study the techniques used to fight it.
For a building that large to be engulfed and no one be killed I’m guessing the building design will have played a significant role.
A penetrating insight into how U$ neoliberalism and the market rules have destroyed a once prosperous optimistic society. Applies to us as well.
America Is Being Destroyed By Problems That Are Unaddressed — Paul Craig Roberts
” Among the capitalist themselves and their shills among the libertarian ideologues, who are correct about the abuse of government power but less concerned with the abuse of private power, the capitalist greed that is destroying families and the economy is regarded as the road to progress. By distrusting government regulators of private misbehavior, libertarians provided the cover for the repeal of the financial regulation that made American capitalism functional. Today dysfunctional capitalism rules, thanks to greed and libertarian ideology. ”
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/12/30/america-is-being-destroyed-by-problems-that-are-unaddressed-paul-craig-roberts/
+1
Great article and much of it does apply to NZ.
Quote of the day
+1
Excellent point.
And yet the fuckwit deniers in the comments still trot out their delusions.
…18 years…
…sunspots…
…conspiracy to get funding…
…
Every single one of them.
And those deniers include prominent opinion formers like Hosking and Leighton Smith.
Yep! I noted that too and shook my head. Such is the state of the country that sees itself as the leader of the free world. I really wonder if we are heading not only into a new feudal age but also a new dark age – such is the ignorance of so many noisemakers.
2016 has started. At least here in New Zealand but it will be only 45 minutes to reach Europe.
2015 has been an annus horribilus for me and mine. Loss of health, job, career for my husband, the death of my mother in law and 5 people I knew in varying degrees, who died of cancer or suicide. These years happen to all of us and how we get over them is what defines us.
I woke up in this new year feeling hopeful for myself and my husband of 28 years. We will get through this somehow. We have much to look forward too. We have tools and skills and a safe income for now.
But many have not. If you are born in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Ukraine, your country has been destroyed, you may have loved ones who were killed in the mayhem the West foisted upon your country. You may have decided to got to countries who were not at war only to find that the people there did not want to know.
If you are one of the people who lost their jobs, ended up on a no hour contract in a city with a housing bubble you may have found yourself living in a car with your family while the prime minister flew out to celebrate a gluttonous Christmas with his family in Hawaii. You may have been one of the people who were shunned by a healthcare system under pressure to make profit or is underfunded and you are on a waiting list for a lifesaving operation.
To be quite honest, I don’t know how people in those situations cope. I can barely cope in the situation we are in so to have no help and be exposed to the brutality of war, famine, poverty is a hell I can only envision in my blackest dreams of fear and despair.
I realize it could and still can so very easily be me. As the saying goes: There for the grace of God go I.
Whether you believe in a divine being or not, chance or a bit of luck is a very real occurrence. For people like John Key to claim that poor, sick, young, old people only have themselves to blame for making bad lifestyle choices is barbaric, cruel and callous and my hope for this year is that while one of the blackest economic, spiritual, financial, military storms to ever hit humanity is upon us we will find our common humanity and resist the utter depravity we are being confronted with and that we will be able to share the abundance in our lives with the people around us who do not.
May you all have peace. love and comfort in this new year.
Ev, mine wasn’t as bad as yours, but it was there or thereabouts.
I know of few people who had good years in 2015. For many, a disaster as you describe.
I don’t mind a degree of global context to help perspective, but sometimes suffering is what it is.
And sometimes, instead of making resolutions, mere resolution is enough. Completely agree with your will to find common humanity.
Not sure if people understand TS has a real function in just communing over the unnecessary damage of life that poor government brings.
Here’s to a fresh one.
Amen to that, Ad!
sorry that you and yours have had a hard year.
“my hope for this year is that while one of the blackest economic, spiritual, financial, military storms to ever hit humanity is upon us we will find our common humanity and resist the utter depravity we are being confronted with and that we will be able to share the abundance in our lives with the people around us who do not.”
I hope that too ev – kia kaha
+1
Thanks M.
Well said Traveller, and don’t forget Justice, for without Justice life is always a lot harder.
Good wishes to you also travellerev. Had a bad news, good news book once. Seeing so much bad has happened I bet that the next page will produce something sweet that can be enjoyed for a time before the next hopefully, smaller problem arises. A wee boost can be amazing in helping over the rough bits. I wish you lots of little good bits this year.
+1. When are people who voted for Key going to wake up to all the rubbish and lies he promotes? How long can an avalanche be ignored?
Thank you for what you have written.
“For people like John Key to claim that poor, sick, young, old people only have themselves to blame for making bad lifestyle choices is barbaric, cruel and callous and my hope for this year is that while one of the blackest economic, spiritual, financial, military storms to ever hit humanity is upon us we will find our common humanity and resist the utter depravity we are being confronted with and that we will be able to share the abundance in our lives with the people around us who do not.”
I hope that for this year too, and that it leads to the ousting of this bunch of usurpers.
Amen to that!
These comments don’t really square with today’s Herald editorial, which I suggest more accurately reflects the mood of the majority of New Zealanders than many of the typical comments on The Standard.
Some commenters seem to view New Zealand as some terrible place that is so bad that it is amazing it actually is seen by anyone as a first world nation. But at least as I see it New Zealand is actually doing pretty well. But it could obviously be better.
It should be easier for young New Zealanders, especially in Auckland, to buy their first home.
However, employment prospects are very good when compared to most other first world nations, even with annual immigration adding many tens of thousands of people looking for work. When it come to our health system and education system we stack up really well. I have had enough experience of both to know the truth of that.
So Standardnista’s are going to have to do a better job than they have if they want to persuade New Zealanders to change their votes in 2017. Trying to paint a picture that New Zealand is a South Pacific hellhole that only a change of government can fix will not work – it simply lacks credibility with most New Zealanders.
Perhaps being more optimistic, with an appealing modern alternative would be a better approach. It worked for Trudeau this last year, and in 2008 it worked for Obama.
That’s bullshit Wayne and you know it. What you have done is transpose the comments coming from a minority of commenters onto the shoulders of the majority. It won’t work – not for those who regularly read TS and according to the figures there are many thousands who do. Add to that your amnesiac condition… because I recall the daily screams of anguish and horror coming from Her Majesty’s NZ Opposition between 1999 and 2008 over ‘imagined’ government conduct that was subsequently proven to be false – something that isn’t going to happen when the clandestine conduct of Her Majesty’s current NZ government is finally revealed.
+1
“when the clandestine conduct of Her Majesty’s current NZ government is finally revealed.”
Indeed. Just for starters, this from Bryce Edwards:
“The integrity of governance of any society is dependent on numerous pillars that hold up democracy. Akin to an old roman temple, important institutions such as the Official Information Act, public servants and watchdogs act as the foundations of a corruption-free society.
“But in 2015 it became apparent that some of the pillars of New Zealand’s governing arrangements have eroded, making democracy less stable. There have been apparent failings in the OIA regime, transparency of Government ministers and departments, murky deals struck and clampdowns on attempts to get accountability.” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11561446
This from Wayne –
So Standardnista’s are going to have to do a better job than they have if they want to persuade New Zealanders to change their votes in 2017. Trying to paint a picture that New Zealand is a South Pacific hellhole that only a change of government can fix will not work – it simply lacks credibility with most New Zealanders.
Perhaps being more optimistic, with an appealing modern alternative would be a better approach.
Your Nasty PR machine already turns out plenty of soft soapy bubbles Wayne. If nobody speaks up for the impoverished who definitely are not getting a fair deal from the government, then they will be further left to rot. Certainly if Dr Wayne Mapp has his choice. Probably sticks transfers of his favourite places on his spectacle lenses to avoid seeing the hoi polloi and gets an exciting frisson from the rough TS types with their loud uncouth claims that everything in NZ isn’t rosy.
By the way has that been invented yet – lenses that can be fed vistas chosen by the wearer? They would have to form a soft frame round the central viewing area, but they will definitely be invented soon as an aid to the wealthy. All those very plain, ugly, not cool people will fade out of sight man!
Here is a ditty of the happy working man of yore hic! for Sir Wayne (to be).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oww8HXLsxDw
Listen to Will Fyffe telling it like it is after a couple of drinks on a Shaterday in Glasgow. That was in the good old days (when there was regular, well paid work) – they ain’t good old days in NZ now.
There is no depression in New Zealand.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/sport/rugby/uncle-was-decapitated-i-stabbed-twice-jonah-lomu-details-life-on-south-aucklands-mean-streets
No child poverty here either: https://www.unicef.org.nz/learn/our-work-in-new-zealand/Child-Poverty-in-New-Zealand?gclid=CNHQh7yNiMoCFQuCvQod-YALmQ
Gosh, Wayne. You appear to be giving a bunch of lefties advice on how to win the next election. And for free, even! Why on earth would you want to do that?
The Herald is a tabloid rag representing the interests of the 1%.
John Roughan, who writes the Herald’s editorials, also wrote the hagiography of Key.
Your spinning is just a bit too obvious.
Obama did not offer an alternative.
Ask the people of Detroit, Baghdad, Kabul, Baltimore, Damascus and Ferguson, Missouri.
and it worked for Obama in 2008
Obama lied and deceived so well they gave him a Nobel Peace prize like some ‘free pass’ to continue and expand the wars. Which he did and will continue to do
That you’re an advocate for liars fits well with your comnents here, and your performance in government…
OK Wayne, I agree there are a lot of people out there that are doing OK. But there are also a lot of people out there who are just hanging in there, and a lot of New Zealanders doing it rough.
Incomes are bugger all for a lot of people, and things like accomodation and utilities are very expensive. Education and health have huge amounts of user pays built into them, such as ‘donations’ and subject fees, while doctors visits and prescriptions are getting expensive.
Perhaps if you ventured out of your ivory tower for once, and had a bit of a tour round the boarding houses and motor camps of Auckland, you will get a different story.
7 replies to Wayne so far and not one reply.
The manners of these trolls, I tell you.
He is in complete denial about what is happening in this country. I guess that is what having heaps of money and not wondering whether to pay the power bill or buy groceries does to you. He probably probably has about $100,000 in the bank at any one time, so its probably the equivalent of losing a 20c piece down the back of the couch.
Yup.
6.5% unemployed and rising.
We’re not running the country – National is.
So take your own advice before giving it.
Hey Wayne, you’r a wanker, stop believing the bullshit presented to you by the MSM, the herald has absolutely no credibility at all, none what so ever, the editor of the herald has to be the dumbest bastard that I’ve come across for a long time, and it’s people like you willing to believe the total bullshit that this guy spews, that it’s disappointing to see how ignorant some Kiwi’s really are.
Unfortunately, Trudeau wasn’t voted in, the other idiot was voted out, hopefully this will occur in 2017.
Happy New Year, everyone. Here’s Charlie Brooker’s look-back on 2015.
https://youtu.be/sJHTZLTLPho