Hardly news, NZ Herald.
Why ? Corporations wrote the TPP.
So who signed the letter?
Katherine Rich, Executive Director of the Food and Grocery Council, signed the letter.
One of the Food and Grocery Council’s objectives is to ‘advance the interests of manufacturers and suppliers of food and non-food products sold by the grocery trade.’ The ‘grocery’ companies Rich represents include such quaint Mum and Dad NZ companies such as Coca Cola, Nestlé, Frucor ( owned by Japanese giant Suntory) and George Weston Foods ( a wholly owned subsidiary of Associated British Foods Plc). Rich, the Grocery Council and Coca Cola recently congratulated the government for its form of ‘action’ on obesity.
NZ Forest Owners Association’s Paul Nicholls signed the letter.
Close to 1 million ha in plantation forests alone is in foreign hands (either full ownership or management). In 2010, the Forest Owners Association reported that 317,000 ha were overseas owned, with forestry investment and management firms controlling a further 654,000 ha in leases.
NZ Winegrowers NZ’s Philip Gregan signed the letter.
Author Peter Howland writes in his book Social, Cultural and Economic Impacts of Wine in New Zealand that more than 80 per cent of New Zealand wine production is foreign-owned. For example, Montana is owned by French giant Pernot Ricard, which had total assets of €25.70 billion in June 2011.
So the TPP benefits massive multi-national corporations and they get their puppets to write letters to John Key to tell him it benefits the country.
The Food and Grocery Council scares me quite a lot regarding the TPPA. I am not sure small businesses understand how much this will affect them.
The TPPA will give multi nationals the power to destroy small and medium businesses, the lifeblood of our country.
I am sure all the doomsayers about National’s economic policy will be suitably contrite.
With the benefits of the TPPA we can expect even better things in the future.
Dang, a raw nerve has been struck, you’re fingernails have raked across my blackboard!
A considerable number of orchadists pay on a contract basis, so sure, if you’re of a lazy disposition (or more interested in chatting to the female backpackers as many of my friends were) then you’re not going to do to well for yourself, but that’s at the workers discretion.
I spent many a season in the apple orchards (late 90’s/early 2000’s), set myself a goal of clearing $1,000 per week in the hand, and by gum I’d get there more often then not. Agreed it’s not for everyone (a fair few of my friends used their student loans to head overseas for summer instead, for which they’re still paying today), but if you’re focused and have a desire to work hard, then the reward is there.
“Picking – this is the harvesting of the fruit to the required standard, and again this is physical work. The employee must be able to lift, manoeuvre and climb to the top of a 9-foot ladder. You must also be able to carry the ladders between blocks. The employee must be capable of working long hours and be able to work in the outdoors i.e. in the heat or cold. Most pickers are paid on a contract rate. The rate varies but the minimum bucket rate (5kg) for cherries is $4-40 plus 8% holiday pay. You must be able to pick enough buckets to earn at least the minimum wage in order to retain your position. There is occasionally hourly-rated picking, but this is limited and the pay rate is $14-75 plus holiday pay.”
lets say your picking cherries for Mrs jones on contract at $4.40 a 5KG bucket…to clear 1K a week you need to work 6 days for 10 hours (hour off for breaks, so effective 9 productive) and average approx 5 buckets per hour (or 25KG)….am sure there are experienced pickers on here who could say how realistic that is but my experience of pick and pay orchards that has me reaching for a Tui
Interesting contribution Pat, refuting my direct experience, considerable time in and around orchards and positive tales of working with the humble apple vs your google search and theoretical analysis regarding income projections associated with cherry picking. Why not go all the way to the end of the grim spectrum and mention Walnut gathering, that’s possibly the worst hourly rate I’ve ever encountered.
Here’s some further real world orchard anecdotes from someone that’s actually worked with Apples, Cherries, Strawberries, Apricots, peaches and walnuts ……. tasty things cherries (just don’t eat too many unless you want to spend your afternoon in a rather unsavory orchard toilet!), and the monies OK if you want to work hard (and the fruit hasn’t been spoiled by a wet season), but the monies certainly not as lucrative as the Apple industry. (which is the good news story shared by Alwyn and thus the topic of this discussion). From memory my cherry expectations were to clear $100 per day which wasn’t bad cash back in the day, and I’d try and work 7 days a week if I could.
I agree that it’s unlikely contract rates have decreased, so if I could clear a grand a week 15 years ago, the mind boogles as to what’s possible nowadays. Maybe I should give up the rat race and return to simpler times.
There are of course rogue orchardists, just as there are any rogue employers/employees within any industry, but the demand for staff within orchards is such that workers can afford to be reasonably selective with home they chose to work for.
Enjoy your Tui, mine tastes especially delicious cause I’ve earned it 🙂
Apple picking starts in March and that’s the best job to make good money. You have to be relatively fit (full bag weighs 18kg and you have to claim ladder) and motivated but the work is not hard. Picking-bags are comfortable and don’t hurt your back at all. You have to fill up your bag carefully and not bruise the apples. One bin takes 36 of your bags and usually they pay again contract rate which is around $30-32 per bin (before tax). At the beginning of the season it’s easy to get 4-5 bins with 8 hours. If you work hard you get 6-7 bins. I use to work with boys from Bali and they picked every single day through the season 10-12 bins with 8 hours. So that shows it`s possible…at the same time there were backpackers who struggled to get 2 bins full. I was happy with my 6.
6 bins at $30 per bin = $180 before tax per day. Working 7 days is $1260 before tax per week.
So yeah, it seems that the contract rate hasn’t gone down. But it also hasn’t gone up. Inflation has, however.
the Tui”s metaphorical….but I will enjoy my Harringtons, earned or not….and thanks for the confirmation that market forces have determined that fruit harvesting is not economically viable in NZ without either an imported termporary work force or effective mechanical harvesting….you are right about grim projections.
Apple thinning’s the way to go, you get paid per tree thinned and no picking bag required so minimal physical demand. I met quite a few campervan traveling retirees in the thinning gangs & look forward to possibly becoming one of them in the future.
Apple-thinning (or grape-puning) is a skilled job that you can’t just walk into. But combined with picking will see you through a fair chunk of the year. The problem is what to do in the off season. Retirees will have super to get them through the winter. But unless you are a student (in which case you’d miss the thinning) or know someone who is hiring, then you’ll be living off savings during the stand-down for a benefit.
My main experience was with apricots, and the worst part was; when it rained and you couldn’t pick, but were still paying living costs in Central. If you had a camper, then all well and good (though they’ve tightened up on the freedom camping these last few years). In a tent, or paying the orchardeer to bunk in a shack, it is a bit grimmer.
That’s a big part of the problem. Why can’t they put in basic accommodation or free campsites for the pickers, with transport to and from the orchards.
It could be a wonderful experience for most young kiwis.
They charge so much for the accommodation you have to wonder are these people human.
the evidence is in the situation…..if fruit picking was the attractive well rewarded proposition as painted we wouldn’t have the industry claiming they can’t get local labour (Hawkes Bay has over 7% unemployment rate) and cannot harvest without imported labour….the implication is Kiwis are too lazy to work for a crust….while that may be true of some it does not explain the almost complete dearth of local labour…..i accept there are other factors at play including declining rural populations, aging demographic but that simply reinforces the market effect…..and we are all true free marketers are we not?…..especially orchardists
I do NOT support Auckland Council or Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) using Monsanto’s Round Up for weed control, because of the possible risks to public health.
Monsanto announced Wednesday that sales in the company’s agricultural productivity segment, which includes its probable carcinogen Roundup herbicide, fell 34 % to $820 million. Monsanto’s shares fell over 2% as a result.
_____________________
Proponents say TPP will give NZ better access to globally significant markets to build on the $28 billion worth of goods and services exported to member countries in 2014.
By Jamie Gray
Business and industry group leaders have lent their support to the Trans Pacific Partnership free trade agreement in an open letter to Prime Minister John Key.
…
__________________________________
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
(Who does NOT support New Zealand signing the TPPA).
For those of you who like the idea of governments printing more money to enable economic stimulus, here’s an interesting recent book from a British Lord:
If the government created money and spent it into the economy to utilise our resources why would we need foreign investors?
If the government created money without interest then the private banks wouldn’t have to with interest.
The fear that the rich have of the government creating money is that they would become superfluous. They would not be able to hold any nation hostage as they do now.
Good grief “Turner proposes putting money finance exclusively in the hands of independent central bankers.”
It already IS in the hands of indendent bankers. THAT is the problem FFS!!
Aaarrrrggghhh!!!
HOOTON IS A TWIT
Article about Jane Kelsey in Monday 1 Feb Herald contains a tweet from Hoots sent last week.
For those of you who don’t read the print version near the end of the article is the following:-
“Kelsey was not an academic but an insane embittered extreme left academic who was profoundly dishonest in the promotion of an evil ideology”
This Hooton Rant has been removed from the on line version of the article, I wonder why? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11582635 will get you to the print version without the Hooton comment.
Hooter is not a master spinner.His arguments are not like a cracked record
unconvincing to anyone with a brain but probably logical for the mini trumps in our society.
The left wing guy is a step up from his tired predecessor (Can’t remember his name now) but When oh when will Rnz get someone fresh to replace the tedious repetitive monologues of Hooter.?
Is it Monsanto’s RoundUp – NOT the Zika virus responsible for Brazilian babies being born with small heads, and brain damage?
Could glyphosate-based herbicides be responsible for babies in Brazil, being born with smaller heads (microcephaly) and brain damage?
NOT the ‘Zika virus’?
How is this not a fair question to ask, based upon the following?
Here is information from an animal study that implicates glyphosate, the central ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide, Roundup, in microcephaly and cranial malformations.
Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Produce Teratogenic Effects on Vertebrates by Impairing Retinoic Acid Signaling
Looking at it now. It only appears to be hitting certain people rather than being broadspread, which makes me suspect a ISP cache. I have reset the cached items for the site.
I’ll turn off the compression for a while and see if it makes it correct.
After several accounts surfaced of Donald Trump playing Adele’s music at campaign events around the country, the pop megastar has finally stepped in to tell the world she never gave the GOP frontunner permission.
“Adele has not given permission for her music to be used for any political campaigning,” her spokesman told the Independent on Monday, effectively asking the presidential hopeful to stop blasting her smash hits “Rolling in the Deep” and “Skyfall” to fire up crowds.
Seems that such wrongful use of artists songs runs in the conservative gene pool.
this is so prevalent that it leads you to conclude it is done deliberately for the subsequent coverage…theres no such thing as bad publicity (in some minds)
There’s no such thing as “permission”. Trump can do whatever he likes so long as he pays the licence fee. What Adele wants or doesn’t want is irrelevant.
McCain folded so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
There were also some questions about whether or not this was fair use since it was ostensibly used for “political speech,” but so far the court didn’t seem too amenable to that. And so, McCain has settled the lawsuit and publicly apologized to Browne, who claims this wasn’t a partisan issue (yeah, right), but about the rights of musicians.
I think you find that Trump doesn’t have the appropriate licence. Same as when National played copyrighted tunes which they didn’t have the appropriate licence for.
If Trump has paid ASCAP or BMI for a licence to use the song, he doesn’t need Adele’s permission. If she doesn’t want Trump to use it she will have to file suit against Trump and claim that his use of the song damages her reputation, and as she’s not an American recording artist that will be difficult.
No, it’s exactly the same – conservative arseholes inappropriately using music without permission.
If Trump has paid ASCAP or BMI for a licence to use the song, he doesn’t need Adele’s permission.
I suspect that you’ll find that it’s probably more complex than that. After all, any artist probably doesn’t want to be associated with just any candidate and so there’s probably a general clause in any license saying that it can’t be used for political purposes without the artists express permission.
conservative arseholes inappropriately using music without permission.
I hate to bring to bear the cold hard light of reality on your little fantasy, but here’s what happened with the Coldplay song: the owners of the mechanical and songwriting copyrights to the song “Clocks” claimed that a song by an Auckland musician was too similar to “Clocks” to be legally considered an independent work.
In the meantime the Auckland musician had licenced his song to the National Party for use in an ad campaign. When the owners of the mechanical and songwriting copyrights to the song “Clocks” claimed that the Auckland musician’s song was a derivative work of their work, the National Party stopped using the song and presumably asked for their money back.
lol
Clocks?
I thought it was a reference to eminem.
Just how any tunes have the nats ripped off (albeit perfectly reasonably, accidentally, it was the fault of their subcontractors, it was all pretty legal, well at least compared to anything Collins was involved with)?
The United States should consider reparations to African-American descendants of slavery, establish a national human rights commission and publicly acknowledge that the trans-Atlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity, a United Nations working group said Friday.
The U.N. Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent released its preliminary recommendations after more than a week of meetings with Black Americans and others from across the country, including Baltimore, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and Jackson, Miss.
Smart move from John Key, the protestors know they need the PM there so as to get more media to perform to so if they extend the invite they look weak and if they don’t they have less publicity, John Key goes elsewhere and the majority of the voters will back him
Its ok to not like him but no one can deny that he knows what hes doing
PR is trying to dismiss the true concerns of protestors by pretending that they just want to get on TV. Pathetic. So pathetic that one wonders if there might be a deeper, more devious motive. Ah – to undermine all protesting, maybe? (It is not easy being sleazy.)
Pretty much. And he did it in a weird way as if to say that either Ngāpuhi are all media attention seeking whatevers (seeing as how the link he supplied is about whether Key gets an invite from Ngāpuhi or not), or be believes that people who ‘turn up’ to protest run the marae.
Acoording to key on henry this morning he only goes because he gave Clarke a hard time for not going during her time.!
Hardly worth it if that’s his attitude.
Maybe but the way the press are suddenly being a bit nicer to labour makes me think they can smell change coming.
Ad to that there is unlikely to be the M/IP sideshow to scare the punters I’d have a Bob each way at the moment.
Because the last election was so close, I expect either another close election in 2017 (could go either way), or, if Labour carries on with building momentum and Peters doesn’t monkey wrench a left wing coalition, we could end up with a signifcant shift left.
Labour has been always too easily portrayed as the less fiscally responsible of the two main parties when the truth, more often than not, has been the reverse.
From the “black budget”, as National called it, of 1958 to the present, Labour has been more careful to balance its spending with revenue and more willing to raise taxes when necessary.
National, reflecting a business outlook, has been more comfortable with debt than Labour has been.
National is too keen to offer tax cuts at an election without specifying cuts to expenditure. An authoritative independent evaluation of their fiscal impact would be most useful for voters.
Also nice to see them making the connection between the GP policy on costings and the Labour party policy announcement this week.
The Labour Party are probably in favour of the Green Party proposal because they are broke.
This way they would be able to get work for which their leaders budget currently has to pay to spend on other things.
The editorial is also much more about the Greens rather than Labour. It was primarily about the Green Proposed costing scheme.
Irrespective of that I think that an independent costing unit is an excellent idea. It should be in Parliament, although it would no doubt need seconded Treasury people.
One thing it must have however would be properly detailed policies.
I had a look at the suite of Green Party policies. There are about 50 of them and they all cross reference each other.
I chose one, which should be close to their leaders heart. This was on “Children’s Policy – Every Child Matters”. https://home.greens.org.nz/policy/childrens-policy-every-child-matters
The problem with it is that it is a collection of warm fuzzy principles. It reads well but there is nothing there that you can get a grip on. I defy anyone to be even able to start costing it from the material here. There is nothing to start with. If it was to be costed it would have to be completely redesigned and rewritten, along with all the other interleaving policies. Is that intended? Are the Greens simply hoping to have Treasury staff develop all the party policies in a rigorous manner for them?
I agree. Costing outside of an election year is pointless.
That policy I looked at was dated 16 August 2013. It was the policy the Greens put forward at the last election.
I was not asking that it should be costed now. I was saying that a policy of this nature, with almost no specifics, is impossible to cost, at least in my view and as it stands.
Where on earth would you start?
“I defy anyone to be even able to start costing it from the material here.”
lolz. If you didn’t have such a chip on your shoulder about the GP you’d know that the Greens are one of the better parties at producing policy detail and costings.
The page you link to is the overarching policy for children. It outlines a range of interlocking policies that have been developped from the GP values in the context of the situation in NZ. They don’t have to have detail and costings for all of that (no party does). Instead, in 2014, the Greens produced a fiscal plan for their election priorities, one of which was child welfare. You can see the whole package in the link below, but as you have already seen it’s all interconnected.
Furthermore, if the policy is to great social good, you charge Treasury to find how it is best implemented, rather than allowing them to put out their usual neo-liberal guff.
Yep, and the unit is meant to be independent within Treasury, so if it gets set up under a left wing govt it’s less likely to be co-opted. It will be interesting to see if National decide to go with the proposal and nobble it at the start or just outright refuse.
I know someone who did four years tertiary and waittessed thee whole time and waitressed for at least a year after finishing training till she could get a start in her favoured field.
I’m quit sure she wouldn’t have minded a bit of her tax going to reducing her debt
Anyone would think that having tertiary education was like receiving some grant from a king by grace and favour. What a lucky person to get a start in life, to learn, train their brain, apply that learning which immediately raises him above the common herd, who are despised or dismissed as worthy.
It used to be that people were assisted to get to university if they were so determined and get the higher education they desired. And those who didn’t were still considered all right as people, just working at a different level with less skills of an academic kind.
Nobody should mind paying taxes in a land that has given opportunities to attain a comfortable life, an adventurous life, or whatever the goal is, or who knows there is opportunity to go for that higher education if desired. That was how it was, until Yek’s cohort came along and screwed up our social mobility and our willingness to support each other to greater heights. Now he thinks that waitresses should think like his grasping cohort who want to ring benefits out of the country till our ears pop. His cohort are the ones not willing to pay their fair share of tax easily affordable by people of good means and fair and responsible financial practices.
The waitresses are already paying 15% in each $ on GST no matter what they earn, plus anything else the government can squeeze. Proportionally they probably pay 80% tax on their discretionary income at least, and perhaps some from what should be disposable.
Once they may have been able to claim for work clothes required, or personal gear required, or for high transport costs, but in the interests of lazy clerks with computers to calculate and gather and file information, these have been swept away in the interests of a simple tax system (for the poor) and greater efficiency no doubt. The catchworld of our times.
” Anyone would think that having tertiary education was like receiving some grant from a king by grace and favour”
They sure as hell help though ,as someone who bombed out at the fifth form the feeling of being trapped in uninspiring jobs is a bummer. I love shepherding but the good jobs go to those with the bits of paper and rightly so.
b waghorn
I think you reflect the meaning of my comment. We know higher education nearly always helps if you can match the training to the jobs, and across the country higher educated staff will deliver value to business and revenue. And give wider knowledge, a bigger world view.
I left school in the 5th and had my eyes and mind opened when I took some adult papers though I didn’t finish my degree. (And to anyone reading this, just successfully doing some papers should count as part of a degree when on a CV or forming analysis of achievement of educational institutes. Each paper is a world of learning in itself, and shouldn’t be derided, downgraded if the whole degree isn’t attained.)
You should be able to go back and retrain, learn more at any time of life, with some input from oneself, or a bond to apply that learning in some part of NZ etc. It should be a right, something encouraged in a modern, advanced country, not treated as special for the children of the advantaged. That retraining necessity has been the recurring theme since decades ago. What do we get though – administrative barriers, lack of living support, costs and cumulative interest which I think has changed now, and wages that don’t keep up with measured inflation, and that don’t allow for the meteoric rise in house prices.
And the gummint don’t even want to help people extend their knowledge and skills, build community networks, use expensive school equipment and buildings by the taxpayers, at night and summer schools. Let’s face it the gummint isn’t interested in the ordinary citizen any more, they have moved on to more rewarding. extensive projects.
FFS, can someone please tell Labour to get someone to run its website properly. I can’t find any policy there today off the front page, and using google took me to a broken link. It’s like whoever does this currently either doesn’t understand how the internet works or has put the policy at the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying beware of the leopard.
If I’m wrong and it is there, can someone please point it out to me? I’m pretty sure that the policies were easily available in the past week, so wtf with changing your website a few days after a SOTN speech when you will be getting additional traffic from people wanting to check Labour out?
Really disappointing after a good speech and policy announcement.
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For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
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Industry Lobbyists for big corporates say the TPP is good.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11583052
Hardly news, NZ Herald.
Why ? Corporations wrote the TPP.
So who signed the letter?
Katherine Rich, Executive Director of the Food and Grocery Council, signed the letter.
One of the Food and Grocery Council’s objectives is to ‘advance the interests of manufacturers and suppliers of food and non-food products sold by the grocery trade.’ The ‘grocery’ companies Rich represents include such quaint Mum and Dad NZ companies such as Coca Cola, Nestlé, Frucor ( owned by Japanese giant Suntory) and George Weston Foods ( a wholly owned subsidiary of Associated British Foods Plc). Rich, the Grocery Council and Coca Cola recently congratulated the government for its form of ‘action’ on obesity.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11532124
NZ Forest Owners Association’s Paul Nicholls signed the letter.
Close to 1 million ha in plantation forests alone is in foreign hands (either full ownership or management). In 2010, the Forest Owners Association reported that 317,000 ha were overseas owned, with forestry investment and management firms controlling a further 654,000 ha in leases.
NZ Winegrowers NZ’s Philip Gregan signed the letter.
Author Peter Howland writes in his book Social, Cultural and Economic Impacts of Wine in New Zealand that more than 80 per cent of New Zealand wine production is foreign-owned. For example, Montana is owned by French giant Pernot Ricard, which had total assets of €25.70 billion in June 2011.
So the TPP benefits massive multi-national corporations and they get their puppets to write letters to John Key to tell him it benefits the country.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11309648
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/65932216/how-the-land-lies-in-foreign-hands
The Food and Grocery Council scares me quite a lot regarding the TPPA. I am not sure small businesses understand how much this will affect them.
The TPPA will give multi nationals the power to destroy small and medium businesses, the lifeblood of our country.
For when a deal is not a deal….TPPA bought to you by Claytons
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201787681/nz-won't-move-if-us-calls-for-longer-monopolies-for-drugs
the man is made of rubber
More good news for the diversification of New Zealand export marketing.
Apple exports, which were worth $341 million in 2012 are expected to top $700 million this year and to reach $1 billion by 2020.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/cropping/76461644/record-apple-exports-for-2016-forecast-a-bright-future-for-growers
What a wonderful turnaround from the dire times of a few years ago. I 2011 we were getting stories such as
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/5384757/Tough-times-for-pipfruit-growers
I am sure all the doomsayers about National’s economic policy will be suitably contrite.
With the benefits of the TPPA we can expect even better things in the future.
thats good news alwyn….perhaps the industry can now afford to pay a wage that attracts resident labour
🙂
🙂
Inbloodydeed!! What do you think the chances are Alwyn?
Dang, a raw nerve has been struck, you’re fingernails have raked across my blackboard!
A considerable number of orchadists pay on a contract basis, so sure, if you’re of a lazy disposition (or more interested in chatting to the female backpackers as many of my friends were) then you’re not going to do to well for yourself, but that’s at the workers discretion.
I spent many a season in the apple orchards (late 90’s/early 2000’s), set myself a goal of clearing $1,000 per week in the hand, and by gum I’d get there more often then not. Agreed it’s not for everyone (a fair few of my friends used their student loans to head overseas for summer instead, for which they’re still paying today), but if you’re focused and have a desire to work hard, then the reward is there.
“Picking – this is the harvesting of the fruit to the required standard, and again this is physical work. The employee must be able to lift, manoeuvre and climb to the top of a 9-foot ladder. You must also be able to carry the ladders between blocks. The employee must be capable of working long hours and be able to work in the outdoors i.e. in the heat or cold. Most pickers are paid on a contract rate. The rate varies but the minimum bucket rate (5kg) for cherries is $4-40 plus 8% holiday pay. You must be able to pick enough buckets to earn at least the minimum wage in order to retain your position. There is occasionally hourly-rated picking, but this is limited and the pay rate is $14-75 plus holiday pay.”
lets say your picking cherries for Mrs jones on contract at $4.40 a 5KG bucket…to clear 1K a week you need to work 6 days for 10 hours (hour off for breaks, so effective 9 productive) and average approx 5 buckets per hour (or 25KG)….am sure there are experienced pickers on here who could say how realistic that is but my experience of pick and pay orchards that has me reaching for a Tui
http://www.mrsjonesorchard.co.nz/employment_terms.html
I note your experience was some years ago….. I don’t imagine the contract rate has decreased.
Interesting contribution Pat, refuting my direct experience, considerable time in and around orchards and positive tales of working with the humble apple vs your google search and theoretical analysis regarding income projections associated with cherry picking. Why not go all the way to the end of the grim spectrum and mention Walnut gathering, that’s possibly the worst hourly rate I’ve ever encountered.
Here’s some further real world orchard anecdotes from someone that’s actually worked with Apples, Cherries, Strawberries, Apricots, peaches and walnuts ……. tasty things cherries (just don’t eat too many unless you want to spend your afternoon in a rather unsavory orchard toilet!), and the monies OK if you want to work hard (and the fruit hasn’t been spoiled by a wet season), but the monies certainly not as lucrative as the Apple industry. (which is the good news story shared by Alwyn and thus the topic of this discussion). From memory my cherry expectations were to clear $100 per day which wasn’t bad cash back in the day, and I’d try and work 7 days a week if I could.
I agree that it’s unlikely contract rates have decreased, so if I could clear a grand a week 15 years ago, the mind boogles as to what’s possible nowadays. Maybe I should give up the rat race and return to simpler times.
There are of course rogue orchardists, just as there are any rogue employers/employees within any industry, but the demand for staff within orchards is such that workers can afford to be reasonably selective with home they chose to work for.
Enjoy your Tui, mine tastes especially delicious cause I’ve earned it 🙂
So this is from 2011:
http://www.seasonaljobs.co.nz/main.asp?input=experiences&id=56
6 bins at $30 per bin = $180 before tax per day. Working 7 days is $1260 before tax per week.
So yeah, it seems that the contract rate hasn’t gone down. But it also hasn’t gone up. Inflation has, however.
the Tui”s metaphorical….but I will enjoy my Harringtons, earned or not….and thanks for the confirmation that market forces have determined that fruit harvesting is not economically viable in NZ without either an imported termporary work force or effective mechanical harvesting….you are right about grim projections.
Seems like less than 20% of the population would be fit and able enough to meet that work rate.
Apple thinning’s the way to go, you get paid per tree thinned and no picking bag required so minimal physical demand. I met quite a few campervan traveling retirees in the thinning gangs & look forward to possibly becoming one of them in the future.
Apple-thinning (or grape-puning) is a skilled job that you can’t just walk into. But combined with picking will see you through a fair chunk of the year. The problem is what to do in the off season. Retirees will have super to get them through the winter. But unless you are a student (in which case you’d miss the thinning) or know someone who is hiring, then you’ll be living off savings during the stand-down for a benefit.
My main experience was with apricots, and the worst part was; when it rained and you couldn’t pick, but were still paying living costs in Central. If you had a camper, then all well and good (though they’ve tightened up on the freedom camping these last few years). In a tent, or paying the orchardeer to bunk in a shack, it is a bit grimmer.
I always kept taking too much or too little off. Not my forte
That’s a big part of the problem. Why can’t they put in basic accommodation or free campsites for the pickers, with transport to and from the orchards.
It could be a wonderful experience for most young kiwis.
They charge so much for the accommodation you have to wonder are these people human.
the evidence is in the situation…..if fruit picking was the attractive well rewarded proposition as painted we wouldn’t have the industry claiming they can’t get local labour (Hawkes Bay has over 7% unemployment rate) and cannot harvest without imported labour….the implication is Kiwis are too lazy to work for a crust….while that may be true of some it does not explain the almost complete dearth of local labour…..i accept there are other factors at play including declining rural populations, aging demographic but that simply reinforces the market effect…..and we are all true free marketers are we not?…..especially orchardists
I do NOT support Auckland Council or Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) using Monsanto’s Round Up for weed control, because of the possible risks to public health.
http://sustainablepulse.com/2016/01/07/monsanto-cuts-16-of-work-force-as-sales-in-roundup-herbicide-fall-34/#.Vq-y5u0ay0c
Monsanto announced Wednesday that sales in the company’s agricultural productivity segment, which includes its probable carcinogen Roundup herbicide, fell 34 % to $820 million. Monsanto’s shares fell over 2% as a result.
_____________________
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Business lobbyists show support for the TPPA through an ‘Open Letter’ to the Prime Minister – but where’s the evidence of PUBLIC support for the TPPA?
nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11583052
Lobbyists plump for TPP in open letter to Key
Tuesday, 02 February 2016
The New Zealand Herald
Proponents say TPP will give NZ better access to globally significant markets to build on the $28 billion worth of goods and services exported to member countries in 2014.
By Jamie Gray
Business and industry group leaders have lent their support to the Trans Pacific Partnership free trade agreement in an open letter to Prime Minister John Key.
…
__________________________________
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
(Who does NOT support New Zealand signing the TPPA).
For those of you who like the idea of governments printing more money to enable economic stimulus, here’s an interesting recent book from a British Lord:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/23/printing-money-books-john-cassidy
If the government created money and spent it into the economy to utilise our resources why would we need foreign investors?
If the government created money without interest then the private banks wouldn’t have to with interest.
The fear that the rich have of the government creating money is that they would become superfluous. They would not be able to hold any nation hostage as they do now.
1000+
It’s sooooo simple
Good grief “Turner proposes putting money finance exclusively in the hands of independent central bankers.”
It already IS in the hands of indendent bankers. THAT is the problem FFS!!
Aaarrrrggghhh!!!
No, it’s in the hands of the private banks who then charge interest on the money that they create. That is the problem.
HOOTON IS A TWIT
Article about Jane Kelsey in Monday 1 Feb Herald contains a tweet from Hoots sent last week.
For those of you who don’t read the print version near the end of the article is the following:-
“Kelsey was not an academic but an insane embittered extreme left academic who was profoundly dishonest in the promotion of an evil ideology”
This Hooton Rant has been removed from the on line version of the article, I wonder why?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11582635 will get you to the print version without the Hooton comment.
not the first time true thoughts revealed by the hollow boy – this example as foul and sneeringly awful as previous ones – respect? I don’t think so.
Hooton is a master spinner…and imo profoundly untrustworthy
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201787586/political-commentators-matthew-hooton-and-stephen-mills
Hooter is not a master spinner.His arguments are not like a cracked record
unconvincing to anyone with a brain but probably logical for the mini trumps in our society.
The left wing guy is a step up from his tired predecessor (Can’t remember his name now) but When oh when will Rnz get someone fresh to replace the tedious repetitive monologues of Hooter.?
Made a reply with an error. Meant to say “not unlike” but can’t seem to edit.
made a reply with an error. Meant to say “not unlike” but couldn’t edit.
Good to have a reminder of what a nasty little shit he is at times.
I don’t need reminding
Is it Monsanto’s RoundUp – NOT the Zika virus responsible for Brazilian babies being born with small heads, and brain damage?
Could glyphosate-based herbicides be responsible for babies in Brazil, being born with smaller heads (microcephaly) and brain damage?
NOT the ‘Zika virus’?
How is this not a fair question to ask, based upon the following?
Here is information from an animal study that implicates glyphosate, the central ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide, Roundup, in microcephaly and cranial malformations.
Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Produce Teratogenic Effects on Vertebrates by Impairing Retinoic Acid Signaling
The research paper:
http://www.gmwatch.org/images/pdf/Carrasco_research_paper.pdf
‘Hat tip’ to Jon Rappoport
Zika? Monsanto’s Roundup associated with smaller heads
by Jon Rappoport
January 31, 2016
http://www.nomorefakenews.com/
___________________________________________
Supporting the promotion and protection of public health, based upon evidence-based science.
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Did anyone else have issues loading this web page or is it just the internet at work?
Blame it on the Vogans and their appalling poetry.
Anyone else having issues loading this page today?
Yes, page loading has been hit and miss over the last 24 hours, nothing would load at all for a few hours early last night.
At least it seems to be working now
I’m still getting some pages coming up as:
Looking at it now. It only appears to be hitting certain people rather than being broadspread, which makes me suspect a ISP cache. I have reset the cached items for the site.
I’ll turn off the compression for a while and see if it makes it correct.
No, fair dinks. Earlier today I got hieroglyphics instead of English on several posts, but it is all fixed now. Lprent is a saint.
Mines fine it must be an extreme left conspiracy to keep you quite!!
You see those black helicopters circling over your house? Don’t worry about them…
And another conservative gets in trouble for using songs without permission:
Seems that such wrongful use of artists songs runs in the conservative gene pool.
this is so prevalent that it leads you to conclude it is done deliberately for the subsequent coverage…theres no such thing as bad publicity (in some minds)
Yet the music studios get upset when I download them for free?
There’s no such thing as “permission”. Trump can do whatever he likes so long as he pays the licence fee. What Adele wants or doesn’t want is irrelevant.
McCain folded so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
There were also some questions about whether or not this was fair use since it was ostensibly used for “political speech,” but so far the court didn’t seem too amenable to that. And so, McCain has settled the lawsuit and publicly apologized to Browne, who claims this wasn’t a partisan issue (yeah, right), but about the rights of musicians.
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090721/1545365612.shtml
I think you find that Trump doesn’t have the appropriate licence. Same as when National played copyrighted tunes which they didn’t have the appropriate licence for.
Totally different situation. Not even relevant.
If Trump has paid ASCAP or BMI for a licence to use the song, he doesn’t need Adele’s permission. If she doesn’t want Trump to use it she will have to file suit against Trump and claim that his use of the song damages her reputation, and as she’s not an American recording artist that will be difficult.
No, it’s exactly the same – conservative arseholes inappropriately using music without permission.
I suspect that you’ll find that it’s probably more complex than that. After all, any artist probably doesn’t want to be associated with just any candidate and so there’s probably a general clause in any license saying that it can’t be used for political purposes without the artists express permission.
That’s how it’s reading to me anyway.
conservative arseholes inappropriately using music without permission.
I hate to bring to bear the cold hard light of reality on your little fantasy, but here’s what happened with the Coldplay song: the owners of the mechanical and songwriting copyrights to the song “Clocks” claimed that a song by an Auckland musician was too similar to “Clocks” to be legally considered an independent work.
In the meantime the Auckland musician had licenced his song to the National Party for use in an ad campaign. When the owners of the mechanical and songwriting copyrights to the song “Clocks” claimed that the Auckland musician’s song was a derivative work of their work, the National Party stopped using the song and presumably asked for their money back.
The end.
lol
Clocks?
I thought it was a reference to eminem.
Just how any tunes have the nats ripped off (albeit perfectly reasonably, accidentally, it was the fault of their subcontractors, it was all pretty legal, well at least compared to anything Collins was involved with)?
http://www.phillytrib.com/metros/u-n-panel-suggests-slavery-reparations-in-u-s/article_3f4a7074-e9d0-52db-8509-2a456bd993d5.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/76480259/john-key-may-not-attend-waitangi-day-unless-ngapuhi-extend-official-invite
Smart move from John Key, the protestors know they need the PM there so as to get more media to perform to so if they extend the invite they look weak and if they don’t they have less publicity, John Key goes elsewhere and the majority of the voters will back him
Its ok to not like him but no one can deny that he knows what hes doing
By ‘protestors’ I take it you mean Ngāpuhi?
I mean anyone that turns up just to get on TV and make a spectacle of themselves
I don’t know if its looking at the past through rose-coloured glasses but Helen Clark had the right idea to not attend after she was abused
“I mean anyone that turns up just to get on TV and make a spectacle of themselves”
So you think those are the people that invite or don’t invite Key?
‘Turns up’, do you mean manuhiri?
You’re not making much sense.
I mean most of the protestors that turn up are just looking for a chance to feel important and get on TV
Still no idea what you are on about PR. How does that relate to whether Key gets invited or not?
PR is trying to dismiss the true concerns of protestors by pretending that they just want to get on TV. Pathetic. So pathetic that one wonders if there might be a deeper, more devious motive. Ah – to undermine all protesting, maybe? (It is not easy being sleazy.)
Pretty much. And he did it in a weird way as if to say that either Ngāpuhi are all media attention seeking whatevers (seeing as how the link he supplied is about whether Key gets an invite from Ngāpuhi or not), or be believes that people who ‘turn up’ to protest run the marae.
Acoording to key on henry this morning he only goes because he gave Clarke a hard time for not going during her time.!
Hardly worth it if that’s his attitude.
Our Prime Minister is a joke.
Yes he is but I’ll hold my laughs for if nz kicks him to the kerb in 2017.
John Key will retire his innings around 2018-2019
Maybe but the way the press are suddenly being a bit nicer to labour makes me think they can smell change coming.
Ad to that there is unlikely to be the M/IP sideshow to scare the punters I’d have a Bob each way at the moment.
It will certainly be a grand day.
Ok so Weka I predict National will still be in power and John Key will still be the PM after the next election
Who do you think will win?
Because the last election was so close, I expect either another close election in 2017 (could go either way), or, if Labour carries on with building momentum and Peters doesn’t monkey wrench a left wing coalition, we could end up with a signifcant shift left.
By ‘knows what he’s doing’ you mean culpable right? I agree.
I’m amazed.
The NZH has finally admitted that Labour are better economic managers.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11583027
Very good, worth posting a bit,
Labour has been always too easily portrayed as the less fiscally responsible of the two main parties when the truth, more often than not, has been the reverse.
From the “black budget”, as National called it, of 1958 to the present, Labour has been more careful to balance its spending with revenue and more willing to raise taxes when necessary.
National, reflecting a business outlook, has been more comfortable with debt than Labour has been.
National is too keen to offer tax cuts at an election without specifying cuts to expenditure. An authoritative independent evaluation of their fiscal impact would be most useful for voters.
Also nice to see them making the connection between the GP policy on costings and the Labour party policy announcement this week.
The Labour Party are probably in favour of the Green Party proposal because they are broke.
This way they would be able to get work for which their leaders budget currently has to pay to spend on other things.
The editorial is also much more about the Greens rather than Labour. It was primarily about the Green Proposed costing scheme.
Irrespective of that I think that an independent costing unit is an excellent idea. It should be in Parliament, although it would no doubt need seconded Treasury people.
One thing it must have however would be properly detailed policies.
I had a look at the suite of Green Party policies. There are about 50 of them and they all cross reference each other.
I chose one, which should be close to their leaders heart. This was on “Children’s Policy – Every Child Matters”.
https://home.greens.org.nz/policy/childrens-policy-every-child-matters
The problem with it is that it is a collection of warm fuzzy principles. It reads well but there is nothing there that you can get a grip on. I defy anyone to be even able to start costing it from the material here. There is nothing to start with. If it was to be costed it would have to be completely redesigned and rewritten, along with all the other interleaving policies. Is that intended? Are the Greens simply hoping to have Treasury staff develop all the party policies in a rigorous manner for them?
No point doing Opposition policy costings other than thumb-sucks from consultants until election-year budget is out.
I agree. Costing outside of an election year is pointless.
That policy I looked at was dated 16 August 2013. It was the policy the Greens put forward at the last election.
I was not asking that it should be costed now. I was saying that a policy of this nature, with almost no specifics, is impossible to cost, at least in my view and as it stands.
Where on earth would you start?
“I defy anyone to be even able to start costing it from the material here.”
lolz. If you didn’t have such a chip on your shoulder about the GP you’d know that the Greens are one of the better parties at producing policy detail and costings.
The page you link to is the overarching policy for children. It outlines a range of interlocking policies that have been developped from the GP values in the context of the situation in NZ. They don’t have to have detail and costings for all of that (no party does). Instead, in 2014, the Greens produced a fiscal plan for their election priorities, one of which was child welfare. You can see the whole package in the link below, but as you have already seen it’s all interconnected.
https://www.greens.org.nz/policy/smarter-economy/fiscals
Furthermore, if the policy is to great social good, you charge Treasury to find how it is best implemented, rather than allowing them to put out their usual neo-liberal guff.
Yep, and the unit is meant to be independent within Treasury, so if it gets set up under a left wing govt it’s less likely to be co-opted. It will be interesting to see if National decide to go with the proposal and nobble it at the start or just outright refuse.
The fourth Labour government was pretty good, so good that basically every other government has just followed in their footsteps
That is why people like me who hate current policies are so loathe to vote Labour.
The fourth Labour Government only stopped the neo-liberal waterflow. But it took away none of the plumbing.
It was pretty bad, not pretty good.
Canada looking too ditch FPP…
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/monsef-electoral-reform-changes-referendum-1.3428593
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/76484813/John-Key-draws-flak-after-questioning-why-waitresses-taxes-should-fund-students
key truly is a moron.
I know someone who did four years tertiary and waittessed thee whole time and waitressed for at least a year after finishing training till she could get a start in her favoured field.
I’m quit sure she wouldn’t have minded a bit of her tax going to reducing her debt
Prick was happy enough for me to pay for his education, his home, the food his mother put on the table and the paper he wiped his arse with.
Puckish Rogue will be along shortly to tell us that choosing waitresses as an example was part of genius Key’s master plan 😉
Its laying the framework as to why its not a good idea from Labour…well its not a bad idea really but just poorly thought out
No, you’re supposed to tell us why choosing waitresses specifically was part of the mastermind’s strategy.
One word: ponytails.
Anyone would think that having tertiary education was like receiving some grant from a king by grace and favour. What a lucky person to get a start in life, to learn, train their brain, apply that learning which immediately raises him above the common herd, who are despised or dismissed as worthy.
It used to be that people were assisted to get to university if they were so determined and get the higher education they desired. And those who didn’t were still considered all right as people, just working at a different level with less skills of an academic kind.
Nobody should mind paying taxes in a land that has given opportunities to attain a comfortable life, an adventurous life, or whatever the goal is, or who knows there is opportunity to go for that higher education if desired. That was how it was, until Yek’s cohort came along and screwed up our social mobility and our willingness to support each other to greater heights. Now he thinks that waitresses should think like his grasping cohort who want to ring benefits out of the country till our ears pop. His cohort are the ones not willing to pay their fair share of tax easily affordable by people of good means and fair and responsible financial practices.
The waitresses are already paying 15% in each $ on GST no matter what they earn, plus anything else the government can squeeze. Proportionally they probably pay 80% tax on their discretionary income at least, and perhaps some from what should be disposable.
Once they may have been able to claim for work clothes required, or personal gear required, or for high transport costs, but in the interests of lazy clerks with computers to calculate and gather and file information, these have been swept away in the interests of a simple tax system (for the poor) and greater efficiency no doubt. The catchworld of our times.
” Anyone would think that having tertiary education was like receiving some grant from a king by grace and favour”
They sure as hell help though ,as someone who bombed out at the fifth form the feeling of being trapped in uninspiring jobs is a bummer. I love shepherding but the good jobs go to those with the bits of paper and rightly so.
b waghorn
I think you reflect the meaning of my comment. We know higher education nearly always helps if you can match the training to the jobs, and across the country higher educated staff will deliver value to business and revenue. And give wider knowledge, a bigger world view.
I left school in the 5th and had my eyes and mind opened when I took some adult papers though I didn’t finish my degree. (And to anyone reading this, just successfully doing some papers should count as part of a degree when on a CV or forming analysis of achievement of educational institutes. Each paper is a world of learning in itself, and shouldn’t be derided, downgraded if the whole degree isn’t attained.)
You should be able to go back and retrain, learn more at any time of life, with some input from oneself, or a bond to apply that learning in some part of NZ etc. It should be a right, something encouraged in a modern, advanced country, not treated as special for the children of the advantaged. That retraining necessity has been the recurring theme since decades ago. What do we get though – administrative barriers, lack of living support, costs and cumulative interest which I think has changed now, and wages that don’t keep up with measured inflation, and that don’t allow for the meteoric rise in house prices.
And the gummint don’t even want to help people extend their knowledge and skills, build community networks, use expensive school equipment and buildings by the taxpayers, at night and summer schools. Let’s face it the gummint isn’t interested in the ordinary citizen any more, they have moved on to more rewarding. extensive projects.
FFS, can someone please tell Labour to get someone to run its website properly. I can’t find any policy there today off the front page, and using google took me to a broken link. It’s like whoever does this currently either doesn’t understand how the internet works or has put the policy at the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying beware of the leopard.
If I’m wrong and it is there, can someone please point it out to me? I’m pretty sure that the policies were easily available in the past week, so wtf with changing your website a few days after a SOTN speech when you will be getting additional traffic from people wanting to check Labour out?
Really disappointing after a good speech and policy announcement.
I tend to agree – for years it’s been well branded at the expense of finding details.
Quite clearly, none of the movers-and-shakers in Labour care. If they cared, they’d put the money and resources in to do it properly.
Excellent Hitchhikers reference and unfortunately accurate.
What is?