Listening to Adrian Orr and other RBNZ leads this morning on RNZ I had an odd sublimely fatalist shivering sensation observing an inflation+interest rate wave rising high and entirely beyond any party or state power or instrument to protect us.
Labour is doing what it did during the pandemic – making sure average earners are shielded as much as possible from the fallout of high inflation by restricting the labour supply to keep unemployment low and wages rising in line with inflation.
Nicola Willis, who sounds more and more like yesterdays supply side fanatic everytime she appears in the media, attacks the government for the cost of living crisis, whilst demanding austerity, higher unemployment, wage cuts and higher interest rates.
For all the faults of this Labour government, it has never been clearer that they are party of the people who live in this country, and National is the party of the people who see the country mainly as a place to make money – the bosses, the rentiers and the speculators.
Actually he sounds like someone who has been burned by all the peer criticism from the ultra-dry economically orthodox and is now mainly concerned with keeping his job, even if it costs thousands of others theirs.
Seems to have changed tack after the trip to Jackson Hole. This I put down to realising intetest rate hikes were the only game in town and he would be required to follow each time the Fed did to keep investors on side.
If he doesn’t think thats sensible policy its going to get deflating to understand what policy you will be explaining for the rest of your term.
That would be my pick. Not so clear how he will explain it, because its more or less motivated by the Fed decision, but he needs to justify it in terms of what's happening in NZ (which maybe nothing new).
I didn't read the whole thing, but it struck me as, on the face of it, well written, evenhanded and researched. In stark contrast to much of the debate in twitter around this.
What I do on twitter is that I look at the account that is saying or doing the controverisal stuff. Sometimes the account looks new, or odd in some way, and I sometimes tweet about the third party actors who are there to shit post or do intentional damage to feminists, trans people and/or society. Lots of people are stuck in an us/them paradigm (GC/Genderist).
If it was a topic I was interested in or had some investment in, I might join the conversation and push back against the bullshit (on both sides). My experience with this is that depending on who I talk with and how hard I push, I will get blocked by both sides 🤷♀️ It's important to do.
That was a pleasant surprise. Mind you the damage Bolsonaro wrought upon the land of Brazil was even greater than Trump in the US – at least in conservational and climactic terms.
The election was actually far from a good outcome. Lula scraped in and:
"Brazilians elected a more conservative Congress in the Oct. 2 ballot, with supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro and the agribusiness lobby winning seats in both the lower and upper houses."
“As the rest of the world closely watched Brazil’s presidential election on Oct. 2, the country’s conservative bloc made significant gains in a Congress that it already dominates. This could prove a key stumbling block to any future efforts to rein in the deforestation and environmental destruction that’s become a signature of the Jair Bolsonaro administration.”
“Ricardo Salles, Bolsonaro’s former environment minister, whose resignation last year amid an ongoing illegal logging investigation….[won] one of the highest vote totals of any legislative candidate in the country.” [In the senate]
Australia still lags with total renewable the record set last friday at 68.7%,NZ at 1 pm today was 98% renewable (with only cogeneration being FF and biomass).
All 4 main eastern states are now in excess production,with spot prices being negative from -36 to -41pmwh.This effectively means generators are being charged to generate.
Seems pretty sensible- if people are fit and able to work, but simply would rather not work, and just receive the benefit when there are numerous industries crying out for staff.
Jimmy, do you actually know anybody in that position? One of my nephews was unemployed a few years ago. He had an excellent Case Manager at WINZ who required him to apply for a certain number of jobs every two weeks – she checked up on him as well. Within a month he had 2 part time jobs, one of which turned into a full time job within a couple of months. He then decided that there was actually a Tech course he wanted to do do he enrolled in that and dropped back to part time hours at the same employer.
I have refugee friends who will do any sort of work that is available – one woman had a junk mail delivery route within a month of getting out of Mangere, and then a part time cleaning job. She quit that job a few years later when she qualified for the pension as she had a shoulder injury from the heavy floor cleaner.
The ones who "sit around" tend to be unemployable because of drugs or alcohol – or personality disorders.
Well done to those people who try to get ahead. It would not be targeting them. I do think WFF needs to be changed as I don't like the way it reduces if a person earns more / does more hours (as that's a disincentive to work more). Also I strongly believe the tax brackets need to adjust for inflation. The governments tax take has been far higher than expected partly due to wages increasing.
I do think WFF needs to be changed as I don't like the way it reduces if a person earns more / does more hours (as that's a disincentive to work more).
No I didn't expect any support for it here. Ironically I used a different "10 people at dinner analogy" on the tax cuts article – comment no. 17.
The wealth distribution, that 10% of people have +50% of the wealth to me is a different subject. Why should wealthy people (who may have worked hard or not), or even middle class working people, have some of their wealth re-distributed to fit healthy people or would rather stay on a benefit when they could be working? To me it seems like a good policy to get people in to work rather than be benefit dependent.
The people still on unemployment benefits at 3% unemployed are people in very serious strife and need all the help we can give them, not more punishment.
From my experience on multiple public and private institutions and mega-projects they need among other things:
a safe room to live in, paid literacy training, paid driver licensing training,
work designed that is enough for their skill level, right hours in the day,
people who can help get the kids into childcare,
lots of paid healthcare for addictions,
paid staff for a highly supported transition out of jail or other institutions
a really supportive on-site supervisor and team who can get them up out of bed and dressed and at work clean and sober every morning,
paid help with accounts and earning money, and often
a team that becomes a new set of friends as well.
Check out the number of paid staff that needs. It's a lot. There are really good institutions around that do that, and a few really good employers as well – but as you can see it is a huge investment in social transition from social welfare entities and from the businesses who take them on.
But honestly at 3% unemployed it is increasingly what we have to do. And it is intensely rewarding.
You are quite right about the sort of support that is needed. One of my refugee friends works for a chap who supplies contract labour to orchards, packhouses etc. He has a couple of vans which go around and pick them up in the mornings – poor people have crap and unreliable cars – and he stops at a bakery or something on the way so that they can pile out and buy breakfast/lunch if needed. When he gets to where they are going he makes sure that they can do what is needed safely, and he has all the gloves etc they might need. He also spends quite a lot of time telling them how much he appreciates them and what good work they do – or if necessary he will coach and help until they are doing good work. Consequently, he never has to look for additional workers – his staff recruit for him every time and there is a waiting list. My friend used to have 2 part time jobs in Rest Homes which involved a lot of down time and travel. Now she is full time with overtime and really enjoying it. "Hard work" she says – "but good work".
At least the bus driver crisis is finally hitting this government in its policy interests: public transport.
There are of course massive government partnerships that enable this stuff to occur like Mana In Mahi which goes from strength to strength. But our company has been taking in long-term beneficiaries and people straight out of prison for some years now.
Everyone has to make a commercial decision about what they take on, but the loyalty you get in return is so critical in this market.
It amazes me that some of the bigger firms have not caught up with the idea of the firm providing transport to workers.
I worked at a series of jobs in factories while going through varsity. At least two of them provided transport to and from work. One in HB where I was living in Napier and the work was in Hastings. You just stood at a bus stop and a bus cruised past and picked you up. Same at night when you had finished your shift. There was public transport you could catch but the drop offs were not nearly as convenient. The bus particularly went through the suburbs where the majority of people lived, so south Napier on the flat.
Thanks Ad (7.1.1.2.1.1) – a fantastic, humane, clear-eyed and true comment. But for the Seymours of the world, the strawman of the 'idle scrounger' has to be maintained as an ideological foundation stone of the just-world fallacy.
The most successful people are not the most talented, just the luckiest, a new computer model of wealth creation confirms.
…
The distribution of wealth follows a well-known pattern sometimes called an 80:20 rule: 80 percent of the wealth is owned by 20 percent of the people. Indeed, a report last year concluded that just eight men had a total wealth equivalent to that of the world’s poorest 3.8 billion people.
This seems to occur in all societies at all scales. It is a well-studied pattern called a power law that crops up in a wide range of social phenomena. But the distribution of wealth is among the most controversial because of the issues it raises about fairness and merit. Why should so few people have so much wealth?
“They were useless. Absolutely useless. Particularly young Kiwi men. I’m talking, sort of, under 21. Unreliable, dishonest, lazy.”
As Lord Seymour suggests, all those "fit [and] healthy" ‘slackers’ could be 'encouraged' to perform any number of menial tasks, although these comments of PM English seem more considered than Seymour's.
Prime Minister Bill English 'puzzled' by high numbers out of work and education [1 May 2017]
"We find there's quite interesting groups in there – there's quite a big group of carers, for instance. Young people who aren't in education, employment or training for the very good reason they are at home looking after a younger sibling who might be disabled, or quite often an older person, maybe grandparents, who aren't well."
Cluxon's got staying power alright, no question – flips 'em like a pro. Best opposition joke leader since JuDarth's left eyebrow – what was the question again?
Is that the same David Seymour who predicted 20 people a year would die from food poisoning if we banned cheap plastic shopping bags? That the same half wit? Just asking for a friend….
Probably not. I reckon Hendy wasn't too far wrong about 80k if we did nothing. Looking at the two US states of similar population, they had 16k deaths with 20% of population infected just before the vaccines came out. So herd immunity at that rate would have been at least 60k deaths before considering the effect on the hospital system. And that excess deaths were higher than official covid deaths so 80k might have been a bit light in any case.
Seems unlikely to me that Aotearoa NZ could have lost more than 20,000 – 22,000 Kiwis, i.e. similar to the COVID-19 death rates in the ten worst-affected states in the USA, but the early worst-case scenario predictions didn't allow for a vaccine, so who knows. Better safe than sorry, imho.
So far NZ is sitting at ~15% of rate of deaths in those ten worst-affected states, all but a handful of which have occured in the last 8 months, over two years since the first COVID-19 cases were detected here. Could be worse!
Jimmy, you missed out the part that said "without strict measures such as the country-wide lockdown" It is thanks to the measures taken, including lockdowns that prevented large scale deaths in New Zealand, as seen in other countries.
ACT are pathetic, let their supporters hire their own private security, and build their own highways for their Porsche Cayennes (Toyotas more like for most of them)! No police protection or two lane blacktop on the taxpayer for the Chicago Boy lot.
Short memory Jimmy? National and Act have already done it. Have you forgotten National's punitive welfare reforms that weren't exactly a success story? National created more poverty and hardship and it appears you want a repeat of that.
"And if the beneficiaries refuse to work, Ms Bennett says the Government will reduce their sickness benefit.
"There will be expectations that they are fronting up and working where they can, and if they're not actually doing those sorts of activities then yes we will be cutting their benefit by 50% to start with," she said"
"welfare policy announced by Prime Minister John Key at the weekend, 16, 17 and 18-year-old beneficiaries would receive a payment card for food and clothes from approved stores"
Job search obligations are currently required by the Social Security Act for those on the Jobseeker Support benefit other than beneficiaries with those obligations deferred for health reasons (formerly the sickness benefit). Failing the obligations will eventually lead to benefit sanctions up to and including cessation of benefit, so I don't know what he's on about.
That's all as assessed by case managers, so it's not automatic that failing to look for work for a couple of weeks will immediately result in total loss of benefit, but the stick is there eventually.
It was funny seeing it at the time. There were a handful of cops who started hurling the pavers protesters had thrown at them, back at the protesters. It only happened a few times until, it seems, someone must've said "hey, we're cops, we can't be seen to be throwing these pavers back at the protesters!", then they stopped and started stacking the pavers up behind them. Quite apart from the fact they're cops, throwing the pavers back at the protesters was pretty dumb because they were just giving them back to the protesters to be thrown at the cops again. Upon reflection, it's probably more likely this was the reason they stopped, rather than the fact they're cops throwing pavers, which probably wouldn't have dawned on them.
Yes, I think you're right, although for some it'd simply come down to their inability to contain what for them comes naturally. Certainly an indication of the calibre of some of the cops we have these days.
I have hitherto been fairly quiet on the new season of Rings of Power, on the basis that the underwhelming first season did not exactly build excitement – and the rumours were fairly daft. The only real thing of substance to come out has been that they have re-cast Adar ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
“The thing is,” Chris Luxon says, leaning forward to make his point, “this has always been my thing.”“This goes all the way back to the first multinational I worked for. I was saying exactly the same thing back then. The name of our business needs to be more clear; people ...
Buzz from the Beehive It’s been a momentous few days for Children’s Minister Karen Chhour. The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision which blocked a summons order from the Waitangi Tribunal for her. And today she has announced the Government is putting children first by introducing to ...
In 2014 former Australian army lawyer David McBride leaked classified military documents about Australian war crimes to the ABC. Dubbed "The Afghan Files", the documents led to an explosive report on Australian war crimes, the disbanding of an entire SAS unit, and multiple ongoing prosecutions. The journalist who wrote the ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – According to the respected Pew Research Centre, “In seven of eight [European] countries surveyed, the most trusted news outlet asked about is the public news organization in each country”. For example, “in Sweden, an overwhelming majority (90%) say they trust the public broadcaster SVT”. ...
David Farrar writes – Kata MacNamara reports: Details of Tony Blakely’s involvement in the New Zealand Government’s response to the pandemic raise serious questions about the work of the Covid-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry over which he presides. It has long been clear that Blakely, a ...
Chris Trotter writes – Are you a Brahmin or a Merchant? Or, are you merely one of those whose lives are profoundly influenced by the decisions of Brahmins and Merchants? Those are the questions that are currently shaping the politics of New Zealand and the entire West. ...
RNZ reports – It’s supposed to be a haven of healing and spiritual awakening but residents of the Kawai Purapura community say they’ve been hurt and deceived. It’s the successor to the former Centrepoint commune, and has been on the bush block opposite Albany shopping centre since 2008. It ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. Usually we have a video chat to go with this wrap, but were unable to do one this week. We’ll be back next week.Several reports ...
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To be precise, the term “anti- Zionism” refers to (a) criticism of the political movement that created a modern Jewish state on the historical land of Israel, and to (b)the subjugation of Palestinians by the Israeli state. By contrast, the term “anti-Semitism” means bigotry and racism directed at Jewish people, ...
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Yesterday the Mayor released what he calls his “plan to save public transport” which is part of his final proposal for the Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP). This comes following consultation on the draft version that occurred in March which showed, once again, that people want more done on transport, especially ...
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The Select Committee hearing submissions on the fast-track consenting legislation is starting to become a beat-up of regional councils. The inflexibility and slow workings of the Councils were prominent in two submissions yesterday. One, from the Coromandel Marine Farmers Association, simply said that the Waikato Regional Council’s planning decisions were ...
Back in April, the High Court surprised everyone by ruling that Ministers are above the law, at least as far as the Waitangi Tribunal is concerned. The reason for this ruling was "comity" - the idea that the different branches of government shouldn't interfere with each other's functions. Which makes ...
Buzz from the BeehiveTolling was mentioned when Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the government was re-introducing the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, with 15 “crucial” projects to support economic growth and regional development across New Zealand. All RoNS would be four-laned, grade-separated highways, and all funding, financing, and ...
or the past 14 years, ever since the Spanish government cheated on an autonomy deal, Catalonia has reliably given pro-independence parties a majority of seats in their regional parliament. But now that seems to be over. Catalans went to the polls yesterday, and stripped the Catalan parties of their majority. ...
David Farrar writes – Radio NZ report: Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the Electoral Commission should make sure the system ran smoothly and “taking away the right of thousands of people to vote” was not the answer. “Thousands of people enroled and voted on the day. If ...
Don Brash writes – There was a rather revealing headline in the Herald on Sunday today (12 May). It read “One in 8 Auckland homes on market were bought during boom, may now sell for loss”. The first line of text noted that “New data shows one in ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – At a time when universities are understandably nervous regarding the establishment of the University Advisory Group (UAG) and the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG) it may seem strange – or even fool-hardy – to state that there are long-standing issues in the tertiary sector ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – A lack of perspective can make something quite large or important seem small or irrelevant. Against a backdrop of high-profile, negative statistics it is easy to overlook the positive. For instance, the fact that 64 percent of Maori are employed is rarely reported. For ...
Earlier this year, the Herald ran a series of articles amounting to a sustained campaign against raised pedestrian crossings, by reporter Bernard Orsman. A key part of that campaign concerned the raised crossings being installed as part of the Pt Chevalier to Westmere project, with at least 10 articles over ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 19 include:PM Christopher Luxon is expected to hold his weekly post-cabinet news conference at 4:00pm on Monday.Parliament is not sitting this week. It resumes next week for a two-week sitting session up to and ...
Hi,Thanks to all the beautiful Worms who came to the LA Webworm popup on Saturday.It was a way to celebrate the online store we launched last week — and it was super special.As I talk about a lot, I really value our community here — and it was a BLAST ...
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Last night the largest solar storm in decades resulted in Aurorae being seen across Aotearoa, causing many to ask why?Why was the sky pink? What was all this stuff about the power grid? Have we, as so many have wondered since the election, reached the end of days?I had a ...
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Michael Bassett writes – I’m not sure that it’s much comfort to anyone to know that the post-Covid surge in violent crimes, gang activity, ram raids, random shootings, thuggery and stabbings is occurring in other countries as well as New Zealand. These days, wagging school, out-of-control welfare and ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – Cast your mind back to mid-December. A new Prime Minister had just been sworn in, the new Government started its 100-day programme, and Christmas was only days away.Amid all the haste, a report landed that would have deserved our attention.I am talking about the ...
TL;DR: An unseasonally early icy blast at the same time as some long-overdue maintenance almost caused Aotearoa-NZ’s electricity system to black out this week. That’s because a quadropoly of gentailers1 have prioritised paying dividends from their rising profits and adding debt over investing in 1.5 GigaWatts of new wind farms ...
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Peter Dunne writes – I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
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Another week goes by in the Luxon government’s efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
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I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
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Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
Today’s justification from the Minister for Children for scrapping protections for our tamariki was either a case of ignorance or deliberate deception. ...
The Green Party says the Government’s misguided policy on gangs will fail, following the announcement of the establishment of a national gang unit and district gang disruption units to target gang activities. ...
“With Police pay negotiations still unresolved after six months in Government, Mark Mitchell has today rolled the Commissioner out for a rebrand of their approach to gang crime,” Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said. ...
The Government bringing back 50 charter schools will not increase achievement and is a distraction from the core mission of the education system, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Te Pāti Māori is showing extreme concern over the Environment Select Committees adoption of a lucky dip draw to determine hearings for the Fast Track Approvals bill. Of the 27,000 submissions, 2,900 requested to present. All organisations will be heard; however, the remaining 2,350 submitters will be subject to a ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and President Emmanuel Macron of France today announced a new non-governmental organisation, the Christchurch Call Foundation, to coordinate the Christchurch Call’s work to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. This change gives effect to the outcomes of the November 2023 Call Leaders’ Summit, ...
Distinguished public servant and former diplomat Sir Maarten Wevers will lead the independent review into the disability support services administered by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. The review was announced by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston a fortnight ago to examine what could be done to strengthen the ...
Today’s announcement by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster of a National Gang Unit and district Gang Disruption Units will help deliver on the coalition Government’s pledge to restore law and order and crack down on criminal gangs, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. “The National Gang Unit and Gang Disruption Units will ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today expressed regret at North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric towards New Zealand and its international partners. “New Zealand proudly stands with the international community in upholding the rules-based order through its monitoring and surveillance deployments, which it has been regularly doing alongside partners since 2018,” Mr ...
Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies MNZM is the new Chief of Defence Force, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. The Chief of Defence Force commands the Navy, Army and Air Force and is the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister and other Ministers with relevant portfolio responsibilities in the defence ...
Legislation to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has been introduced to Parliament. The Bill’s introduction reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the safety of children in care, says Minister for Children, Karen Chhour. “While section 7AA was introduced with good intentions, it creates a conflict for Oranga ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week travel to the UK and Italy to meet with her defence counterparts, and to attend Battles of Cassino commemorations. “I am humbled to be able to represent the New Zealand Government in Italy at the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of what was ...
The upcoming Budget will include funding for up to 50 charter schools to help lift declining educational performance, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced today. $153 million in new funding will be provided over four years to establish and operate up to 15 new charter schools and convert 35 state ...
“The results of the public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has now been received, with results indicating over 13,000 submissions were made from members of the public,” Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “We heard feedback about the extended lockdowns in ...
Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon, tēna koutou, apinun tru It’s a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Papua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,” Mr Peters ...
The coalition Government is launching Roads of Regional Significance to sit alongside Roads of National Significance as part of its plan to deliver priority roading projects across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The Roads of National Significance (RoNS) built by the previous National Government are some of New Zealand’s ...
A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office. “We are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his government’s first ten days in office,” Deputy Prime Minister and ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Garrow, Editorial Web Developer The government has handed down its budget for 2024–25. It’s delivered a $9.3 billion surplus for the financial year just about to finish but is forecasting a $28.3 billion deficit for next year. Here’s the key points: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Jim Chalmers has produced a benign third budget aimed at soothing hard-pressed voters agitated about their high cost of living and punishing interest rates. At the same time he has walked a tightrope, trying ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND A $300 energy rebate for all households from July 1 and a 10% increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance are key measures in a budget targeting cost-of-living relief that put ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers promised an “inflation-fighting and future-making budget” and he has delivered by introducing measures aimed at directly bringing down inflation. Combined, his A$300-per-household energy rebate and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers promised an “inflation-fighting and future-making budget” and he has delivered by introducing measures aimed at directly bringing down inflation. Combined, his A$300-per-household energy rebate and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been bitten by the giveaway bug. This budget contains not only the well-foreshadowed tax cuts for all taxpayers, but a range of new spending measures in health, education, infrastructure, aged ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews French authorities have imposed a curfew on New Caledonia’s capital Nouméa and banned public gatherings after supporters of the Pacific territory’s independence movement blocked roads, set fire to buildings and clashed with security forces. Tensions in New Caledonia have been inflamed by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Greste, Professor of Journalism and Communications, Macquarie University Governments and their agencies wield awesome power. At times, it is quite literally the power over life and death. That is why in any functioning democracy, we have robust checks and balances designed ...
As the world commemorates the 71st Everest Day, it's not just a celebration of human achievement but also a reflection of the enduring bond between New Zealand and Nepal. This day marks the historic feat of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa ...
Individuals in Wellington, led by City Councillor Nīkau Wi Neera, are working to use the ‘hecklers veto’ to shut down Inflection Point , a gender-critical event to be held at a Te Papa venue this weekend featuring speakers such as Bob McCoskrie ...
The transgender community, whānau & allies will rally outside Tākina/Wellington Convention Centre against anti-trans confederation “Inflection Point NZ,” who are hosting a conference to encourage parliamentarians to restrict trans people’s ...
A strategic asset for Auckland that has been fought over for years as either sacrosanct or a sacred cow looks certain to be sold and the proceeds of around $1.3 billion put in a new investment fund. A year after bitter political struggle ended in a compromise in which Auckland ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – the Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. The number of voices raising concerns about the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill is rapidly growing. This is especially apparent now that Parliament’s select committee is listening to submissions from the public to evaluate the ...
RNZ Pacific New Caledonians lined up in long queues outside shopping centres to buy supplies in the capital Nouméa today amid political unrest in the French territory Demonstrations, marches and clashes with security forces erupted yesterday and French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc told the public broadcaster he had called ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Chalmers, Senior Lecturer in Human Movement, University of South Australia The tragic death of Manly rugby league player Keith Titmuss in 2020 due to exertional heat stroke is a reminder of the life-threatening nature of the condition. Titmuss died after ...
Internet Governance Project founder Milton Mueller asked “is the Christchurch Call accomplishing anything?” Increasingly it seems the only thing it hopes to achieve is killing off free expression. ...
New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has cancelled his visit to New Caledonia due to pro-independence unrest throughout the French Pacific territory. Peters and a delegation of other ministers was due to visit the capital Nouméa later this week. Nouméa’s La Tontouta International Airport is expected to remain closed ...
Audition by Pip Adam and Lioness by Emily Perkins are both shortlisted for the fiction award at the 2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Here the authors discuss awards, writing, Selling Sunset, review culture, Zoolander and more.Pip Adam: Whenever I think about writers and our ambitions, I can’t help ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Broomhall, Director, Gender and Women’s History Research Centre, Australian Catholic University Andrea Mantegna, Minerva (Athena) expelling Vices from the Garden of Virtue, from the Studiolo of Isabella d’Este, Palazzo Ducale, Mantua (c. 1499–1502).Louvre Museum/Wikimedia Commons Wartime has often presented opportunities ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images The stories Aotearoa New Zealand tells itself about the history of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi have evolved considerably over time. For many decades, starting with the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Carter, Associate Professor, RMIT University Aurora visible from Cope Cope, Victoria on May 11 2024.cafuego/Flickr, CC BY-SA On Saturday evening before Mother’s Day, Australians witnessed a rare celestial spectacle: a breathtaking display of aurora australis, also known as the southern ...
Tara Ward watches as TVNZ’s long-running current affairs show bows out with humility and grace.We have just 12 days left to view the final episode of Sunday on TVNZ+. In just over a week, there will be no more evidence of the award-winning current affairs show on the digital ...
To celebrate New Zealand Music Month, Sophie Ricketts wears a different band T-shirt every day. Here she picks her top 20. I love music. I love listening to it, I love seeing it live, and I love buying a T-shirt from the band or artist I’ve enjoyed. Every year, during ...
Research from AA Insurance reveals more and more people are taking pride in their garage. Meet three New Zealanders using their space in creative ways.If you think of a garage, you might picture a dark room with a parked car. There might be some tools on the wall, or ...
Government spending cuts have forced Scion, the dedicated Crown research institute charged with growing forestry exports, to propose shedding a significant number of scientists. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yasir Arafat, Senior Research Associate, Edith Cowan University asharkyu, Shutterstock As electric vehicle (EV) demand accelerates, so does the need for lithium batteries. But these batteries contain valuable critical minerals, as well as toxic materials, so they should not be treated ...
NZDF personnel will support the New Zealand National Commemorative Service at the Cassino War Cemetery and a New Zealand Service of Remembrance at the Cassino Railway Station, next week. ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a masseuse tells us how much she earns and where she spends it. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 33 Ethnicity: NZ EuropeanRole: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Byrne, Honorary Fellow, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne For many reasons, the 2024 US presidential election will be like no other. Republican nominee Donald Trump’s campaign is unprecedented. Never before has a former president who ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meru Sheel, Associate Professor and Epidemiologist, Infectious Diseases, Immunisation and Emergencies Group, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney We know vaccines have been a miracle for public health. Now, new research led by the World Health Organization has found vaccines ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chrissy Severinsen, Associate Professor in Public Health, Massey University Getty Images Becoming a mother is a significant identity shift, and many new mums struggle. Up to 18% of New Zealand mothers experience depression and anxiety after giving birth. The first ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron Teo, Lecturer in Curriculum and Pedagogy, University of Southern Queensland ABC Much has been written and produced about white men’s fetishisation of Asian women (crudely nicknamed “yellow fever”). The ABC’s comedy series White Fever breaks new ground by exploring an ...
The children’s minister could have been legally brought before the tribunal after all, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The end of ...
Seen comments on social media about eating bugs? Byron Clark explains the short history of our latest conspiracy. “No, Bill Gates nor Klaus Schwab has not funded the research done here,” reads an August 2023 Facebook post from Otago Locusts, the first farm in Aotearoa rearing insects for human consumption. ...
Rural post is essential but expensive, and residents are worried about its future. It’s 9.30am on a Monday morning in rural Manawatū, and farmer Mairi Whittle is on an all-terrain vehicle with her two young sons. After moving sheep from one slope to another, she swings by the letterbox. Opening ...
New Zealand authors hate houseplants. They are frightened of them, have nightmares about them, regard them as bad omens; they are afraid, too, of the responsibility of caring for them, and think of them as an alien species that will take over the selfish planet of their interior lives. There ...
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More than 160 languages are spoken in New Zealand. Week-long events celebrate the unique languages heard across the country, and this week the focus is on the Rotuman language. According to Unesco, the Rotuman language is listed as endangered along with four other Pacific languages – Tokelauan, Niuean, Cook Islands ...
China’s massive military buildup and aggressive actions in the South China Sea are creating “volatility” that the controversial Aukus pact can help counter, the UK’s top diplomat in New Zealand says. British High Commissioner Iona Thomas will deliver a speech to the NZ Institute of International Affairs on Tuesday evening, ...
Remediating Mt Ruapehu if things go pear-shaped could cost more than $80m – and the new operators aren’t on the hook for any of it The post DoC responsible for $87.5m Ruapehu remediation appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Unfortunately, the term ‘woke’ is back in the news and for the most stupid of reasons: Act leader David Seymour is now designating certain types of food as ‘woke’ or not. As the Government makes cuts to school lunches, let us consider what ‘woke’ might mean here. ...
Analysis: The Government’s decision to return to a mega-style prison seems to be missing a clear business case The post Mega-prison’s missing business case appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The third Chalmers’ budget will deliver a surplus of $9.3 billion for this financial year – the second successive surplus of the Albanese government. This will be the first time there have been back-to-back ...
RNZ News A New Zealand pro-Palestinian protester who climbed onto the roof of the Christchurch City Council building has been handcuffed and taken away in a police car. About 20 protesters gathered near the Christchurch Art Gallery today. Officers were called to the scene near Worcester Boulevard about 11.20am, and ...
The Council for International Development (CID) presented a compelling case to the Finance and Expenditure Select Committees this week at Parliament, urging the New Zealand Government to significantly boost its Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annette Greenhow, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, Bond University In recent years, a growing number of professional athletes are medically retiring from sport, particularly in some of Australia’s most popular football codes. In April, Collingwood player Nathan Murphy, 24, medically retired ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Scott, Professor of Health Economics, Monash University David Fuentes Prieto/Shutterstock Deciding whether to wait and see if your health condition improves or go to a GP can be a difficult task. You might be unsure about where to go, whom ...
Listening to Adrian Orr and other RBNZ leads this morning on RNZ I had an odd sublimely fatalist shivering sensation observing an inflation+interest rate wave rising high and entirely beyond any party or state power or instrument to protect us.
Labour is doing what it did during the pandemic – making sure average earners are shielded as much as possible from the fallout of high inflation by restricting the labour supply to keep unemployment low and wages rising in line with inflation.
Nicola Willis, who sounds more and more like yesterdays supply side fanatic everytime she appears in the media, attacks the government for the cost of living crisis, whilst demanding austerity, higher unemployment, wage cuts and higher interest rates.
For all the faults of this Labour government, it has never been clearer that they are party of the people who live in this country, and National is the party of the people who see the country mainly as a place to make money – the bosses, the rentiers and the speculators.
He was a bit waffly and unclear I thought.
Actually he sounds like someone who has been burned by all the peer criticism from the ultra-dry economically orthodox and is now mainly concerned with keeping his job, even if it costs thousands of others theirs.
Seems to have changed tack after the trip to Jackson Hole. This I put down to realising intetest rate hikes were the only game in town and he would be required to follow each time the Fed did to keep investors on side.
If he doesn’t think thats sensible policy its going to get deflating to understand what policy you will be explaining for the rest of your term.
US Fed just jacked to 4%.
I guess a .5% jump for us in 2 weeks?
That would be my pick. Not so clear how he will explain it, because its more or less motivated by the Fed decision, but he needs to justify it in terms of what's happening in NZ (which maybe nothing new).
Although they were talking of a possible 0.75% jump!
BREAKING:
Leading bank economists volunteer to be sacked to help fight inflation.
Love your sense of humour Sanc (2)
A question for those who have spare time on their hands. For those that don't – cool down – scroll past
I read this story a while ago – and visited the social media and other direct sources of the main two subjects ( which may now have gone).
Have come across this fairly comprehensive blogpost which outlines how this incident was wrongly portrayed by "alt=right trolls".
When reading it, what questions arise (if any?), and what actions do you take?
And what – in the end – do you take away?
https://dogpatch.press/2019/09/10/hoax-alt-right-trolls/
I didn't read the whole thing, but it struck me as, on the face of it, well written, evenhanded and researched. In stark contrast to much of the debate in twitter around this.
What I do on twitter is that I look at the account that is saying or doing the controverisal stuff. Sometimes the account looks new, or odd in some way, and I sometimes tweet about the third party actors who are there to shit post or do intentional damage to feminists, trans people and/or society. Lots of people are stuck in an us/them paradigm (GC/Genderist).
If it was a topic I was interested in or had some investment in, I might join the conversation and push back against the bullshit (on both sides). My experience with this is that depending on who I talk with and how hard I push, I will get blocked by both sides 🤷♀️ It's important to do.
"My experience with this is that depending on who I talk with and how hard I push, I will get blocked by both sides It's important to do."
As well as being hellish cute, a sense of fun, and playfulness, have been linked to intelligence.
I imagine, this discovery was also a joy for the researchers
The more we find out about the natural world, the more you gotta love it.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ball-rolling-bumble-bees-just-wanna-have-fun/?
Who'da thunk the US makes Brazil look ordered and good.
Bolsonaro clearly accepting defeat and enabling the transition of power to Lula shows by comparison how fast US democracy is degrading in real time.
That was a pleasant surprise. Mind you the damage Bolsonaro wrought upon the land of Brazil was even greater than Trump in the US – at least in conservational and climactic terms.
The election was actually far from a good outcome. Lula scraped in and:
"Brazilians elected a more conservative Congress in the Oct. 2 ballot, with supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro and the agribusiness lobby winning seats in both the lower and upper houses."
“As the rest of the world closely watched Brazil’s presidential election on Oct. 2, the country’s conservative bloc made significant gains in a Congress that it already dominates. This could prove a key stumbling block to any future efforts to rein in the deforestation and environmental destruction that’s become a signature of the Jair Bolsonaro administration.”
“Ricardo Salles, Bolsonaro’s former environment minister, whose resignation last year amid an ongoing illegal logging investigation….[won] one of the highest vote totals of any legislative candidate in the country.” [In the senate]
https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/conservatives-tighten-grip-on-brazil-congress-hampering-environmental-agenda/
yup, here have the ceremonial chains of office and sit at the head of the table as the chooks come home to roost so we can all blame you.
A bit of good news from the West Island!
Brilliant…NZ is dragging its feet on solar.
Australia still lags with total renewable the record set last friday at 68.7%,NZ at 1 pm today was 98% renewable (with only cogeneration being FF and biomass).
All 4 main eastern states are now in excess production,with spot prices being negative from -36 to -41pmwh.This effectively means generators are being charged to generate.
This is a good idea from Act. You guys will hate it.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/11/david-seymour-says-act-would-put-beneficiaries-refusing-jobs-on-income-management-to-tackle-labour-shortage.html
I know who I'd like to put on “income management“, and it's not the serfs.
Expect to (Sey)more of this – again and again and again.
Seems pretty sensible- if people are fit and able to work, but simply would rather not work, and just receive the benefit when there are numerous industries crying out for staff.
Jimmy, do you actually know anybody in that position? One of my nephews was unemployed a few years ago. He had an excellent Case Manager at WINZ who required him to apply for a certain number of jobs every two weeks – she checked up on him as well. Within a month he had 2 part time jobs, one of which turned into a full time job within a couple of months. He then decided that there was actually a Tech course he wanted to do do he enrolled in that and dropped back to part time hours at the same employer.
I have refugee friends who will do any sort of work that is available – one woman had a junk mail delivery route within a month of getting out of Mangere, and then a part time cleaning job. She quit that job a few years later when she qualified for the pension as she had a shoulder injury from the heavy floor cleaner.
The ones who "sit around" tend to be unemployable because of drugs or alcohol – or personality disorders.
Well done to those people who try to get ahead. It would not be targeting them. I do think WFF needs to be changed as I don't like the way it reduces if a person earns more / does more hours (as that's a disincentive to work more). Also I strongly believe the tax brackets need to adjust for inflation. The governments tax take has been far higher than expected partly due to wages increasing.
You will love how income support abatement works.
Jiminy, your support for Seymour's opinion is pretty predictable, but surely you can’t expect to garner much support for it here.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/16-08-2022/the-side-eyes-two-new-zealands-the-table
No I didn't expect any support for it here. Ironically I used a different "10 people at dinner analogy" on the tax cuts article – comment no. 17.
The wealth distribution, that 10% of people have +50% of the wealth to me is a different subject. Why should wealthy people (who may have worked hard or not), or even middle class working people, have some of their wealth re-distributed to fit healthy people or would rather stay on a benefit when they could be working? To me it seems like a good policy to get people in to work rather than be benefit dependent.
The people still on unemployment benefits at 3% unemployed are people in very serious strife and need all the help we can give them, not more punishment.
From my experience on multiple public and private institutions and mega-projects they need among other things:
Check out the number of paid staff that needs. It's a lot. There are really good institutions around that do that, and a few really good employers as well – but as you can see it is a huge investment in social transition from social welfare entities and from the businesses who take them on.
But honestly at 3% unemployed it is increasingly what we have to do. And it is intensely rewarding.
You are quite right about the sort of support that is needed. One of my refugee friends works for a chap who supplies contract labour to orchards, packhouses etc. He has a couple of vans which go around and pick them up in the mornings – poor people have crap and unreliable cars – and he stops at a bakery or something on the way so that they can pile out and buy breakfast/lunch if needed. When he gets to where they are going he makes sure that they can do what is needed safely, and he has all the gloves etc they might need. He also spends quite a lot of time telling them how much he appreciates them and what good work they do – or if necessary he will coach and help until they are doing good work. Consequently, he never has to look for additional workers – his staff recruit for him every time and there is a waiting list. My friend used to have 2 part time jobs in Rest Homes which involved a lot of down time and travel. Now she is full time with overtime and really enjoying it. "Hard work" she says – "but good work".
At least the bus driver crisis is finally hitting this government in its policy interests: public transport.
There are of course massive government partnerships that enable this stuff to occur like Mana In Mahi which goes from strength to strength. But our company has been taking in long-term beneficiaries and people straight out of prison for some years now.
Everyone has to make a commercial decision about what they take on, but the loyalty you get in return is so critical in this market.
It amazes me that some of the bigger firms have not caught up with the idea of the firm providing transport to workers.
I worked at a series of jobs in factories while going through varsity. At least two of them provided transport to and from work. One in HB where I was living in Napier and the work was in Hastings. You just stood at a bus stop and a bus cruised past and picked you up. Same at night when you had finished your shift. There was public transport you could catch but the drop offs were not nearly as convenient. The bus particularly went through the suburbs where the majority of people lived, so south Napier on the flat.
Thanks Ad (7.1.1.2.1.1) – a fantastic, humane, clear-eyed and true comment. But for the Seymours of the world, the strawman of the 'idle scrounger' has to be maintained as an ideological foundation stone of the just-world fallacy.
Likewise the meritocracy myth:
https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/03/01/144958/if-youre-so-smart-why-arent-you-rich-turns-out-its-just-chance/
Yes, I put Seelittle's idea in the same basket as the "homeless man who got free MIQ' of Woodlouse invention. Inventions of their narrative.
Agree with your comments AB and of course with those of Ad.
AD at 711211 100%
That is a very factual and clear eyed list Ad.
Don't be fooled that a helper can got through the list and 'tick', 'tick'. Most have got sub-lists behind, so:
And we have to
1 look at kids vaccination records, any done? or are they up to date?
and while we are there what about the other children and vaccinations for Mum?
2 How is the child going to get to child care? So transport arrangements
3 Clothes and spare clothes in case of play or other mishaps
So if there are at least 3 sub projects for each item of Ad's this is a big 'do'. And wraparound services provided by a team.
Plenty of ‘attitude‘ out there:
As Lord Seymour suggests, all those "fit [and] healthy" ‘slackers’ could be 'encouraged' to perform any number of menial tasks, although these comments of PM English seem more considered than Seymour's.
Gosh, doesn’t Luxon make English look relatively competent, in hindsight.
"Get people in to work" is laudable – forcing people into work not so much, although I acknowledge the appeal of an easy fix.
https://www.connected.govt.nz/support-for-you/careers-advice/employment-support-services/
I love holidaying in Te Puke again, and again, and again.
Cluxon's got staying power alright, no question – flips 'em like a pro. Best opposition
jokeleader since JuDarth's left eyebrow – what was the question again?Is that the same David Seymour who predicted 20 people a year would die from food poisoning if we banned cheap plastic shopping bags? That the same half wit? Just asking for a friend….
Perhaps he got modelling from Shaun (80,000 will die) Hendy!
Probably not. I reckon Hendy wasn't too far wrong about 80k if we did nothing. Looking at the two US states of similar population, they had 16k deaths with 20% of population infected just before the vaccines came out. So herd immunity at that rate would have been at least 60k deaths before considering the effect on the hospital system. And that excess deaths were higher than official covid deaths so 80k might have been a bit light in any case.
You're dreaming!
"80,000 will die" was output from a Hendy et al. model in the worst-case scenario.
Seems unlikely to me that Aotearoa NZ could have lost more than 20,000 – 22,000 Kiwis, i.e. similar to the COVID-19 death rates in the ten worst-affected states in the USA, but the early worst-case scenario predictions didn't allow for a vaccine, so who knows. Better safe than sorry, imho.
So far NZ is sitting at ~15% of rate of deaths in those ten worst-affected states, all but a handful of which have occured in the last 8 months, over two years since the first COVID-19 cases were detected here. Could be worse!
Jimmy, you missed out the part that said "without strict measures such as the country-wide lockdown" It is thanks to the measures taken, including lockdowns that prevented large scale deaths in New Zealand, as seen in other countries.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/120604818/new-model-shows-coronavirus-could-kill-80000-kiwis-without-lockdown
Of course he did. Lurching from headline to headline and with antis too many to count, why bother with the facts?
Just the misinterpretations please served with a side of Maccas.
Classic Bennie bashing from the Epsom incel.
ACT are pathetic, let their supporters hire their own private security, and build their own highways for their Porsche Cayennes (Toyotas more like for most of them)! No police protection or two lane blacktop on the taxpayer for the Chicago Boy lot.
Short memory Jimmy? National and Act have already done it. Have you forgotten National's punitive welfare reforms that weren't exactly a success story? National created more poverty and hardship and it appears you want a repeat of that.
"And if the beneficiaries refuse to work, Ms Bennett says the Government will reduce their sickness benefit.
"There will be expectations that they are fronting up and working where they can, and if they're not actually doing those sorts of activities then yes we will be cutting their benefit by 50% to start with," she said"
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1008/S00260/government-to-crack-down-on-sickness-beneficiaries.htm
"welfare policy announced by Prime Minister John Key at the weekend, 16, 17 and 18-year-old beneficiaries would receive a payment card for food and clothes from approved stores"
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/bennett-beneficiary-cards-no-backtrack/YGAEOLWCAQVDBNEDXYVLTUTPCU/
Job search obligations are currently required by the Social Security Act for those on the Jobseeker Support benefit other than beneficiaries with those obligations deferred for health reasons (formerly the sickness benefit). Failing the obligations will eventually lead to benefit sanctions up to and including cessation of benefit, so I don't know what he's on about.
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/on-a-benefit/obligations/obligations-for-getting-jobseeker-support.html has the obligations, one of which is finding or preparing for work.
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/on-a-benefit/obligations/not-meeting-your-obligations.html has the consequences of failing those obligations and includes losing the benefit.
That's all as assessed by case managers, so it's not automatic that failing to look for work for a couple of weeks will immediately result in total loss of benefit, but the stick is there eventually.
How it's done (2m clip when you click on the tweet)
https://twitter.com/PeterMcDade/status/1587917131907219459
Inspiring!
Consistently too.
Hasn't had his first Council meeting and already Wayne Brown's promises are coming undone.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown backs off election promise to get $400 million from Ports of Auckland – NZ Herald
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/130362166/taranaki-man-threw-concrete-pavers-at-police-as-officers-ended-parliament-protest
What about the cops who were throwing the pavers at protesters?
Link, please.
It was shown on tv news clips at the time of the protest.
It was funny seeing it at the time. There were a handful of cops who started hurling the pavers protesters had thrown at them, back at the protesters. It only happened a few times until, it seems, someone must've said "hey, we're cops, we can't be seen to be throwing these pavers back at the protesters!", then they stopped and started stacking the pavers up behind them. Quite apart from the fact they're cops, throwing the pavers back at the protesters was pretty dumb because they were just giving them back to the protesters to be thrown at the cops again. Upon reflection, it's probably more likely this was the reason they stopped, rather than the fact they're cops throwing pavers, which probably wouldn't have dawned on them.
The cops who did that did it because specific radiation was being emitted and microchips deliberately put in their equipment was activated.
They had no control, they just acted. There you go, explained perfectly, logically.
Yes, I think you're right, although for some it'd simply come down to their inability to contain what for them comes naturally. Certainly an indication of the calibre of some of the cops we have these days.