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.
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The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 25 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
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.